Doug Baxter was born in Mobile, Alabama on June 15, 1960. He graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama in 1978. During Doug’s years at Lee, he served as the Lee High School boy’s wrestling team manager where he managed multiple state championship teams and state championship players. Upon graduating, Doug attended and graduated from Auburn University in 1985 where he served the Auburn University Athletic Department as manager of the men’s track team and volunteer assistant coach for seven years.

Doug’s accomplished wrestling career began in 1987 at Brewbaker Junior High School in Montgomery, Alabama where he served as the head wrestling coach from 1987-1991. After exiting the wrestling coaching community, he registered as an AHSAA Wrestling official in 1996 and was a wrestling contest official until 2012. During his time as contest official, Doug served as a camp instructor at the AHSAA State wrestling officials camp and was a part of the inaugural state wrestling officials camp. Furthermore, Doug was selected to referee in five state championship tournaments throughout his career. In 2019, Doug became the AHSAA District Director for the Gulf Coast Region and served in this position until 2021. After carrying out his duties as the District Director for the Gulf Coast, he was selected to become the AHSAA Coordinator of Officials and Rules Interrupter for Wrestling in 2021 and was in that capacity until 2023.

In addition to Doug’s wrestling career, he also was a Physical Education teacher for thirty-one years at numerous schools throughout Alabama and South Carolina. He retired from teaching in June of 2017 to focus on his health. He was always held in high esteem while refereeing and teaching students. Doug passed away on June 11, 2023 at the age of sixty-two after a courageous seven-year battle with cancer.

Doug was a kind thoughtful godly man who served in many roles which included husband, dad, brother, PawPaw, Uncle, friend, and coach. Doug was married to his wife, April, for twenty-six years and were blessed with three children: Mary Ann, Kendrick, and Nathan. He also was the brother to Cindy and Chris. His deep commitment and loyalty to the organizations and schools he worked for embodied what it means to be a Hall of Fame inductee.