Jim Foster
Encyclopedia
James F. Foster is the founder and first commissioner
of the Arena Football League
. He, along with two other partners, owns Gridiron Enterprises
, which acts as the sanctioning body of the sport of arena football
. He is also a former NFL
and USFL
executive and was later the principal owner of both the Iowa Barnstormers
and the AF2
's Quad City Steamwheelers
.
Born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa, Foster was a receiver for the University of Iowa
football team. He derived the basic concept of Arena football
while watching the MISL All Star game indoor soccer
being played at Madison Square Garden
on February 11, 1981. He drew it out on the back of a manila envelope. The AFL began league play in 1987. In 1990, Foster was granted a patent
on the game of Arena football and the equipment unique to it, particularly the end zone rebound nets, meaning that other indoor football leagues not affiliated with the Arena organization were forced to play by at least somewhat different rules than the ones the AFL uses until the patent expired in September 2007.
When Foster lived in Des Moines during his Iowa Barnstormer ownership days, he served as a member of the board of directors for Jazz Partnerz (Kurt Bowermaster, president), the non-profit group that planned and organized the Greater Des Moines Good Times Jazz Festival.
Jim Foster was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
. He, along with two other partners, owns Gridiron Enterprises
Gridiron Enterprises
Gridiron Enterprises is a sports consulting company based in Chicago, Illinois. Although they offer services to the public, their primary focus and notability is in being the patent holder of the system of play for Arena Football until the patent expired on March 27, 2007, as well as being an...
, which acts as the sanctioning body of the sport of arena football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
. He is also a former NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and USFL
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
executive and was later the principal owner of both the Iowa Barnstormers
Iowa Barnstormers
The Iowa Barnstormers are an arena football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Arena Football League , which they joined in 2010 following the organization's restructuring...
and the AF2
AF2
AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
's Quad City Steamwheelers
Quad City Steamwheelers
The Quad City Steamwheelers were a professional arena football team. They were a charter member of the af2. They play their home games at i wireless Center in Moline, Illinois....
.
Born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa, Foster was a receiver for the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
football team. He derived the basic concept of Arena football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
while watching the MISL All Star game indoor soccer
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
being played at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
on February 11, 1981. He drew it out on the back of a manila envelope. The AFL began league play in 1987. In 1990, Foster was granted a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
on the game of Arena football and the equipment unique to it, particularly the end zone rebound nets, meaning that other indoor football leagues not affiliated with the Arena organization were forced to play by at least somewhat different rules than the ones the AFL uses until the patent expired in September 2007.
When Foster lived in Des Moines during his Iowa Barnstormer ownership days, he served as a member of the board of directors for Jazz Partnerz (Kurt Bowermaster, president), the non-profit group that planned and organized the Greater Des Moines Good Times Jazz Festival.
Jim Foster was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.
External links
- Gridiron Enterprises, includes a short bio of Foster
- Our Sports Central Interview with Joe Foster
- American Football Association