Pasco's Baxter leaving family to head west
Thu. February 2, 2012 | Matt Baker | Email
DADE CITY – Pasco defensive tackle Jon Baxter’s big moment Thursday was bittersweet.
When the 6-foot, 270-pound senior signed to play college football at Wayne State, he fulfilled a dream to continue playing football and get a college degree. But his signature also meant that he’ll be heading to Nebraska, leaving behind the grandmother who’s raised him for most of his life.
“She’s my everything,” Baxter said.
Baxter grew up in the home of his grandma, Dorine Craig. She took custody of him after the state intervened when Baxter was 6. She took care of him and taught him how to ride a bicycle.
Craig wanted her grandson to get involved in sports. He played peewee football for a year or two but quit around middle school because he didn’t like the coaches. She wanted him to pick up baseball, but he wasn’t interested.
“He liked contact sports,” Craig said.
When Baxter got to high school, he started playing football again and made an impression early. He started all four years at Pasco, averaging 7.5 tackles and one sack per game. Baxter racked up three sacks this fall to help the Pirates advance to the Class 5A state semifinals.
“No matter what it took, he wanted to succeed,” Craig said.
Wayne State offered Baxter a scholarship after the season ended. He thought about it for a couple months before committing to the NCAA Division II school a few days ago.
He likes the idea of a small campus (3,500 students). He likes the small class sizes that will help him turn his knowledge from AP psychology into a major and career path. He likes the thought of leaving Florida and seeing something new, like snow.
“It’ll be good for me,” Baxter said.
His family is torn. Craig said she wants her grandson to succeed – she just wishes he didn’t have to do it at a school so far away.
“She’s showing me a map every day and tells me how far it is,” Baxter said. “I’m ready.”
Baxter’s mind is set. His paperwork is official, and Wayne State has announced him as one of its 30 recruits for the class of 2012.
Baxter said he has a chance to be one of the first members of his family to earn a college degree. Others have tried and failed, but he wants to set an example for his six younger siblings.
“It’d mean a lot,” Baxter said. “Hopefully it’ll mean a lot to them, too.”
And to his grandmother.
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