NATCHITOCHES – The first Exchange Bank Demon Great of the Game of 2022 made an impact away from the field.
 
Longtime Northwestern State custodian Thomas Foster will be honored during the first quarter of the Demons' 2022 home and Southland Conference opener against Lamar at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Turpin Stadium.
 
Foster's impact went far past his title, serving as a friend and mentor to numerous Northwestern State student-athletes while becoming a de facto NFL liaison to scouts and other pro personnel who visited Natchitoches throughout football season.
 
Foster died in August at age 69 but left a longstanding legacy that led former NSU directors of athletics Greg Burke and Tynes Hildebrand to establish the Thomas "Dog Check" Foster Football Operations Endowment in his honor.
 
To donate to the endowment, click this link.
 
There will be a gathering of former players and Foster's family Friday at 6 p.m. in the Stroud Room inside the NSU Athletics Fieldhouse that will be a chance to gather and celebrate Foster's life and legacy.
 
The Exchange Bank Demon Great of the Game program is in its second decade of honoring former Northwestern State student-athletes and staff members. Exchange Bank and Trust has been a key supporter of NSU Athletics throughout its long history as the oldest financial institution in Louisiana.