Take one full load of pre-med classes, add the rigors of a starting position on the football team, combine that with the task of being Wofford College student-body president and then sprinkle in plenty of volunteer work, including service on the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

What do you get? You get a recipe for the success of Ben Foster, a senior halfback at Wofford who deftly balances all of these separate demands and excels at each.

On the field

As the 2001 team captain, Foster's job on the football field was part leadership and part no-glory hard work as the team's go-to guy whenever a great block was needed.

Foster led the Terriers in knockdown blocks -- no easy task since the run-oriented Wofford offense ranked second in Division I-AA in rushing offense with 280.1 yards per game.

"Kids like Ben have to be unselfish in our offense," said Wofford head coach Mike Ayers. "Ben always takes pride in his ability to block anyone."

At only 5-8, 185 pounds, Foster is not as large as some other blockers, but that doesn't slow him down much.

"I approach blocking with a defensive back's mindset," he said. "I've always loved to hit."

The physical act of blocking isn't all Foster provides on the field, though.

"It's like a classroom setting on the field," said Ayers. "Ben is smart enough to do anything he wants, but he challenges himself with football.

"Ben is a leader and difference-maker on and off the field. He is a tremendous young man," Ayers added. "He is a young man who believes there are no limitations if a person is willing to work."

On campus

Smarts that translate off the field also are in Foster's playbook. He owns a high grade-point average in a tough pre-medicine curriculum, he's on the dean's list and he also has been named to the Blue Key National Honor Fraternity. He's a Bonner Scholar, and he also was a 2000 Verizon Academic All-District selection.

That excellence in the classroom earned him some respect when he decided to run for Wofford's student-body president. Foster said he ran because he didn't see very many people participating in student government at the 1,100-student school who were African-American or who were student-athletes.

He asked his coach for permission and then set out to win the post.

Part of his campaign was educating people about the myths of the "dumb jock" stereotype, which he did by posting his transcripts.

Elsewhere on campus, Foster has served his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, as vice-president and historian. He's served as a tutor in the Wofford Tutor Program and also in the Leadership Group, which helps freshmen get acclimated to college life.

In the community

Foster has used his standing on campus to assist with off-campus initiatives, like getting the student body more involved in community service.

He recruited 20 fellow students to assist in the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home for low-income residents, and he has served the Big Brothers, Big Sisters Foundation as a peer tutor and liaison to junior-high guidance counselors.

Last summer, Foster spent 20-25 hours a week in Wofford's community of Spartanburg, South Carolina, running a "Stop the Violence" program. It was as enlightening to Foster, a product of a middle-class upbringing in Kennesaw, Georgia, as it was to the youngsters, who were entrenched in gang violence and had no use for anyone affiliated with elite Wofford.

"Wofford has a negative image in the poor community. They see us in BMWs, Mercedes, Land Rovers, and they hate us," Foster said.

By the end of the summer program however, those gang-prone youngsters were asking about attending a Wofford football game.

And, Foster had a better understanding of the challenges the youngsters face in Spartanburg, which ranks seventh in the nation in percentage of teen violence.

Foster ended up donating more than 240 hours to the "Stop the Violence" program, and he also helped the organization receive a $28,000 grant to continue its work.

For his many efforts in the community, Foster was honored by the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America as a "Peach of an Athlete," at the council's 18th annual Role Model Awards Banquet in April.

On a national level, Foster represents the Southern Conference on the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He also serves as a student-athlete representative on the Division I Football Issues Committee.

"They want student information on how they should handle problems," Foster said of the Association. "I respect the NCAA for asking for a lot of student input, and what we say really means something."

Foster's work on and off the field has not gone unnoticed by the leadership at Wofford.

"It's typical that Ben's football stats only record the yardage gained, not the blocks enabling other backs to break free," said Wofford President Benjamin Dunlap. "But it's the blocks that offer a key to his selfless style of leadership, and the good news about his certain success in life is the thought of how many others will benefit from it. The world already is a better place for having Ben Foster in it."