College of Charleston Athletics

During his tenure as an Assistant Athletics Director from 1984-89, and later as Director of Athletics from 1991-2007, the athletics programs at the College of Charleston experienced unparalleled success. In the mid-1980s, the College was a national powerhouse in many sports at the NAIA level. Still, few programs were able to make the monumental leap to NCAA Division I with any success. Baker, as Associate Athletics Director (1989-92) along with Andy Abrams and President Harry Lightsey and other key administrators, spearheaded the highly-successful transition to NCAA status. Almost immediately, CofC became a strong athletic program, first in the TAAC, and later in the Southern Conference. Baker also moved the athletics budget from $1 million annually to over $8 million. Baseball, women's soccer, softball and women's track and field were sports added under his direction and facilities grew tremendously including the Patriots Point Complex and the start of the TD Arena project, up until his retirement in 2007. Many of the College's varsity programs, such as men's basketball, baseball, women's tennis and volleyball, won conference titles en route to NCAA Tournament appearances and produced scholar-athletes and academic success under his watch. Equestrian and sailing were also nationally prominent. CofC also won the SoCon Germann Cup awarded to the top women's program in the league in 2004-05. Baker would attribute this success to his coaches, but a significant job of an athletics director is to supervise the hiring of coaches and CofC consistently fielded one of the best coaching staffs in the country. A 1974 CofC graduate, Baker's service to his alma mater spanned three decades. He was always a constant fixture at thousands of home and away games, in support of his student-athletes and coaches which truly made him special in the eyes of those he hired and supported throughout his administrative career.