Former PCHS standout Fred Baxter comes home to host football camp

As Fred Baxter stood on the playing surface of Bulldog Stadium Saturday afternoon, the memories came flooding back.

Baxter, a star on the gridiron for Pike County in the late 1980’s, returned to Brundidge over the weekend to host a youth football camp on the same field he once roamed as a standout tight end and receiver.

“It gave me chills to be back out there and think about all the great times we had playing for Pike County High School,” Baxter said. “Coach Holland (Pike County’s current head coach) and I played together in high school, so it was very enjoyable to talk with him. We shared some great moments out there and are happy to pass them along to the younger players.”

Baxter, along with a few of his former NFL teammates and the current Pike County staff served as coaches for the day camp.

Players from across the Wiregrass, including Troy, Brundidge, Ozark, Enterprise, attended the one-day camp.

The camp, which Baxter deemed “an outstanding success,” went over the fundamentals of football, including footwork, route running, blocking and throwing.

But Baxter is a firm believer the most important session of the camp came at the end. After all the drills had been taken care of, the campers were treated to an empowerment session, led by Baxter and the other former pros.

“It is not all about football,” said Baxter, who is an assistant coach at Widener University in Pennsylvania. “We want this guys to be good football players, but we want them to be great students and great members of the community. A quality education and being a good person are better than being a good ball player.”

Baxter said the camp will become an annual event, and he hopes to grow it more each and every year.