Flash Foster
Robert "Flash" Foster[1] is an American college student from Chicago and star football player at Midwestern University. In a qualifying game for the 1940 Rose Bowl, Foster was set to lead the Midwestern team against Hale University. Oddsmakers heavily favored Midwestern due to Foster's renowned skill, and as a result some criminals looked to make a lot of money by betting on Hale and influencing the outcome of the game. Specifically, a gang led by Nick Bruno conspired to kidnap Foster's fiancé Connie Hodges and coerce him into throwing the game. They enacted their plot as planned, but Foster refused to cooperate. At the game, Foster played at a subpar level against Hale on account of his mind being on Connie. He was thus taken out of the game, at which point his friend Shorty approached him with information on Bruno. The two drove to an inconspicuous cabin the woods where Bruno and his men were holding Hodges, and Foster quickly overpowered and incapacitated them. Flash and Shorty had been followed by a police officer due to their high speed, and Foster pointed him to the kidnappers. Foster returned to the game with four minutes to spare, scoring two touchdowns and a field goal to win the game for Midwestern 22-21. Midwestern were selected for the Rose Bowl against Central California, but the results of that game and Foster's fate since then are unknown.[2]