Maxie Baughan was born in 1938 in Forkland, Alabama. He played his college football at Georgia Tech and was consensus All-American in 1959. In 1960 he was the number two draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles. As a rookie he went to the Pro Bowl as a linebacker and helped win the world championship that year. He went to the next 4 Pro Bowls. In 1966 Maxie moved to the Los Angeles Rams and 4 more Pro Bowls. In 1971 he completed his playing career with the Washington Redskins. After coaching at Georgia Tech, Baltimore and Detroit, he was the head coach at Cornell University.