Robert Eugene “Bud” Foster Jr. (born July 28, 1959) is a retired American college football coach and former player. He currently serves as a Special Assistant to Virginia Tech Athletics Director Whit Babcock. Following the 2006 season, he received the Frank Broyles Award, which is annually given to the top assistant coach in college football. Foster’s 2005 and 2006 Hokie defenses led the nation in total defense. Foster is regarded as one of the best defensive coordinators in college football. On August 1, 2019, Foster announced he was retiring at the end of the 2019 season.

Foster went to high school in Nokomis, Illinois. A 1981 graduate of Murray State University, Foster played strong safety and outside linebacker for the Murray State Racers from 1977 to 1980. Foster began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Murray State in 1981, Frank Beamer’s first season as the head coach. After two years as a graduate assistant, Foster was elevated to a full-time staff position. He coached outside linebackers for three seasons before taking over the inside linebackers as well in 1986. He also served as the Racers’ recruiting coordinator and worked with special teams. Foster moved with head coach Beamer to Virginia Tech in 1987 and became the inside linebackers coach. He then coached the outside linebackers for the next five seasons. Foster assumed responsibility for both sets of linebackers prior to the 1993 season and also took over special-teams coaching that year. The following year, he coached the inside linebackers and special teams. Foster assumed the position of co-defensive coordinator in 1995 and took over as the sole defensive coordinator in 1996.

Since the 1995 season, a battered metal lunch pail has been the symbol of Virginia Tech’s blue-collar mentality on defense. Each week a list of goals is put in the lunch pail and a player is chosen to have the honor of carrying the lunch pail onto the sidelines. The Lunch Pail Defense Foundation was founded to fund academic scholarships for students from the area near Blacksburg, Virginia.