Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2021
- Class:
- 1962
From Kansas City, Baker was a quarter miler for the Tigers of Coach Tom Botts. He placed sixth at the NCAA Outdoor championship in the 440-yard dash in Philadelphia, in 1961, and was the runner-up the following year in Eugene, Oregon to earn all-America honors. He was the team co-captain in 1962 along with fellow MU Hall of Famer, Don Smith. He was on MU’s two-mile relay team than ranked in the nation’s top-three in 1962 and won championships at the Arkansas and Kansas Relays. At the Big Eight Conference outdoor championships, Baker placed third (1960 and ’62) and second in 1961 in both the 440-yard dash the 220-yard dash. After graduating from Missouri, he served with the U.S. Marines Corps in Vietnam then went to law school at the University of Kentucky and had a long career in private practice and in Kentucky state government.
