Laxton is responsible for vaulting Suwannee High School wrestling into a premier program and changing the face of the sport in north Florida.
 
Before becoming a coach, Laxton saw action on the mat throughout his high school and collegiate career. He was a student-athlete at Troy State University and transferred to Auburn University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science. He began coaching in Alabama before landing the head coach position at Suwannee in 1981, where he holds a record of 236-24-2.
 
Retiring in 2014, Coach Laxton commanded his teams to a total of 14 District, 10 Regional, six State runner-up, and three FHSAA State Championship titles. He coached 16 individual State Champions and 12 All-American student-athletes.
 
Laxton is no stranger to Halls of Fame as was inducted into the Suwannee High Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003 and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005. He is the founder of the Billy Saylor Invitational, a three-time FHSAA Coach of the Year, and 15-time Gainesville Sun Coach of the Year. The 1992 Florida National Wrestling Coach of the Year nominee was a member of USA Wrestling, AAU Wrestling, FACA, and NHSCA.
 
His former athletes and peers know Coach Laxton for his freestyle wrestling techniques and his heart of a champion.