Maybe the greatest touch footballer ever....Dale Baxter was blessed with sprinter speed, a rocket of an arm, an unmatched intensity, competitiveness and leadership skills that attracted athletes to him. Combined with an unequalled work ethic and williness to do anything to win.

Dale joined the Dolphins in 1978 because his older brother knew he could run and the team needed a rusher.
He was 19 and most of the Dolphins were older ex-ball players. Dale had never played organized football, but was an all round athlete who could play any sport. After the Dolphins lost in the the semi-finals that first year they wanted to bring in a QB with experience, when Dale’s cousin piped up and said “Dale can QB.”
His cousin knew this because they had often played pick-up challenge games in Surrey. But no one else on the team had ever seen Dale throw.

“That first year I couldn’t read a thing.. it was all a blur,” says Dale. “I was running for my life...it was a few years before I learnt to read defences. I was running to bye time to find a receiver.” At the time there were few running QBs, most guys were drop back passers, a runnner changed the game. Most rushers couldn’t contain or even get close to Dale so it was not unusual for teams to send 2 or 3 rushers at him.

“Football consumed my life,” he says. “I would practice for hours.” He worked to perfect his back to the rusher move by practicing it over and over again until he could push off either foot to elude a rusher. He would then run them ragged as they chased him from one sideline to the other. “Most people I played against didn’t like me. I was an intense player and couldn’t play for the heck of it,” says Dale.

Early in his career Dale would play QB and on Defence, however opposing players would target him, knowing that as long as he was in the game they wouldn’t win, so they would try to hurt him. So the Dolphins took him off defence.

Still he was the undisputed leader of the Dolphins.
“Dale would tell you right before the start of a game if you were playing and what position you were playing. You may not of liked it but no one complained and 9 out of 10 times you were patting the guy who was taking your spot, on the back - and telling him -- take it to em. Everyone accepted their roll.”
And those who didn’t - didn’t last. “Dale even cut a guy right before a game. Cut him right there at the field.”

Dale would go on to lead the Dolphins to 7 National Championships in 10 Championship games.

Lead the Dolphins to 7 National Championship titles.

• Size: 5’9 and 165 lbs.
• Offered scholarhips to SFU and UBC
to play football
• Labatt’s All Canadian Award - as a 21 year old
• Nationals MVP 88

"Best player to play the game would have to be Dale Baxter hands down."

-Colbert Tam

“I will tell you that playing with Dale was very intense. You were not just playing for him but also the legend that was the Dolphins. You had to fill some big shoes and you had to give everything you had and you had to perform. Catching the ball for Dale was fun. He had an amazing arm and could put the ball anywhere at anytime so you had to be ready. Watching Dale run around in the back field at his leisure was also fun to see. Dale himself played with more intensity than anyone and demanded the best of the rest of us. His inspirational talks before every big game would motivate you into playing your very best. I won 1 national title with Dale at the helm and it is still one of the top 3 of my greatest touch football moments,”

-Paul LeBlevec