Shannon Baker (gridiron football) explained

Shannon Maurice Baker (born July 20, 1970) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Indianapolis Colts.[1] He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles.[2] He also played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

High school career

Baker is from Lakeland, Florida.[3] He initially attended Kathleen High School in Lakeland, where he threw for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore quarterback.[4] Baker transferred to Lakeland High School as a junior and was converted to a wide receiver before switching back to quarterback ahead of his senior season in 1988.[5] [6] Aside from football, he was a starter on the basketball team and starred on the track and field team.[6] As a junior in 1988, he won the state title in the 100 meter dash.[6] Baker repeated the feat as a senior, also winning the 220 yard dash state title, and was named the Polk County Boys Track Athlete of the Year by The Tampa Tribune.[7]

College career

Baker accepted a scholarship to play football at Florida State University.[8] As a sophomore, he caught a memorable touchdown on a Hail Mary pass as time expired in the first half of a win over LSU.[9] [10] Baker finished the season with 18 catches for 242 yards and four touchdowns.[11]

Baker was featured in a more prominent role by his junior year, when he was named the starting flanker.[12] He caught 25 passes in the first seven games of the season,[13] finishing with 30 catches for 451 yards and four touchdowns.[14] As a senior, Baker recorded 22 catches for 297 yards and three touchdowns. He also sprinted on the Seminoles track team.[15]

Professional career

Baker was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the eighth round (205th overall) of the 1993 NFL draft.[16] He was waived on August 30, 1993.[17] Baker signed with the Indianapolis Colts on September 22.[18] He recorded two catches for 15 yards in 1994 and was waived on September 27, 1994,[19] subsequently spending three weeks on the practice squad.[20] On December 15, he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as one of the first three players in franchise history.[20] However, he was released on August 13, 1995.[21] Baker signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL) later that month.[22] He suffered a separated shoulder in a game against the Calgary Stampeders, forcing him to miss the remainder of the 1995 season.[23] At the time of his injury, Baker was leading the league with 24.4 yards per kick return.[23] He also returned a punt for a touchdown.[24] In 1996, Baker was knocked unconscious in a game against the Edmonton Eskimos.[25] He played 17 games for the Blue Bombers over two seasons.[26]

Baker signed a free agent deal with the New Orleans Saints in April 1997.[27] He was waived that August before signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders the following month.[28] [26] In the 85th Grey Cup, Baker returned the opening kickoff for 74 yards.[29] He re-signed with Saskatchewan in May 1998.[30] He made his first touchdown catch in a loss to the Montreal Alouettes on July 9 before he was released in September.[29] [31]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shannon Baker Stats. Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. Web site: Shannon Baker. nolefan.org.
  3. News: 'Noles' Baker seeking redemption at Cotton. Jim. Henry. The Tampa Tribune. January 1, 1992. January 24, 2024. 43. Newspapers.com.
  4. News: Baker is fine in transition. Bob. McClure. The Tampa Tribune. September 29, 1987. January 25, 2024. 48. Newspapers.com.
  5. News: Versatile Baker bounces back from early knocks to excel. Bob. McClure. The Tampa Tribune. November 10, 1987. January 24, 2024. 46. Newspapers.com.
  6. News: Hitched on Lakeland: Baker now moving to quarterback. W. Blake. Gray. The Tampa Tribune. August 28, 1988. January 24, 2024. 192. Newspapers.com.
  7. News: Tribune All-County Track Teams. Scott. Purks. The Tampa Tribune. May 25, 1989. January 24, 2024. 86. Newspapers.com.
  8. News: Blazing Baker to put track on back burner. Scott. Purks. The Tampa Tribune. May 16, 1989. 65.
  9. News: Now they hail Baker's end zone plan. The Palm Beach Post. Victor. Lee. Jeff. Snook. October 28, 1990. 66.
  10. News: Baker answers FSU's prayer. Tampa Bay Times. Bob. Harig. October 28, 1990. 47.
  11. News: Forget past? FSU receivers say that's a fabulous idea. Gary. Long. The Miami Herald. August 25, 1991. 829.
  12. News: Baker ready to stand out for Seminoles. Scott. Purks. The Tampa Tribune. August 14, 1991. 86.
  13. News: 'Noles' Baker seeking redemption at Cotton. Jim. Henry. The Tampa Tribune. January 1, 1992. 51.
  14. News: Noles' Frier finds new determination. Bill. Vilona. The News-Press. September 3, 1992. 57.
  15. News: Miami-Florida St. looks more like a track meet than No. 1 showdown. Ken. Rodriguez. The Evening Sun. November 12, 1991. 11.
  16. News: State's top quarterbacks nearly bypassed. Alan. Schmadtke. The Orlando Sentinel. April 27, 1993. 26.
  17. News: Green's not a Falcon – until noon. Len. Pasquarelli. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. August 31, 1993. 61.
  18. News: Colts waive one, add one. The Indianapolis News. September 22, 1993. 9. Newspapers.com.
  19. News: Colts add experience with Jackson. Daily Reporter. September 28, 1994. 6.
  20. News: Can Baker catch on with Jags?. The Tampa Tribune. Pat. Yasinskas. August 10, 1995. 62.
  21. News: Baker doesn't make Jacksonville's roster. Bryan. Daniels. Tallahassee Democrat. August 14, 1995. 9.
  22. News: Williams hits highway. Ed. Tait. Winnipeg Sun. August 22, 1995. 43.
  23. News: Battered Winnipeg (5-11) likely to be playoff team. Gary. Lambrecht. The Baltimore Sun. October 13, 1995. 225.
  24. News: Receivers have Kelly salivating. Judy. Owen. Winnipeg Sun. June 3, 1996. 28.
  25. News: Brown is a big hit in Esks' secondary. Ian. Hamilton. The Leader-Post. September 25, 1996. 10.
  26. News: Riders add speed, beef for game against Esks. The StarPhoenix. Darrell. Davis. September 25, 1997. 18.
  27. News: Mitchell impresses Ditka at mini-camp. Sun Herald. John. Glennon. April 26, 1997. 41.
  28. News: Saints reduce roster to 60 a day early. The Daily Advertiser. August 19, 1997. 20.
  29. News: Receiver passes on life's lessons. The Leader-Post. Darrell. Davis. July 30, 1998. 13.
  30. News: Saunders content in Regina. The StarPhoenix. Rob. Vanstone. May 22, 1998. 22.
  31. News: Saunders key to Riders success. The StarPhoenix. Darren. Zary. September 10, 1998. 16.

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