Carl David Baker (born February 16, 1953) is a former American football executive and politician. He was President and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio from 2014 to 2021.[5]
C. David Baker | |
|---|---|
| President & CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| In office January 6, 2014 – October 16, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen Perry |
| Succeeded by | Jim Porter |
| Commissioner of the Arena Football League | |
| In office November 8, 1996 – July 25, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Drucker |
| Succeeded by | Ed Policy |
| Mayor of Irvine, California | |
| In office July 9, 1985 – July 8, 1986 | |
| Preceded by | David Sills |
| Succeeded by | Larry Agran |
| Member of the Irvine City Council | |
| In office July 10, 1984 – 1988 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carl David Baker[1] February 16, 1953[2] Los Angeles County, California, U.S.[2] |
| Political party | Republican[3] |
| Education | University of California, Irvine (B.A.) Pepperdine University (J.D.) |
| [4] | |
Baker was raised in Downey, California, the son of a lumber mill worker father and foster child caregiver mother. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Criticism from the University of California, Irvine and his Juris Doctor from the Pepperdine University School of Law, during which time he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Pepperdine Law Review.[5]
One of Baker's more imposing aspects is his size, standing at 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighing around 400 pounds.[6] He was a basketball power forward at UC Irvine from 1971–75 where he established the school record for career rebounds (926) that stood for 44 years until broken by Jonathan Galloway in 2019.[7] Baker also played two seasons of professional basketball in Switzerland before attending law school.
Baker was a City Councilman of Irvine, California in the mid-1980s.[8] He left his political career in 1988 after being convicted of forgery in California for attempting to forge a $48,000 check from the nonprofit Irvine Health Foundation (of which he was executive director) for use as campaign funds during a run for a Congressional seat.[8][9][10]
On November 8, 1996, Baker became the fourth commissioner of the Arena Football League. He started in the league as the owner of the Anaheim Piranhas, which he left after a single season of owning the team to become league commissioner.[11] Baker resigned as Arena Football League Commissioner at ArenaBowl XXII, on July 25, 2008, after almost twelve years as commissioner.[12]
From 2009 to 2014, he was Managing Partner for Union Village,[13] an integrated health care village in Henderson, Nevada.[5]
On January 2, 2014, Baker was announced as the President of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[14] In his first three years of leadership at the Hall, the organization's net assets grew 161%.[15] He was also involved in the Hall of Fame Village, a mixed-use development surrounding the Hall of Fame.[16][17][18]
On November 28, 2017, Baker received the March of Dimes Sports Leadership Award.[19][20]
On October 16, 2021, Baker announced his retirement as the president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[21]
Personal life
editBaker and his wife Colleen were married in the 1990s after both being divorced for several years. Baker has two sons from a prior marriage, along with a stepson and stepdaughter.[22][23][24] One of his sons is Sam Baker, who played for the Atlanta Falcons as an offensive tackle. Baker is a Christian.[25]
References
edit- ^ "Attorney Profile: Carl David Baker #88960". The State Bar of California. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ a b "Carl David Baker, Born 02/16/1953 in California". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org.
- ^ "The 400-Pound Man Who's the Face of the Pro Football Hall of Fame". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "Municipal Election History: 1971 to Present". Irvine, California: City Clerk's Office. August 16, 2019. Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Hall of Fame President David Baker's Bio". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021.
- ^ Trotta, Jerry (January 13, 2020). "5 extra large facts about Gigantic Pro Football Hall of Fame Guy David Baker". www.12up.com. 12up. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ "UCI clinches Big West regular season title and Galloway sets career rebounding mark". March 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Lichtblau, Eric (November 15, 1988). "Sentence for $48,000 Forgery: C. David Baker Ordered to Do Community Service". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ^ Flagg, Michael; Churm, Steven R. (June 15, 1988). "Leaders Left Baker Campaign After Forcing Him to Quit Post". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Churm, Steven R. (June 16, 1988). "Baker Surfaces, Concedes 'I've Had Better Weeks'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "AFL's New Tower of Power: C. David Baker Named Commissioner". Sports Business Daily. November 8, 1996. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ^ "Baker resigns as AFL commissioner after successful 12 years". ESPN. Associated Press. July 25, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ^ Segall, Eli (October 8, 2014). "Developers break ground on massive Henderson health village". Las Vegas Sun.
- ^ Porter, Todd (January 2, 2014). "C. David Baker to head Pro Football Hall of Fame". The Repository. Canton, Ohio. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ^ Farmer, Sam (August 1, 2017). "David Baker has big plans for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and many already are on display". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Hall of Fame CEO Confident Work to Resume Soon". Canton Repository. January 20, 2019.
- ^ "Hall of Fame president envisions football 'Disney World'". The Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville, Florida. Associated Press. August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ Schneider, Keith (August 22, 2017). "A Bold, Expansive Vision for Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame". The New York Times.
- ^ "Hall of Fame president Baker honored by March of Dimes". Boston Herald. Associated Press. November 3, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ "Gran estafa en México, a la sombra del Salón de la Fama de la NFL". www.proceso.com.mx.
- ^ "David Baker, Pro Football Hall of Fame president, announces retirement". The Athletic. October 16, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- ^ Silver, Michael (June 2, 2003). "No Small Achievement Affable but forceful commissioner David Baker has thrown his weight around and put the Arena Football League on the sports map". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Baker, Colleen. "Football is a game for life". blogs.usafootball.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ "David Baker runs the Pro Football Hall of Fame his way". NFL.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Mercer, Kevin (July 30, 2019). "Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker, a 'sinner saved by grace of Jesus,' prepares for Hall Of Fame Weekend". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
External links
edit- "Q&A with AFL commissioner David Baker". Inside the AFL. June 23, 2004 interview
- [* Grand Scam in Mexico, in the shadow of The NFL Hall of Fame.
Proceso. 2019-20-10
[Grand Scam in Mexico, in the shadow of The NFL Hall of Fame]