Roy Foster was a 6'4" offensive lineman out of USC. He was a two time member of the All-America Team, a consensus selection in 1981. Miami chose him with their first round pick of the 1982 NFL Entry Draft with the 24th overall pick.
Foster appeared in all nine regular season games for Miami in the strike shortened 1982 campaign as a rookie. The team finished with a 7-2 record, as the offense gained an NFL third best 1,344 yards. Miami advanced to Super Bowl XVII, losing to the Washington Redskins 27-17.
In 1983, Foster appeared in all 16 games for Miami, including his first career start at right tackle, in a week three loss to the Los Angeles Raiders, 27-14. The Dolphins posted a 12-4 record, making it to the AFC Divisional Playoff before bowing out to the Seattle Seahawks, 27-20.
1984 would see Foster assume the starting role at left guard for all 16 games. The Dolphins finished at 14-2, easily cruising through the playoffs to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XIX against the San Francisco 49ers, losing 38-16. The Dolphins offense was the NFL's best by a wide margin, gaining 6,936 yards and scoring 513 points. The team also set records with their passing offense, gaining 5,018 yards and scoring 49 touchdowns. Foster was chosen by the UPI as a second team All-Conference member.
Foster would again start all 16 games for Miami through the 1985 regular season at left guard, earning his first Pro Bowl bid and earning a first team All-Conference UPI selection. Miami won the AFC East Division title with a 12-4 record, missing out on their third Super Bowl in four seasons by losing the AFC Championship game to the New England Patriots, 31-14. The passing offense posted an NFL second best 4,114 yards.
In 1986, Foster earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl, again earning a first-team All-Conference selection. The team went 8-8, missing the playoffs for the first time in Foster's then five year career. As usual, Foster started every game for Miami at left guard. In spite of their lukewarm regular season record, the Dolphin's offense was again a powerhouse, leading the NFL with 430 points scored and placing an NFL second best with 6,324 yards gained.
1987 would see Foster start all 12 non-replacement player games for the Dolphins at left guard. The team missed out on the postseason with an 8-7 record. Even so, Miami managed to lead the NFL with 3,876 passing yards.
In 1988, Foster started 15 games at left guard for the Dolphins, missing his first start in five seasons due to an ankle injury suffered against the Buffalo Bills on September 11th. For what it's worth, Miami gained 4,516 yards to again lead the NFL in passing yards, but only posted a regular season record of 6-10. Incredibly, it was the only season that Miami posted a losing record from 1976 through 2004, a span of 27 seasons.
Foster started every game at left guard in 1989 as Miami returned to the .500 watermark with an 8-8 record. He earned a second-team All-Conference nod from UPI. Foster would see his impact scaled back in 1990 in favor of rookie Keith Sims, and made only three starts, appearing in every game.
Foster refused a three year contract offer from the Dolphins and went on to join the 49ers for three seasons before retiring after the 1993 campaign. He started 95 of 132 games for Miami, mostly at left guard, including 62 consecutive (not including replacement weeks 3-5 in 1987) from 1984 through 1988.