Football, leadership, community

Former NFL tight end and Moorestown resident Fred Baxter offered powerful lessons about perseverance, purpose and the importance of taking action in the community with Moorestown High students on Feb. 25.

Born in Brundidge, Alabama, Baxter played college football at Auburn University before being selected by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL draft. Throughout his 10-season career, he also played for the Chicago Bears, the New England Patriots and the Washington Commanders (2004).

“When you go out and you put everything that you have in you and who you are, don’t be ashamed of it,” Baxter told the students. “ … I don’t want you to miss out. There’s too much opportunity out there for all of us to not focus on doing whatever it takes … and making sure it’s good, making sure it’s going toward a goal.”

Baxter was a tight end and wide receiver in high school. In 1988, the Pike County Bulldogs achieved their first 13-win season, capturing two championships with a 13-2 overall record. That year, Baxter earned all-state recognition and was selected to participate in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star football game.

He was also class president and captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams, but he and his siblings were also very involved with the church.

“It wasn’t an ask,” Baxter recalled, alluding to his mother’s wishes. “It was mandatory. Anytime that we had any kind of Bible study or any kind of program that the church had that involved the youth, my siblings … it was mandatory that we participated, so church is my foundation.”

As a college star, Baxter recorded 57 interceptions for 767 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 13.5 yards per catch. His best season with the Auburn Tigers came in 1991, when he caught 28 passes for 391 yards and two touchdowns. Two years later, he would go on to play as a blocking tight end and serve as a special teams’ contributor for the Jets, appearing in 102 regular season games with 33 starts.

Before he left the team in 2000, Baxter totaled 73 receptions for 809 yards and 10 touchdowns. But the discipline, the principles and the accountability of being a member and participant of the church is what contributed to his drive, along with those who mentored him.

“I had some great coaches growing up (who),” Baxter remembered. “… Great leaders in the community (who) saw something in me and now, I’m like my coaches, and I see something in the community to help another kid.”

The school’s Cultural Crossroads and Young Historians clubs organized Baxter’s visit, which coincided with February as Black History Month. Figures in African American history who’ve inspired Baxter include the Greensboro Six. On Dec. 7, 1955 – just days after Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat – Dr. George Simkins, Jr., Phillip Cooke, Elijah Herring, Samuel Murray, Joseph Sturdivant and Leon Wolfe visited a whites-only golf course to play a round.

After returning home that evening, they were all arrested, found guilty of trespassing and sentenced to 30 days in jail. They lost a state court appeal and got an active jail sentence, but continued the fight at the federal court level, according to the African American Registry.

“That was a turning point in history that allowed me, now, in this part of history, to express my talent without having any prejudice …” explained Baxter, who emphasizes that Black history is part of history. “Nothing but my work speaks for itself. We are all people. God created all of us. We push forward. We go through despair. We bind ourselves together as a race, and we continue to love one another.

“(If) we all come together as one and love one another and help one another, I think the world will be a better place.”

Baxter retired in 2005, but he actively mentors youth. He’s also the founder of the Fred Baxter Foundation, an organization that creates and supports community resource centers to help underprivileged children and their families improve their quality of life.

If Baxter could give any piece of advice, he noted, it would be to have a consciousness of kind.

“That’s when you put other people before yourself and be respectful of others, yourself and the environment,” he advised. “It could mean anything to you, as long as you are conscious that what you do matches what comes out (of) your mouth …

“I (aspire) to use my platform and make it meaningful,” Baxter added. “Meaningful where the words that are coming out of my mouth, it’s going to do something to help you, one day, in your life, be a better person.

“It might not be now, but you can use it one day in your life to be a better person.”