"Father of Oklahoma Tennis" Passes Away

The Father of Oklahoma Tennis and legendary coach, Francis Baxter passed away on September 9, 2021.  Coach Baxter most notably had a 36- year tenure as the tennis coach at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO).  He gave back to the sport in numerous ways, including serving as the Missouri Valley President from 1973-74 and the USTA Oklahoma Executive Secretary for 32 years.  He was inducted into the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame in 1990. Coach will be deeply missed by many.  

Francis Baxter attended high school in Dover, Oklahoma, where he played basketball and baseball.  His class had only 13 students.  He lettered in track and tennis at Central State University, where he graduated with a degree in Mathematics in 1956.  He was certified to teach 7th-12th grades.  He began teaching math and coaching tennis at John Marshall High School in 1956 and in 1960 moved to Harding High School where his boys’ tennis teams won three Oklahoma State titles.  While at Harding, he helped administer the All-State Games.  In 1970, Baxter began his career at Central State University.  He received his Master’s Degree in teaching from Central State and began working toward a PhD from Oklahoma State University.

Baxter was the head coach of the Central State/University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) men’s tennis teams for 36 years and of the women’s tennis teams for 26 years before retiring in 2006.  He led those teams to six NAIA District 9 championships in the 1980s while taking the men to three NAIA national tournaments and the women to one.  He also guided his teams to eight combined NCAA Division II tournament appearances, six for the men and two for the women.  In 1988 he was named the Lone Star Conference Women’s Coach of the Year and in 2004 the Lone Star Conference Men’s Coach of the Year.  He also claimed the Division II Men’s Coach of the Year accolades in 1996. 

Coach Baxter had 14 players earn NAIA or Division II All-American honors a combined 25 times, including Charl Bornman, the school’s first-ever Division II National Champion.  He was the driving force behind UCO hosting the NCAA Division II National Tournament in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1996, in addition to the ITA/Rolex National Small College championships in 1993 and 1994.

Baxter served as the Executive Secretary of the Oklahoma District Tennis Association for 32 years and was the Missouri Valley President from 1973-1974.  As a player, Baxter served as captain of a United States International tennis team from 1993-2001, leading the 60-and-Over men to the Von Cramm Cup title seven consecutive years from 1993-1999 and taking the 50-and-Over men to the Fred Perry Cup Crown in 2000 and 2001.  In 1999 he became the first Chair of the newly established Oklahoma Tennis Hall of Fame committee and is one of the five original inductees into the Oklahoma Tennis Hall of Fame.  He was inducted into the University of Central Oklahoma Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991.