University of North Texas Athletics

John Baker was a record-setting, nationally-ranked punter during his three years at North Texas, and his season and career marks remain untouched.

Baker transferred to North Texas from Blinn Junior College, taking over the position from his immensely-successful predecessor, Toby Gowin, who had graduated and moved on to the NFL. Baker not only maintained the high standard set by Gowin, he exceeded it. In 1997, Baker averaged 47.2 yards per kick, which was the second-best average in the nation and destroying the Mean Green school record.

He followed that up with a 42.2-yard average in 1998 and a 43.1-yard average in 1999, resulting in a school-record career average of 44.0 yards per punt. Baker had 52 punts inside the 20-yard line and 53 kicks of 50 yards or more. His single-season and career averages remain the gold standard at North Texas.

Baker was a three-time Big West All-Conference player. He was named AP Third Team All-America in 1997, Playboy All-America in 1998, and Third-Team All-America by The Football News in 1999. He played in the 2000 Tyco Gridiron All-Star Classic, and was named Second Team Academic All-America in 1998. In 2000, he was signed as a free agent by the St. Louis Rams and played in the Super Bowl.

In 2013, Baker was named to the North Texas All-Century football team.