John W. "Bake" Baker (August 14, 1907 – February 6, 1979) was an American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Southern California, where he was a two-time All-American at guard. Baker served as the head football coach at Iowa State Teachers College—now known as the University of Northern Iowa—from 1933 to 1934, the University of Denver from 1948 to 1952, and Sacramento State College—now known as California State University, Sacramento—from 1957 to 1960, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 41–61–4. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1983.
 Baker, c. 1945 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 14, 1907 Denison, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | February 6, 1979 (aged 71) Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1929–1931 | USC |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1933–1934 | Iowa State Teachers |
| 1935–1937 | Omaha (line) |
| 1938–1941 | Grant Union HS (CA) |
| 1942 | Sacramento Junior College |
| 1945 | Fourth Air Force |
| 1946 | Los Angeles Dons (line) |
| 1947 | Denver (line) |
| 1948–1952 | Denver |
| 1953–1956 | Washington (assistant) |
| 1957–1960 | Sacramento State |
| Basketball | |
| 1935–1938 | Omaha |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1957–1967 | Sacramento State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 47–64–5 (college football) |
| Bowls | 1–0 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1983 (profile) | |
Playing career
editBaker earned varsity letters at USC in 1929, 1930, and 1931. He played in the 1930 and the 1932 Rose Bowl, kicking five points after touchdowns. He kicked the winning 33-yard field goal with one minute to go in USC's game against the Notre Dame in 1931. It was USC's first victory in South Bend. Baker was an all-conference first-teamer in 1930 and 1931 and was invited to participate in a demonstration game of American football at the 1932 Summer Olympics, but he declined. At USC, Baker was initiated as a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.
Coaching career
editAfter leaving USC, Baker coached football at Iowa State Teachers College, the University of Omaha, the University of Denver, Sacramento State College, University of Washington, and Sacramento City College. He was also the athletic director at Sacramento State.
Baker was the head football coach at Grant Union High School in Sacramento, California from 1938 to 1941. He was hired as the head football coach at Sacramento Junior College—now known as Sacramento City College in 1942, succeeding Harry Applequist.[1][2]
Death and honors
editBaker died of cancer on February 6, 1979, at a hospital in Sacramento.[3][4]
Baker was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1961,[5] the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983, the University of Southern California Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997, and the Phi Kappa Tau Hall of Fame in 2006.
Head coaching record
editFootball
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State Teachers Panthers (Iowa Conference) (1933–1934) | |||||||||
| 1933 | Iowa State Teachers | 3–6 | 2–2 | 6th | |||||
| 1934 | Iowa State Teachers | 3–3–2 | 1–0–2 | 4th | |||||
| Iowa State Teachers: | 6–9–2 | 3–2–2 | |||||||
| Fourth Air Force Flyers (Army Air Forces League) (1945) | |||||||||
| 1945 | Fourth Air Force | 6–3–1 | 3–2–1 | 3rd | W Legion Bowl | ||||
| Fourth Air Force: | 6–3–1 | 3–2–1 | |||||||
| Denver Pioneers (Skyline Six / Skyline Conference) (1948–1952) | |||||||||
| 1948 | Denver | 4–5–1 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1949 | Denver | 4–6 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1950 | Denver | 3–8–1 | 2–2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1951 | Denver | 6–4 | 4–3 | 3rd | |||||
| 1952 | Denver | 3–7 | 0–7 | 8th | |||||
| Denver: | 20–30–2 | 10–16–1 | |||||||
| Sacramento State Hornets (Far Western Conference) (1957–1960) | |||||||||
| 1957 | Sacramento State | 5–4 | 2–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1958 | Sacramento State | 3–6 | 1–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1959 | Sacramento State | 2–7 | 1–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1960 | Sacramento State | 5–5 | 2–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| Sacramento State: | 15–22 | 6–14 | |||||||
| Total: | 47–64–5 | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ Adams, Wilbur (April 27, 1942). "Johnny Baker Of Grant Is Favored For Coach At Local Junior College". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. p. 11. Retrieved May 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ George, Steve (May 7, 1942). "Steve's Sport Shelf; Baker Needs Co-operation". The Sacramento Union. Sacramento, California. p. 4. Retrieved May 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Florence, Mal (February 8, 1979). "Johnny Baker, 72, Dies Of Cancer". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. 1, part III. Retrieved May 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Florence, Mal (February 8, 1979). "Johnny Baker Dies Of Cancer (continued)". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. 10, part III. Retrieved May 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "1961 Inductees". Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
