Billy Baxter (footballer)

Billy Baxter
Personal information
Full name	William Alexander Baxter
Date of birth	23 April 1939
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of death	25 May 2009 (aged 70)
Place of death	Dunfermline, Scotland
Position(s)	Right Half / Central Defender
Youth career
	Broxburn Athletic
Senior career*
Years	Team
1960–1971	Ipswich Town
1971–1972	Hull City
1972	→ Watford (loan)
1972–1973	Northampton Town
1973–1975	Nuneaton Borough
Total
Managerial career
1972–1973	Northampton Town
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Alexander Baxter (23 April 1939 – 25 May 2009) was a Scottish professional footballer.

A native of Edinburgh, Baxter was signed by Alf Ramsey and joined Ipswich Town from Scottish amateur side Broxburn Athletic in 1960.^[2] When he signed for the club he was stationed at Aldershot during his national service with the Royal Engineers. He made his debut in 1960, in a Christmas fixture against Ipswich's local rivals Norwich City.^[3]

He was a regular in the Ipswich team than won the old Division 2 Championship in 1960–61 and Division 1 Championship in 1961–62. He later captained the team to the old Division 2 Championship in 1967–68. In total, Baxter played 459 games for Ipswich during an 11-year stay at Portman Road. However, after a falling-out with manager Bobby Robson, he was sold to Hull City in March 1971. This was an unfortunate end to a fine career with Ipswich as Baxter, who had played initially as a wing-half and later as a centre back was a consistent and loyal member of the squad for many years.^[4]

After two largely unsuccessful seasons at Hull, Baxter became player-manager of Northampton Town in 1972, lasting one year in the job. He subsequently joined non-league Nuneaton Borough.

Baxter quit football returning to Scotland where he worked as an engineer for British Telecom.^[5]

In his later years, Baxter had cancer. He had a leg amputated some time before his death, and succumbed to the disease at a Dunfermline hospital on 25 May 2009, aged 70.

Honours

Ipswich Town

Individual

Ipswich Town Hall of Fame: Inducted 2009^[6]

References

^ "Billy Baxter". Barry Hugman's Footballers.
^ Eastwood, John; Moyse, Tony (1986). The men who made the town (First ed.). Pentlow, UK: Almeida Books. p. 120.
^ Murphy, Alex. "Biily Baxter (Obituary)". The Independent. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
^ Eastwood, John; Moyse, Tony (1986). The men who made the town (First ed.). Pentlow, UK: Almeida Books. p. 148.
^ King, Elvin. "Town legend Billy Baxter dies at 70". East Anglian Daily Times. Archant. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
^ "Four Town players in Hall of Fame". East Anglian Daily Times. 17 April 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2014.^{[permanent dead link]}

External links

Bill Baxter at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database

This biographical article related to association football in Scotland, about a defender born in the 1930s, is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "Billy Baxter". Barry Hugman's Footballers.

[2] Eastwood, John; Moyse, Tony (1986). The men who made the town (First ed.). Pentlow, UK: Almeida Books. p. 120.

[3] Murphy, Alex. "Biily Baxter (Obituary)". The Independent. Retrieved 11 October 2016.

[4] Eastwood, John; Moyse, Tony (1986). The men who made the town (First ed.). Pentlow, UK: Almeida Books. p. 148.

[5] King, Elvin. "Town legend Billy Baxter dies at 70". East Anglian Daily Times. Archant. Retrieved 11 October 2016.

[6] "Four Town players in Hall of Fame". East Anglian Daily Times. 17 April 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2014.^{[permanent dead link]}

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