ADVERTISEMENT

Foster Auditorium bb

xcop

All American
Gold Member
May 29, 2002
6,007
11,684
283
72
Tuscaloosa,Alabama
Just curious ,how many remember going to Fosters for the Bama BB games? Lots of memories such as upsetting a Rupp team. That seem light years ago comparing the program now. When all 3000 or so seats were full it was pretty loud but that didn't happen often.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ccintn and milso47
Just curious ,how many remember going to Fosters for the Bama BB games? Lots of memories such as upsetting a Rupp team. That seem light years ago comparing the program now. When all 3000 or so seats were full it was pretty loud but that didn't happen often.
my father played in the state tournment there in 1957 for russellville.
 
Just curious ,how many remember going to Fosters for the Bama BB games? Lots of memories such as upsetting a Rupp team. That seem light years ago comparing the program now. When all 3000 or so seats were full it was pretty loud but that didn't happen often.
I lived there. Locked doors and turned out lights, each night.
not sure, but 2400 rings a bell.
Bob Andrews lived there, too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sheerperfection
Just curious ,how many remember going to Fosters for the Bama BB games? Lots of memories such as upsetting a Rupp team. That seem light years ago comparing the program now. When all 3000 or so seats were full it was pretty loud but that didn't happen often.
Watched Rupp and cOtton Nash practice my freshman year. I had never seen those things done with a basketball.
 
  • Like
Reactions: xcop
Walked in after the 1963-64 or 1964-65 game had started. Foster was about half full. “Rat” Riley, as he was then called, and Louie Dampier on the court for Kentucky. Not much enthusiasm for Alabama bb in those days. Most years between The Rocket 8 and CM there wasn’t much to be enthusiastic about. Was in law school in 1971-72 when CM turned it around. Plenty of enthusiasm then. Of course by then Foster was in the rear view mirror.
 
  • Like
Reactions: xcop
i was not there, but a couple of friends of mine were when pistol pete came to town. we won in several over times i think, but pete put on a show. hate to this day i did not go.

i think that was in foster
 
i was not there, but a couple of friends of mine were when pistol pete came to town. we won in several over times i think, but pete put on a show. hate to this day i did not go.

i think that was in foster
i thought that was the record in coleman when it was memorial gym.
 
  • Like
Reactions: xcop and bet9
Walked in after the 1963-64 or 1964-65 game had started. Foster was about half full. “Rat” Riley, as he was then called, and Louie Dampier on the court for Kentucky. Not much enthusiasm for Alabama bb in those days. Most years between The Rocket 8 and CM there wasn’t much to be enthusiastic about. Was in law school in 1971-72 when CM turned it around. Plenty of enthusiasm then. Of course by then Foster was in the rear view mirror.
i was not there, but a couple of friends of mine were when pistol pete came to town. we won in several over times i think, but pete put on a show. hate to this day i did not go.

i think that was in foster
Coleman, Mike
I think he scored 54.
he was so hot that night he shot from everywhere. There was a stretch he started at the top of the circle. He popped several. Came down, stopped further out, wasn’t guarded, and popped again. Came down again, stopped even further out, popped again. The man guarding him would set up where he shot from last. This went on till Pete’s last shot of the series was one step into his court. Next time down, he hesitated his dribble, drove around the man, through the whole Team and shot some kind of trick shot right at the basket.
He only had 1/2 of another player on his team. The others just wore uniforms. This one, Danny something, was the dump of man after PP did fancy dribbling or pulled up from a fast break. he Didn’t know when, where, or how PP was going to get him the ball. Half the passes bounced off his hands.
PP. was a true magician!!!
 
Last edited:
Coleman, Mike
I think he scored 54.
he was so hot that night he shit from everywhere. There was a stretch he started at the top of the circle. He popped several. Came down, stopped further out, wasn’t guarded, and popped again. Came down again, stopped even further out, popped again. The man guarding him would set up where he shot from last. This went on till Pete’s last shot of the series was one step into his court. Next time down, he hesitated his dribble, drove around the man, through the whole Team and shot some kind of trick shot right at the basket.
He only had 1/2 of another player on his team. The others just wore uniforms. This one, Danny something, was the dump of man after PP did fancy dribbling or pulled up from a fast break. he Didn’t know when, where, or how PP was going to get him the ball. Half the passes bounced off his hands.
PP. was a true magician!!!
i think he has the record in coleman at 69 points.
 
Pete scored the 69 in Coleman. February 7, 1970, the day our first child was born, which meant I was at Druid City Hospital not the game.
 
If I remember correctly LSU lost the game. CM decided to let Pete get his points and shut the rest of them down. Used to play intramural and pick up games in Foster. The basketball team would play pick up games in the early fall in there before practice started. There were some great games in there with Leon Douglas TR Dunn Mule King Anthony Murray Charles Cleveland going after it
 
  • Like
Reactions: ccintn and milso47
If I remember correctly LSU lost the game. CM decided to let Pete get his points and shut the rest of them down. Used to play intramural and pick up games in Foster. The basketball team would play pick up games in the early fall in there before practice started. There were some great games in there with Leon Douglas TR Dunn Mule King Anthony Murray Charles Cleveland going after it
Those were fun times. Bob Andrews was a magnate for these games. Several a week. Namath and Sloan were some football players that were regulars . The A Club played the varsity in a charity game. Namath scored over 20 points.
 
  • Like
Reactions: milso47 and xcop
If I remember correctly LSU lost the game. CM decided to let Pete get his points and shut the rest of them down. Used to play intramural and pick up games in Foster. The basketball team would play pick up games in the early fall in there before practice started. There were some great games in there with Leon Douglas TR Dunn Mule King Anthony Murray Charles Cleveland going after it
I was a freshman sitting behind the football team. They got in a brief brawl on the court after the game. PP's dad hustled him off the court.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ccintn
If I remember correctly LSU lost the game. CM decided to let Pete get his points and shut the rest of them down. Used to play intramural and pick up games in Foster. The basketball team would play pick up games in the early fall in there before practice started. There were some great games in there with Leon Douglas TR Dunn Mule King Anthony Murray Charles Cleveland going after it
Not sure CM “decided to let Pete get his points.” In every game in the Pistol Pete era Pete did most of the shooting and scoring and basically could not be guarded.
 
Not sure CM “decided to let Pete get his points.” In every game in the Pistol Pete era Pete did most of the shooting and scoring and basically could not be guarded.
We didn’t double or triple team him and leave teammates open. Pete was probably a better passer and ball handler than shooter
 
  • Like
Reactions: xcop
when i was in federal prison at maxwell i was friends with a guy named billy royal. he played football at LSU and was friends with pete. got several letters from him. i will never forget how upset he was when we heard pete had dropped dead. it was hard to believe. dropped dead while playing a pick up game.

it was early spring i beleve. 1988
 
I was on the floor at Foster briefly and broke an arm in that building. Foster and Boutwell were the largest arenas that I ever got to play. Foster was a horrible place to shoot Free throws. On one end of Foster you shot facing the entrance and a wall, with the fans above you, which was great on depth perception. On the other end of Foster was a stage and curtains, which meant you had no contrast to help with depth perception. The teams sat on opposite baselines in Foster, much like Vandy. Glad it is not used anymore.

I also was there for the last Alabama game in Foster. Students use to sit above the opposing bench and heat pennies and drop them on the opposing bench. As you enter Foster and turn to the Right, at the end of the hall, Coach Crisp had his office.
 
ADVERTISEMENT