Jason Baker
Encyclopedia
Jason Michael Baker is an American football
punter for the Carolina Panthers
of the National Football League
.
in Fort Wayne, Indiana and lettered
in football
and baseball
. In football, he won second team All-Conference honors as a senior.
at the University of Iowa
. When he graduated, he left as the Hawkeyes' all-time leader in punts and punting yards, with 272 punts for 11,304 yards. He was named special teams MVP
of the 1997 Sun Bowl
for his performance in Iowa's loss against Arizona State University
, after registering eight punts for 391 yards. He also made honorable mention All-Big 10
honors as a senior in 2000. He majored in business administration.
by any team, and was signed as a free agent
by the Philadelphia Eagles
in April 2001 before being waived
a short while later, not having appeared in any regular season games for them. He was then picked up by the San Francisco 49ers
, and was their regular punter during the 2001 NFL season
. Unfortunately, he was released the next year, and signed again by the Eagles. He played several games for them before being released again at the end of the season. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs
before the 2003 season
, and was their regular punter for the whole season, averaging a respectable 39.5 yards per punt. Baker then had a bizarre season in 2004
. He was waived by Kansas City, then re-signed two weeks later, then waived a week after that. He was then picked up by the Indianapolis Colts
, played with them for 5 weeks, then Indianapolis waived him and he was picked up by the Denver Broncos
, who he finished the season with. He played for Denver in the AFC Wild Card game
against his former team, Indianapolis. After the season, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers with a 2006
draft pick for Pro Bowl
punter Todd Sauerbrun
. Baker eventually won the punting job, after battling with Tom Rouen
and Steve Cheek
during training camp and the preseason. Has settled in nicely with the Panthers. Jason has set most of the franchise records and been alternate to the pro bowl multiple times in his 5 seasons but has yet to go. The Panthers rewarded him with a contract making him the highest paid punter in the NFL prior to the 2007 season. His stats are gross average 44.4, net average 38.2 and 125 punts inside the 20 during his 5 seasons in Charlotte. He is signed with the Panthers through 2012. Baker is one of the fastest running punters in the NFL. He managed to surprise the Seahawk's Leon Washington in a game on December 5, 2010, tripping up the prematurely celebrating Washington to save a touchdown.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
punter for the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
High school years
Baker attended Wayne High SchoolWayne High School (Indiana)
Wayne High School is a public high school in Fort Wayne Community Schools, located in the southern suburbs of Fort Wayne, Indiana.- Athletics :All athletic teams compete in the Summit Athletic Conference.- Team State Champions :...
in Fort Wayne, Indiana and lettered
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. In football, he won second team All-Conference honors as a senior.
College career
Baker played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. When he graduated, he left as the Hawkeyes' all-time leader in punts and punting yards, with 272 punts for 11,304 yards. He was named special teams MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
of the 1997 Sun Bowl
1997 Sun Bowl
The 1997 Norwest Sun Bowl featured the Iowa Hawkeyes, and the Arizona State Sun Devils.After a scoreless first quarter, Arizona State scored first, with a 35 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Steve Campbell to wide receiver Lenzie Jackson to give ASU an early 7-0 lead...
for his performance in Iowa's loss against Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, after registering eight punts for 391 yards. He also made honorable mention All-Big 10
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
honors as a senior in 2000. He majored in business administration.
Professional career
He was not draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by any team, and was signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in April 2001 before being waived
Waivers (American football)
Waivers is a National Football League labor management procedure by which a team makes an American football player contract or NFL rights available to all other teams...
a short while later, not having appeared in any regular season games for them. He was then picked up by the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, and was their regular punter during the 2001 NFL season
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
. Unfortunately, he was released the next year, and signed again by the Eagles. He played several games for them before being released again at the end of the season. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
before the 2003 season
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
, and was their regular punter for the whole season, averaging a respectable 39.5 yards per punt. Baker then had a bizarre season in 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
. He was waived by Kansas City, then re-signed two weeks later, then waived a week after that. He was then picked up by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, played with them for 5 weeks, then Indianapolis waived him and he was picked up by the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, who he finished the season with. He played for Denver in the AFC Wild Card game
NFL playoffs, 2003-04
The NFL playoffs following the 2003 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXVIII.Beginning with the 2003–04 season, the NFL changed the selection procedures regarding officials for playoffs games. The league suspended the prior practice of assembling "all-star" officiating crews of highly-rated...
against his former team, Indianapolis. After the season, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers with a 2006
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...
draft pick for Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
punter Todd Sauerbrun
Todd Sauerbrun
Todd Scott Sauerbrun is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft...
. Baker eventually won the punting job, after battling with Tom Rouen
Tom Rouen
Thomas Francis Rouen is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League in the 2005 season.-Early life:...
and Steve Cheek
Steve Cheek
Stephen Andrew Cheek was previously a free agent punter in the National Football League who has played for the Kansas City Chiefs....
during training camp and the preseason. Has settled in nicely with the Panthers. Jason has set most of the franchise records and been alternate to the pro bowl multiple times in his 5 seasons but has yet to go. The Panthers rewarded him with a contract making him the highest paid punter in the NFL prior to the 2007 season. His stats are gross average 44.4, net average 38.2 and 125 punts inside the 20 during his 5 seasons in Charlotte. He is signed with the Panthers through 2012. Baker is one of the fastest running punters in the NFL. He managed to surprise the Seahawk's Leon Washington in a game on December 5, 2010, tripping up the prematurely celebrating Washington to save a touchdown.