There will be a UAB presence Saturday at the Enshrinement Ceremony of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Rod Woodson, a six-time All-Pro NFL cornerback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame Class of 2009 and it will be a former Blazer basketball player -- Tracy Foster -- who delivers the presenter's speech for Woodson.

Foster, who played for coach Gene Bartow in the mid-1980s, and Woodson were childhood friends, high school rivals and later became business partners.

Foster and Woodson grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Foster attended Homestead High School while Woodson went to Snider High School. Their relationship began through their rivalry on the basketball court during their prep days and they've been friends ever since.

Foster recently explained the origin of his relationship with Woodson to the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.


"He says he can beat me one-on-one, and it's going back and forth," said Foster, "and I say, `OK, meet me at Lakeside Park tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.'

"We're laughing and joking and we shook hands. The next morning, (we both) showed up at 9 o'clock, and we played a few games and sat there and talked. I just knew he was a good guy, and he's been my friend ever since."

When reached by phone Saturday in Canton, Foster said he and Woodson had known each other prior to their 1-on-1 contest. "I was the basketball guy, he was the football and track guy," Foster said. "We already had a mutual respect for each other."

Over the years, they became business partners and Foster has also been involved in some of Woodson's charitable projects.

Woodson asked Foster about a year and a half ago if he would be his presenter at the Hall of Fame ceremony when and if he got the call. "He said, you know, I'm going to be eligible next year and if I'm lucky enough to be voted in, I want you to be my presenter," said Foster.

"I hadn't even thought about that aspect or possibility. I knew he had a great chance to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and I was going to be excited and happy for him. I had already planned to be there. But when he asked me to present him, I said absolutely. It's a great honor and I'm really happy for Rod."

Foster came to UAB after beginning his collegiate career at Indiana. In 1987, the 6-4 guard was the Blazers' leading scorer (17.3 ppg) and was chosen in the NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.

"When I was thinking about leaving Indiana, I had an uncle who lived in Birmingham," said Foster. "He went over to see Coach Bartow and talked to him, not about me specifically, but about the process of transferring. He wanted to find out about the rules of transferring. But a short time later, he went back to see Coach Bartow and he told him he had a nephew who was planning to transfer from Indiana. I came down to visit and liked the place and that's how I wound up at UAB."

After he was released by the 76ers, Foster played professionally for five years overseas. He spent a year in France, one in Switzerland and his last three in Venezuela.

Woodson will be enshrined Saturday along with fellow players Bob Hayes, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith and Derrick Thomas and Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr.

The Enshrinement Ceremony will be televised live by ESPN.