Ex-Cowboys player Melvin Foster dead at 59

Melvin Foster, a former college football star who later became a sheriff’s deputy in Texas, has died, according to an online obituary. He was 59.

Foster was a standout linebacker with the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was on the team that won a Big Ten Championship and made a Rose Bowl appearance. He led the team in tackles during his junior and senior seasons.

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Melvin Foster was a Harris County, Texas, sheriff’s deputy for 15 years. (Ed Gonzalez/@SheriffEd_HCSO/X)

After his collegiate career was over, he had a brief stint with the Dallas Cowboys.

He later joined the Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office as a deputy sheriff and a field training officer. He was with the department for more than a decade.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez described Foster’s death as “unexpected.”

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An Iowa Hawkeyes helmet lays on the field before a football game against the Indiana Hoosiers Sept. 27, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

“We’re saddened by the recent and unexpected passing of our teammate, @HCSOTexas Deputy Melvin Foster,” Gonzalez wrote on X. “Melvin was an incredible man and public servant. He leaves behind a strong legacy. He served Harris County for almost 15 years.

“Melvin played for @JackYatesHigh, Class of 1986. He played linebacker for the football team and participated in a state championship in 1985. He played college football for the @IowaFootball Hawkeyes and appeared in the Rose Bowl in 1991. He was awarded @USATODAY All-American, All-State honors.  He was a member of the @dallascowboys in 1992. He was inducted in the @HC_HSA Hall of Fame.

“He was an impactful leader and was beloved by his teammates. We extend our deepest condolences to his family. Melvin will be missed and never forgotten.”

A general view of the stadium before the ReliaQuest Bowl between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 31, 2025.  (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)

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Foster was remembered in his obituary as a “giving man with a big heart.”

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