Loris Hoskins Baker (November 12, 1930 – June 5, 2007), better known as Sam Baker, was a American football player in the National Football League who played in 1953 and from 1956-1969. While he would play several positions, he was best known for being a punter and kicker.

[edit] High school career

Baker graduated from Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon in 1949.

[edit] College career

He played college football at Oregon State University and spent the 1949 season on the OSU Rook team. Baker lettered for the varsity team in 1950-1952 as a running back/kicker, and scored the final touchdown at old Bell Field in the final 1952 home game. In his career at Oregon State University, Baker gained 1,947 yards on 487 carries and was the school record-holder in both categories when he left. He still currently ranks eighth in career yards, and sixth in career carries. He had five 100-yard games, with a best of 159 on 30 carries in the 1951 Civil War at Hayward Field.

[edit] Professional career

He was drafted in the eleventh round (133rd overall) of the 1952 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. Baker then played one season for the Washington Redskins in 1953. After two seasons off the field, Sam rejoined the team in 1956. In that season, his 17 field goals led the NFL ^[1]. That year he also began an 11-year streak of averaging at least 40 yards per punt attempt ^[2]. In his second season back with the Redskins, Baker scored a league-high 77 points ^[3] (including 6 scored on a fake punt he ran in for a touchdown). His 45.4-yard punting average with the Redskins was the best in the league in 1958 ^[4], and he still managed to convert 25 extra points in 25 attempts that year.

In 1960 he went to play for the Cleveland Browns, where he would stay for two seasons. In 1962 he left Cleveland for the Dallas Cowboys, where he stayed two seasons as well. In 1964 he again switched teams to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, where he would stay the for the last six seasons of his career. He played in the 1965 and 1969 Pro Bowls as a Philadelphia Eagle. Upon retiring from the NFL, Baker held the NFL record of scoring in 110 straight games.

[edit] References