Coach Jim Baxter was a remarkable championship football coach at Meridian. A native of Lumberton, Jim was a superb athlete who played football and basketball at Millsaps College. He was a three-year letter winner in football (1923-25) and basketball (1924-26) for the Majors and served as captain of the basketball team in 1926. He played in every quarter of every game on offense and defense for the football team in 1924. Upon graduation, he entered the coaching ranks at Newton County AHS in 1926. He arrived at Meridian in 1928 and created a football powerhouse. Under his guidance, the Wildcats would capture five Big Eight championships in 1931, 1932, 1937, 1938, and 1940. His teams won 28 consecutive games from 1936 to 1939 including unbeaten seasons in 1937 (10-0) and 1938 (11-0). His 1940 Meridian squad won the Toy Bowl championships in New Orleans. Coach Baxter’s military service extended from 1942 to 1946, but he returned to Meridian and coached until 1947. In 1948, Jim served as elected to the state legislature and served until 1960. In addition to membership in the MAC Coaches Hall of Fame, Jim was inducted into the Millsaps Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. When the MSHOF museum opened, Coach Baxter was the oldest living hall of famer, unfortunately, he passed away four days later on July 8, 1996.