John "Doc" Baxter, longtime athletic trainer at Emporia State, passed away on Thursday night at Aldersgate Village in Topeka.
"John Baxter helped mold the culture of Hornet Athletics through his work ethic and his service in over four decades at Emporia State," said Emporia State Athletic Director Kent Weiser. "I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him for 13 of those years. He will be missed."
Baxter was the Head Athletic Trainer at Emporia State and instructor from 1966-2012. He was named Director of Athletic Medicine at Emporia State at the start of the 2010-11 season, allowing him to step back from the day to day athletic training duties before retiring at the conclusion of the 2011-12 academic year. A University of New Mexico graduate, he was a teacher and coach at Garfield HS in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and an assistant athletic trainer at the United States Military Academy at West Point prior to coming to Emporia State.
He was a member of the ESU Athletics Hall of Honor, Emporia State HPER Hall of Honor, the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) Hall of Fame, the NAIA Hall of Fame, and the Kansas Athletic Trainers' Society (KATS) Hall of Fame. He was a 2003 recipient of the University Service Citation Award for individuals moved to service by a deep concern for and loyalty to Emporia State and was received the 1995 Darrell E. Wood Service Award from The Teachers College for his total commitment to professionalism.
"Legend may not be a strong enough word to describe Doc," said Emporia State Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Don Weast, a former student trainer under Baxter. "He touched hundreds of thousands of people throughout his life and not just the student-athletes at Emporia State. He ran camps for high school student trainers, taught classes at Emporia State in athletic training, and provided care and advice for area athletes when asked."
He served as president of KATS and was instrumental in getting legislation passed to allow for registration of athletic trainers in Kansas. He was a tremendous educator, and helped many student athletic trainers into careers in athletic training.
"Doc was one of the smartest and funniest men I ever met," said Hornet baseball coach Bob Fornelli, a former Hornet catcher. "Even after the stroke, when people came up to him after he had gone blind he would remember them and make them feel at ease."
Baxter suffered a stroke in January of 2011 that left him blind, although he continued to serve as the Director of Athletic Medicine for the Hornets through the 2011-12 season. A dinner in his honor during Homecoming in 2013 was the largest homecoming gathering in Emporia State history. He continued to follow the Hornets throughout his retirement and was presented the game ball at Aldersgate following Emporia State's 36-30 win at Central Missouri earlier this year.
"We lost an icon in Doc Baxter," said Emporia State football coach and former quarterback Garin Higgins. "He touched so many lives over the years."