Longtime Central Oklahoma tennis coach to retire

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) _ After 50 years of coaching tennis -- including the last 36 at the University of Central Oklahoma -- Francis Baxter says he'll retire at the end of the month. <br/><br/>The 71-year-old

Sunday, June 18th 2006, 11:47 am

By: News On 6

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) _ After 50 years of coaching tennis -- including the last 36 at the University of Central Oklahoma -- Francis Baxter says he'll retire at the end of the month.

The 71-year-old began coaching UCO's men's team in 1970 and became the Bronchos' women's coach in 1980.

At his alma mater, Baxter's teams won 653 matches and he was named the NCAA Division Two men's coach of the year in 1996 after guiding the Bronchos to a sixth-place national finish.

Before he arrived at UCO, Baxter coached six years at John Marshall High School in Oklahoma City and eight years at now-closed Harding High School in Oklahoma City, where his boys teams won three state titles.