David C. Baxter, Class of 1977

In David’s first athletic activity at Peddie, he came to campus under the protective wing of his brother, Scott, to select his first lacrosse stick – even before he began school in his freshman year. This heralded a remarkable two-sport career in which he played varsity soccer all four years and varsity lacrosse for two. In soccer, “Little Bax” was a three-year all prep selection. In lacrosse, he was chosen to the All-State team twice. His senior year he made the first team, became a high school All-American, and started in the North-South All-State game.

In spite of his being a standout athlete in his own right, David was quick to say, “The most memorable part of my Peddie sports experience was my teammates. In many respects, they were as responsible for my achievements as I was. I had the pleasure of playing four years of lacrosse with my fellow attackman, Fred Bull. Individually, we were both pretty good. But together we were often unstoppable.”

As juniors, David and Fred were the offensive spark plugs of the Pitt Division Championship ‘765 team. But, when the offense bogged down in his senior year, David was asked to move to midfield – a position he’d never before played. “Mr. Von,” his coach along with Ted Haynie, recalls, “When I put the idea to ‘Bax,’ he took a deep breath, looked me in the eye, and said, ‘Sure.’ Of course, the only thing that was sure was that none of us enjoyed it! But, in his typical manner, he just went out and did it – much better than anyone could’ve ever asked.”

From Peddie, David went on to Denison University where he was a four-year starter, making All-Midwest beginning in his freshman year. By the time he graduated, he had broken Ted Haynie’s scoring records for a single season and for a career, tied Ted’s single-game record of 11 points, and become a college All-American. In his senior year, he led all collegiate scorers with an average of almost seven points a game.

In reviewing his induction into this Hall of Fame, David said, “This is the essence of Peddie sports: That teamwork, hard work, practice and perseverance can achieve lofty goals.”