Shannon Baker (gridiron football)

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.

Early life

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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

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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

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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]

References

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