Gary Baxter

Gary Wayne Baxter (born November 24, 1978) is a former American football cornerback. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Baylor.

For the cricket umpire, see Gary Baxter (umpire).

Gary Baxter
refer to caption
Baxter with Dennis Kucinich in 2006
No. 28, 24
Position:Cornerback
Safety
Personal information
Born: (1978-11-24) November 24, 1978
Tyler, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:John Tyler (Tyler, Texas)
College:Baylor
NFL Draft:2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 62
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:296
Passes defended:48
Interceptions:8
Forced fumbles:3
Player stats at NFL.com

College career

Baxter played college football at Baylor where he played in 41 games making 202 tackles and six interceptions. He would return to the college in 2003 and graduated with a degree in speech communications.

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

Baxter was selected out of Baylor University in the second round, with the 62nd overall pick of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.[1] After playing in a situational and reserve role for Baltimore during his rookie season, Baxter started 46 games over the next three years (eight at safety, 38 at cornerback). During this time, he became a solid member of one of the NFL's best defenses. For his career, he recorded six interceptions, 36 passes defended, three sacks, 253 tackles, and two forced fumbles.

Baxter is perhaps best known for a play made in a 2004 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which he inadvertently caused an injury to the Steelers' starting quarterback, Tommy Maddox, forcing their rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into action. Roethlisberger was unable to salvage the win and the Ravens won the game 30-13.

Cleveland Browns

On March 2, 2005, Baxter signed a six-year, $30 million free agent contract with the Browns that included a $10.5 million signing bonus. His career with the Browns was injury-plagued, including a concussion, and a torn pectoral muscle that caused him to miss 11 games during the 2005 season.

On October 22, 2006, Baxter's career was dealt a major blow when he tore the patella tendons in both knees during a game against the Denver Broncos. He was the first NFL player to suffer such an injury in 13 years.

On July 30, 2007, Baxter returned to practice, although in limited capacity. The recovery, which surprised and confounded many doctors close to Baxter, marked the first time that a player had returned to the field of play after such a devastating injury. On October 23, 2007, the Browns placed Baxter on injured reserve.

On August 9, 2008, he was released by the Browns.

Statistics

[2][3][4]

Season Team League Games Total Tackles Solo Tackles for Losses Sacks Interceptions
1997 Baylor Big 12 8 8 6 0 0 0
1998 Baylor Big 12 11 45 36 2 0 4
1999 Baylor Big 12 11 53 43 0 0 2
2000 Baylor Big 12 N/A1 N/A1 N/A1 N/A1 N/A1 N/A1
2001 Baltimore AFC 6 6 5 0 0 0
2002 Baltimore AFC 16 90 75 0 0 1
2003 Baltimore AFC 16 106 88 0 1 3
2004 Baltimore AFC 16 86 78 0 2 1
2005 Cleveland AFC 5 20 17 1 0 2
2006 Cleveland AFC 3 21 12 0 0 1

1Statistics unavailable

References
  1. "2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  2. Archived July 11, 2012, at archive.today - College Bio of Gary Baxter
  3. - NFL.com - Gary Baxter
  4. "Cleveland Browns | Players :: Gary Baxter". Archived from the original on October 21, 2006. Retrieved April 8, 2007. - Cleveland Browns - Gary Baxter
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