Fresno State Athletics
The Better Half
9/28/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 28, 2001
By Beth McDonald, Fresno State Media Relations
Around the nation, in college towns spread across the land, college football season has captivated the minds of fans. The excitement of the season, the Saturday nights, the tailgating, the celebration that ensues after a thrilling victory. Fans stay captivated until the season ends in the beginning of January.
At least this is true for the majority. For a college football coach, his wife and his family, it is a different story.
"Football isn't just a fall sport," said Jill Baxter, wife of Fresno State's associate head coach John Baxter. "My husband works literally from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week from the end of July to February, and we barely get to see him. Not only is there the season, but then there is recruiting, postseason and football camps in the summer."
This type of lifestyle is difficult because it means the coach's wife is home a lot by herself watching the children and taking care of the home. However, the wives of Baxter and offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig have experience. Both of their fathers coached at the college level.
"Having a father that was a coach probably helped our relationship," said Jill Ludwig. "I already knew what to expect and that makes things easier. Plus I'm independent, which is good."
Jill Ludwig's father coached Idaho State, South Dakota, New Mexico, Augustana (S.D.), and Oregon before his retirement. Jill Baxter's father is Ron McBride, the head coach at the University of Utah.
"Being a coach's daughter is a totally different ballgame," said Jill Ludwig. "It is fun both ways but now there is a lot more stress. You learn the different parts of the season and go with the schedule."
Both wives agree it is much easier being the daughter of a college football coach. As the wife, they share in the pressures of having a winning season.
"Coaches wives get cold sores, ulcers and gray hair way too soon," said Jill Ludwig. "You get used to the ups and downs and you go through phases. When one phase is over you get all hyped up for the next phase. The same thing happens every year, but there are different highs and lows that always change."
Having a father who coached college football may have helped with both of these women's relationships, but it had no affect on how or why they both married men that coached football. Jill Ludwig believes her husband and father share similar characteristics but that her father can tend to be more emotional. On the other hand, Jill Baxter considers her husband and father to be nothing alike.
"They may both love children and share a passion for coaching and encouraging their players, but my father is super easy going and my husband is very high strung," Jill Baxter said. "My husband is a type AAA+ person. He is very clean, super organized and can be annoying. He is always going around trying to fix things, working in the backyard, and everything has to be in a certain place. My father doesn't mind if things are all cluttered and messy and I don't think he ever fixed anything. I'm not sure if he could fix anything."
In the four years John Baxter has been at Fresno State, the Bulldogs have played three games against the Utah Utes - the same Utes coached by Jill Baxter's father. One of those games was the EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl in 1999, where the Utes beat Fresno in the last few minutes of the game.
"That wasn't very much fun for me," recalled Jill Baxter. "I'll sit on one side during one half and then the other side the second half. It is very uncomfortable for me. No one else seems to mind but I feel awkward. My father and husband are very close. Each wants to win for their team but it isn't a competition between one another. My husband wanted his team to do especially well that game because he wanted my father to be proud of him. The two have more of a father-son relationship."
John and Jill Baxter have been married for nine years. They met at the University of Arizona while Jill's father was coaching and John was a graduate assistant. They have two daughters Kelly, 5, and McKenzie, 4.
"We knew one another when my father and John coached together, but we weren't dating," said Jill Baxter. "When I finished law school I worked in the DA's office in Arizona when John moved to Maine for a full-time job. He eventually came back to Arizona and that is when we started dating. A year later he was offered a job at the University of Maryland and we decided to get married and move. He knew my parents first, which was nice. He could be considered as the pre-approved husband."
Having a father and a husband who are college football coaches can be rewarding. For Mrs. Baxter, the most enjoyable time is that short time of the year when her husband and father aren't working and they can all spend time together as a family. For Jill Ludwig, the best thing about the lifestyle is the camaraderie formed between the coaches' families. As a child, she also enjoyed the perks of having people know who she was because her father was a coach.
Jill Ludwig and her husband met at Idaho State after her father had gone elsewhere to coach. They have a 2-year-old son, Joey, and are expecting a girl sometime during the middle of the season.
Currently, Jill Ludwig is staying at home with Joey and preparing for their new baby. Jill Baxter also stays at home with her two daughters. She works out of her home in the guest house in their backyard, which was remodeled into an office for the family business, Academic Gameplan. She also practices sports law, having a number of clients, including her father.
A coach's wife has a crazy schedule but like most wives she does her best to accommodate for her family.
"You have to wear a lot of different hats and take responsibility for everything," said Mrs. Baxter.
