Born in Richmond, Virginia, Foiles\' family moved to Norfolk, Virginia where he attended Granby High School, played football and baseball and ran track. In 1946, he was named All-Southern in football and starred in the inaugural Oyster Bowl held in Foreman Field in Norfolk. He attended the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia.\n', '

In November 1947, Foiles was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent. He spent four years playing in the minor leagues before being selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1951 Rule 5 draft. He made his major league debut on April 21, 1953 at the age of 24, starting at catcher for the Redlegs (as the Reds were known from 1953–58) in a 4–3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. After playing only five games with Cincinnati, his contract was purchased by the Cleveland Indians on May 13, 1953. He appeared in seven games with the Indians before the team sent him back to the minor leagues.\n', '

In 1954, Foiles posted a .332 batting average along with 17 home runs and 59 runs batted in while playing for the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association. His performance earned him a promotion back to the major leagues in 1955 where he posted a .261 batting average in 62 games while playing as a backup to the Indians All-Star catcher, Jim Hegan. He also demonstrated his strong throwing arm with a 59% caught stealing percentage, above the 47% league average for catchers. The Indians entered the final week of the 1955 season in first place, but then faltered to lose four of their last five games to finish the season in second place, three games behind the New York Yankees.\n', '

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