Dallas Baker

Dallas Baker at Steelers training camp
Free Agent
Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: November 10, 1982 (1982-11-10) (age 27)
Place of birth: New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Weight: 206 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College: Florida
NFL Draft: 2007 / Round: 7 / Pick: 227
Debuted in 2008 for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Career history
As player: Pittsburgh Steelers (2007–2009)
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-SEC (2006) Super Bowl Champion (XLIII)
Stats at NFL.com

Dallas Leon Baker (born November 10, 1982 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida.

Baker, a star receiver at New Smyrna Beach High School, originally chose to play for the Gators in February 2001 as a member of what would become Steve Spurrier's final recruiting class at UF. Due to academics, Baker had to enroll at Northfield Mt. Hermon School in Massachusetts for one year. While at Mt. Hermon, he helped lead his team to the New England Championship game. After Spurrier left and Ron Zook was hired to replace him, Baker stuck with Florida and enrolled as a partial-scholarship player in 2002.

Urban Meyer's hiring at Florida three seasons later marked a turning point in Baker's career at Florida. In 2005, he made 56 receptions, doubling his total from the previous year. After the season, Baker's grades were good enough to earn back the year of eligibility lost to the partial-scholarship.

In 2006, the senior delivered career highs for catches (60), receiving yards (920), and TD grabs (10), and was a First Team All SEC selection. Baker's 25-yard TD gave the Gators a 21-14 win over rival Florida State. The following week the Gators defeated Arkansas to win the SEC Championship Game for the first time in six years. They would go on to topple the heavily favored Ohio State Buckeyes and capture college football's national championship, with Baker catching a touchdown pass for Florida's first score in a 41-14 rout on January 8, 2007. Throughout his college career, he was often called "Dallas Baker, Touchdown Maker" by the college football analysts on ESPN. This was actually his nickname as early as his New Smyrna Beach High School days, as he set the single season school touchdown record with 11 in 1998.

He graduated from the University of Florida on December 16, 2006 with a bachelor's degree in recreation programming.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] Pittsburgh Steelers

Baker was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round (227th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft.

Baker was cut by the Steelers on September 1, 2007, but quickly re-joined the organization as a member of the practice squad on September 2.

Baker made the Steelers' 53-man roster out of training camp in 2008. He played in eight games, recording one catch for six yard, before being waived on November 15 to make room for cornerback Roy Lewis^[1] the Steelers' re-signed Baker to their practice squad on November 19.

Dallas Baker signed a futures contract with the Steelers in February 2009. He was released in final cuts on September 5th, 2009.

[edit] Personal

Baker is also the nephew of former Gator, NFL player, and coach Wes Chandler.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Florida Gators bio
• Pittsburgh Steelers bio