The Town of Irmo recently honored Sheila Foster for her outstanding accomplishments in the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball program, presenting her with a proclamation from the town.
Foster, who played at USC from 1978 to 1982, rewrote South Carolina’s women’s basketball record book, establishing herself as one of the dominant power forwards in collegiate basketball. She set records that still stand today, holding the South Carolina all-time leading scoring record for 36 years with 2,266 points, and the all-time leading rebounder record with 1,427 rebounds, averaging an impressive 16.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game over her collegiate career. Her double-double rebound record lasted for 41 years until Aliyah Boston broke it with 73, just one more than Sheila.
“She just bumped me down a notch,” said Foster. “I’m still there.”
Sheila started all 134 games during her four years at USC. “I never missed a game,” she said. Among her many firsts, she was the first female athlete inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993 and, in 1982, she became the very first woman in Gamecock history to have her jersey number retired. She was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2001.
“I was just a little girl from Boiling Springs,” said Sheila. “I learned to play hard and practice.”
Collegiate teams play more games now than they did in Foster’s time at USC, making her accomplishments even more impressive. Sheila’s jersey proudly hangs at the Colonial Life Arena.
Prior to the reading of the proclamation, Sheila was awarded a blazer from the University of South Carolina with her number, 53, embroidered on the front. “It was a long time coming for this,” said Foster. Former town council member Julius Waites and his wife Terry, who worked for two years to make this happen, were instrumental in her receiving the jacket.
“She deserves all the recognition for her commitment to USC and her community,” said Terry Waites.
After college, Foster went on to play professionally for six years before retiring to Boiling Springs, SC, where she coached for 13 years.
Caption: Irmo Town Mayor William Danielson reads a proclamation to honor Sheila Foster on Friday, August 2 at Town Hall. Present from left to right: Mayor Danielson, Sheila Foster, former Representative Chip Huggins, former town council member Julius Waites, Irmo Town Councilman Erik Sickinger, Terry Waites, and Irmo Town Councilman Gabriel Penfield.