Terry Foster officially retires from “Valenti and Foster Show”

Afternoon drive time Detroit sports talk radio is going to sound different from now on.

Terry Foster, who formed one-half of the “Valenti and Foster Show”, has officially called it quits, effective immediately. He'll be focusing his life on spending more time with his family and paying attention to his health.

#BREAKING: Terry Foster has retired from @971theticketxyt and the "Valenti and Foster" program. https://t.co/XMHkOFLAuB

— Freep Sports (@freepsports) April 20, 2017

He suffered a stroke in August, and was on medical leave for the remainder of 2016. He was scheduled to return in October, but was delayed after suffering a setback. He returned to the airwaves in early January of 2017.

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Foster released a statement prior to Thursday's edition of the “Valenti and Foster Show”, and explained his reasoning for deciding to retire.

“I am retiring from sports radio but I am not retiring from life,” Foster said in his statement. “It is time for me to move on to a more low-key career.”

“I want to thank Deb Kenyon and James Powers for helping me get through a difficult time of my life and for the support during my 13-year career with 97.1 The Ticket. I also want to thank the most talented man in radio, Mike Valenti, for showing me the ropes, and thank the men behind the glass and my main crew David ‘The Hatchet Man’ Hull and Mike Sullivan.”

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“We were a great team. I just could no longer keep up the brisk pace of talk radio after my illness.”

His on-air cohost Mike Valenti also reacted to the news, and wished Terry and his family nothing but the best moving forward.

“It’s been a great run for Terry Foster and me on 97.1 The Ticket for more than a decade,” Valenti said. “Working with Terry has provided some memorable on-air moments. I want to wish Terry the same success in retirement that we have enjoyed together as a team. All the best, Terry, to you and your wonderful family.”

Program director Jimmy Powers also reacted to the news, and detailed what a pleasure it was to have Foster on the air for so long.

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“Terry has brought witty banter, laugh-out-loud humor, and engaging personal stories to thousands of Detroit listeners every afternoon over the past 13 years,” Powers said. “He was a vital part of making ‘Valenti and Foster’ the success it is and his contributions to local radio and to our station will be sorely missed. Everyone at 97.1 is sending good vibes and well wishes for health and happiness to Terry and his family.”

Show producer Mike Sullivan also reacted via Twitter.

Unforgettable memories… I want to wish my man @TerryFoster971 a great retirement! It was a blast working with you the past few years.

— Mike Sullivan (@MikeSullivan) April 20, 2017

Foster served as the Detroit Pistons beat writer for The Detroit News during the Bad Boys era, and began his broadcasting career in the 1990's on WDFN in Detroit before moving to WXYT. He started hosting the “Valenti and Foster Show” with Mike Valenti in 2004, and it quickly gained popularity. In 2015, the show was named the 5th most listened to sports radio talk show in the country.

We wish Terry and his family the best moving forward. Thanks for 13 great years on the air!