The unlikeliest of goals
Not in his wildest imaginations did Kyle Baker envision a college football career that would include three national championships with the possibility of a fourth. Not even close. After all, 5-foot-10 centers don’t command much attention from recruiters.
Baker didn’t have a lengthy resume coming out of Coeur d’Alene’s Lake City High School in 2001. He had no expectations when he headed to Carroll College, an NAIA school in Helena, Mont.
“I wasn’t even sure I was going to play in college at all,” Baker said in a phone interview. “I only started one year at Lake City.”
Carroll College didn’t recruit Baker.
“He found us,” Carroll coach Mike Van Diest said. “(Lake City coach) Van Troxel told us about him, but Kyle more or less put the bug in our ear.”
Baker became an immediate fixture in Helena.
After redshirting that first fall, Baker went into spring ball as No. 2 on the depth chart (the starter in 2001 was a senior). He moved to No. 1 on the second day. It’s a spot he never relinquished.
He will start his final game for the 13-0 Fighting Saints when they take on 13-0 St. Francis (Ind.) University in the NAIA final Saturday in Savannah, Tenn.
Baker added two more inches (6-0) and about 15 more pounds (265) at Carroll. He’s been the pusher, not the pushee, in the Saints’ trenches.
He was an NAIA first team All-American last year and twice an Academic All-American. He’ll probably add more honors when postseason awards are passed out.
Carroll is 52-4 with Baker snapping the ball to quarterback and Helena product Tyler Emmert, who is also a four-year starter.
The center and QB are close in more ways than one. Baker will be a groomsman in Emmert’s wedding Dec. 30.
“We’re very close friends,” Baker said. “We’ve been together since we were redshirt freshmen.”
Baker said the relationships he and his teammates share – especially the 17 seniors – have been just as key to Carroll’s success as athletic ability.
“It’s pretty special,” he said. “It’s an unbelievable place and program. Our performance on the field is a direct result of our relationships off the field.
“The finality of it is definitely setting in a little bit.”
Baker said each season has been extraordinary in its own right.
“(2002) was special because it was the first one,” Baker said. “It was a veteran team with the exception of myself and Tyler. In 2003 we were 15-0 and we had one close game all year.
“Last year we had to overcome the most,” Baker said of a team that finished 12-2. “We lost two conference games back to back. But we bounced back and had to play well down the stretch.”
Baker stopped short of saying the 2005 team may be the best of the lot.
“It’s pretty hard to say. I have a hard time putting our teams up against each other,” he said. “We have a quarterback who has set some national records. We’ve run the ball a lot more than in the past – not so much out of necessity, but because we can. We’ve taken control of a lot of games. We’re pretty dangerous in a lot of ways. And the defense is ranked first (in the nation) in just about every category.”
The Saints, who throttled the University of Sioux Falls 55-0 last week, were to finish up final exams today before flying to Savannah on Wednesday.
The title game will be a rematch of the 2004 championship. St. Francis will be out to avenge a heartbreaking 15-13 loss.
After St. Francis took a 13-12 lead with 1:13 to go, Emmert rallied the Saints, culminating when Gonzaga Prep grad Marcus Miller kicked a 32-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining.
“It’s going to be a showdown, definitely,” Baker said.
Van Diest doesn’t want to think about saying farewell to his seniors, especially Baker.
“Day in and day out at practice he does all the little things right,” Van Diest said. “He’s not just an achiever. He has talent.
“He’s low maintenance. He takes care of the job in the classroom. Those are the kinds of guys who are so invaluable to your program. We’ll find another center, but whether he has all the intangibles that go with it remains to be seen.”