Robert Baxley ‘18, a former student-athlete who graduated from Mount Michael, returned to The Mount for the 2022-2023 school year to help as a sophomore dean and a football coach.

When Baxley was in high school, he played football and ran track for one season, which was cut short due to an injury. On the football field Baxley was a Swiss Army Knife, playing a number of positions. These included OLB, DE, FS, SS, RB, and FB, but he was mainly a running back and free safety.

After he graduated from Mount Michael, Baxley attended the University of Dallas to study theater and education. 

When Baxley started coaching a few years ago, it was always his dream to come back to The Mount as a coach. Baxley said, “I missed being a part of the community here and wanted to give back to a school that helped prepare me for life.” 

Baxley is now using his past experiences as a student-athlete to guide current students. Baxley said, “It’s sort of like the other side of the same coin. When you’re a student and player, you’re kind of trying to figure it all out. Now as a dean and coach, I’m able to help guys figure it out from the other side.”

Baxley has a strong connection with the sophomores, as he is their dean and the head coach for the Mount Michael Reserve Football Team, predominantly sophomores. Baxley enjoys being a sophomore dean stating, “I don’t know if I have a favorite experience. It’s a lot of little things, like when a bunch of the sophomores come into my office to watch Monday Night Football, or every night when I do bed check and Jackson Teetor (‘25) reminds me how many days are left until Christmas.”