Donnie Baxter has excelled as a teacher and coach as well as an administrator during his illustrious career of well over 40 years. Born in Pinehurst, he attended Elise High School in Robbins and then graduated from Appalachian State University in 1968. From there he launched into a coaching career that included stops at Ellerbe, Asheboro, Lexington and Eastern Randolph High Schools. He was on the coaching staff at Asheboro that won a title in the Western North Carolina High School Activities Association (WNCHSAA), and he was the head coach at Eastern Randolph when he led his team to the 1983 NCHSAA state 3-A football championship. His baseball team in '81 was the state runner-up. From 1985 to 1995, Baxter was principal at Southwestern Randolph, and since 1999 he has been in the Randolph County central office as athletic director for the county schools. Baxter has served as chairman of the NCHSAA Nominating Committee for Board of Directors selection and has also served on the Realignment Committee. He also helped with the establishment of the Randolph County Sports Council.