Wide receiver D.J. Foster may soon be known as Dr. Foster. Most students around Southeast Missouri State Univeristy know him as the leading receiver on the football team, but Foster plans to attend medical school after graduation in hopes of becoming a chiropractor.

"Just being in and out of the doctor's office every so often as a kid kind of interested me, and that just kind of inspired me," Foster said. "I liked biology a lot, so it was just easy to get interested in."

Foster had to visit the chiropractor's office growing up to treat his scoliosis, a medical condition where the spine abnormally curves from side to side. He suffered from an acute case, which was painless and allowed him to play football.

"I had a slight angle in my back for like four or five years, but I grew out of it," Foster said. "I had a growth spurt right at the end of high school, so after that I kind of grew out of it."

As a biology major, Foster looks at class as being just as important to him as playing football.

"I'm a student-athlete, so the student part comes first," Foster said. "I always make a good effort to study as much as I can and use the time that I don't have football to my advantage."

Foster leads the team in every receiving category. He has 28 catches for 404 yards and four touchdowns.

"I've made some big plays, but there are definitely some areas where I could just continue to better my game," Foster said. "But, I'm pretty happy with how the season's going so far."

Wide receivers' coach Joel Beard believes Foster will be successful in life due to his work ethic.

"He's got a great desire to do good," Beard said. "He works hard and wants to be successful. He just needs to make sure that he stays on that path."

Although football is a big part of Foster's life, he knows it will end soon considering he is a junior.

"I plan on playing football for the rest of my life, but I know that isn't possible," Foster said. "So, I have to say I plan to go back home up to Chicago and get into a medical school up there."

Beard thinks football will help Foster during medical school.

"I think football is the ultimate team sport," Beard said. "It's the closest sport to real life. It prepares any student-athlete for what life brings later on."

Foster doesn't believe that the team's 2-5 record has indicated the amount of effort the team has put into its season.

"We're making strides as a team," Foster said. "We just put in so much work going through fall camp. It really reflects on the field, we just, there's small problems that hold us back from the wins. But losing doesn't always determine the effort put forth by the team."