2008 Woodie Awards
Soccer player remembered
Alcohol consumption suspected cause of athlete's death
Eryk Salvaggio
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: News
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Adam Baxter, 19, was a kinesiology and physical education major and a first-year midfielder on the UMaine Men's Soccer team. On Nov. 27, Baxter had been at former teammate Sean Meehan's residence in Portland, Maine. Friends called an ambulance after Baxter had difficulty breathing. First responders found Baxter dead at the scene. Police have stated his death was linked to alcohol consumption, but said an official autopsy result could take months.
"It's indescribable pain for his family and his friends and difficult to imagine how this could happen or why this could happen," UMaine Dean of Students Robert Dana said.
Students tell their own story about Baxter; the story of an athlete with tremendous potential following an "American dream" to UMaine last year. Baxter hailed from Skegness, England, a seaside tourist town. Baxter had played for his home Football Club - which Americans would know as soccer - and served as captain of his County teams, leading them to the national semifinals.
Baxter started 16 games this season for the UMaine Black Bears and was named to the America East Conference All-Freshman Team, the first Black Bear to earn the honor since 2004. He was Maine's only player on a conference team this year.
At UMaine, team members and administrators are reflecting on Baxter's life.
"Adam was an outstanding person both on and off the field," Head Coach Pat Laughlin said. "We will look to each other, our families and the extended University of Maine Community for support."
Knox Hall Assistant Community Coordinator Peter Harriman said students are "doing OK" since the news broke on Sunday.
Baxter's athleticism served as inspiration to friends from both sides of the Atlantic. A stream of posthumous Facebook comments on Baxter's profile paint a picture of an upbeat, hard-working friend with a high tolerance for spicy curries.
"The nicest bloke you could ever imagine," Ben Pearce of London said.
"A class act as a footballer and more importantly as a human being," friend Mark Hallam wrote.
Another Facebook post, from former UMaine teammate Meehan, invited Baxter over to celebrate Thanksgiving as well as being named to the America East team.
Meehan, 19, had been suspended from UMaine on Nov. 9 after an incident at St. Joseph's College where Meehan was intoxicated and refused to leave a women's dormitory in Standish, Maine.
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