60 years before A.J. Parker, David Baker put Bartlesville on the NFL map

(Note: This is the first of a two-part feature.)

A year ago, A.J. Parker put Bartlesville back on the NFL map.

The Detroit Lions' undrafted rookie defensive back racked up 50 tackles and amassed other impressive feats that proved his determination, athleticism, skills, ruggedness and preparation to squash the odds and establish himself as someone to keep an eye on.

Parker is back in the Lions' training camp this summer, battling to maintain his roster spot and to perhaps play an even larger role in the 2022 campaign.

But, Parker isn’t the first prep product from Bartlesville to pry out prodigious respect.

LOCAL NFL REPORT: Lions eye preseason slate

One has to look back 60 years to when College High’s David Baker harvested major NFL honors in a pro career all too short.

Were he still alive, Baker would have turned 85 this coming Saturday. No doubt no one would have cheered Parker on with more intense goodwill than Baker. But, he passed away, at age 65, in September 2002, just a little less than 20 years ago.

In 2009, the Bartlesville Sports Commission inducted him into the Bartlesville Athletic Hall of Fame — one of only two former NFL players to earn the honor.

Baker entered the world on July 30, 1937, in Coffeyville, Kan., but he would grow up in Bartlesville and rise to the level of All-State in three sports — football, basketball and baseball.

He helped open Custer Stadium for play as a senior on the 1954 team, the same season the brand new facility was dedicated.

He went on to star for Bud Wilkinson at the University of Oklahoma (the Sooner were 30-2 during Baker’s years) and play three seasons for the San Francisco 49ers.

He stood 6-feet-tall and reached 180 pounds — but his mien and relentless physicality made him seem almost invincible.

Oklahoma football coach Bud Wilkinson — who coached Baker for four years — referred to him as “smart, a good leader, great tackler … Baker is the killer type.”

Baker broke the jaw of more than one player — his intensity was unquestioned, whether in a game or practice. But, football occupied only a relatively small stretch of his life.

In everything else, he proved to be a gentle man and warrior of character, that put ideals above Benjamins.

In the early '60s, followed two years in military duty, Baker eschewed a huge NFL contract, opting instead to work for the new Southern Nazarene University as its first athletic director and father of its intercollegiate sports teams.

Baker lived almost another 40 years after that until the curtain closed on a colorful and presumably happy life.

Reading between the lines, it seems doubtful Baker went around boasting with unsolicitous license the achievements of his grid career.

Funny thing is, Baker almost skipped high school football. Aware of his slight build and the rigors of gridiron physicality, Baker didn’t try out his freshman year, in 1951.

As his sophomore year approached, he talked to legendary College High head football coach about his becoming a team manager.

Stidham reportedly answered, “No. But I’ll check you out a uniform.”

Baker pulled on the gear, laced it up and discovered something remarkable — size no longer mattered. He transformed into a wide-eyed, tight-jawed, take-no-prisoner warrior.

During an interview in 2002, former Col-Hi teammate Bill Combs recalled that Baker “was such a tremendous hitter. I knew David since he was 10 and I never saw him hit anybody in anger. But, when he put on a football uniform, something happened.”

One of those “somethings” included breaking a couple of plastic protectors with his bare hand. He also broke a teammate’s jaw in practice; when playing at Oklahoma, he sent another few fellow Wildcats to seek treatment for broken shoulders.

NFL opponents also felt the sting of his heavy hits.

Baker broke the jaw of future NFL Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald and cracked the ribs of “Allen “The Horse” Amaeche, the Baltimore Colts’ hero in the NFL championship overtime game in 1958.

Small wonder Baker made such major impact in a pro career that lasted just three seasons.

The New York Titans (later Jets) of the AFL and San Francisco of the NFL both made him a first-round draft pick. He chose the 49ers.

As a rookie, Baker landed on the 1959 NFL All-Pro Team. He would be named Honorable Mention All-Pro each year and received the 49ers’ Len Eshmont Award to honor his courage and contagious desire on the field.

According to Wikipedia, former Cleveland Brown All-Pro tackle Monte Clark labeled Baker as “the hardest hitting and best defensive back I have seen in the NFL.”

Baker finished with 21 interceptions, including an NFL record four in one game. He led the NFL (10) in 1960.

After 61 years since his retirement he still ranks No. 11 career interceptions for San Francisco. He achieved that in just 38 games — an incredible ratio.

The ratio is about .81 interceptions per game. By comparison, San Francisco’s Ronnie Lott is the team’s all-time interception leader (51) at .395 interceptions per game, No. 2 Jimmy Johnson (47) recorded .22 interceptions per game and NFL interception record holder Paul Krause (81 picks) averaged .36 interceptions per game.

Not to be downplayed was Baker’s success at Oklahoma as a two-way player.

In his three years of eligibility (freshmen weren’t allow to play back then), Baker played in 31 games as a double-threat. He compiled a quarterback rating of 158.1, although Oklahoma didn’t heave the ball a whole lot back then.He attempted only 69 passes in three years, completed 36 of them for 643 yards and seven touchdowns — with only two picks.

He ran for 13 touchdowns and nearly a 1,000 yards.

In the 1957-58 Orange Bowl, Baker returned an interception 94 yards for OU’s first touchdown en route to a 48-21 crushing of Duke. He also ran and passed for touchdowns.

While he played like a whirlwind of concentrated energy and a hammer mentality on the field, Baker’s gentler side made him a hero beyond the chalk lines.

He exhibited a full array of intelligence, unselfishness and Christian kindness and faith to those he encountered.

During an interview shortly after Baker’s death, Bartlesville dentist Mike Vaclaw recalled Baker as “just a real nice fellow. … He was kind of a big brother. He was nice to me and he helped me make my decision to play at Oklahoma.”

In fact, Baker — then a senior — made a campus tour with Vaclaw during the recruiting process.

“He loaned me his car,” Vaclaw recalled.

Baker also “did exactly what Bud (Wilkinson) told him to do,” Vaclaw said in characterizing Baker’s teachability. “He just did everything right.”

Baker took all his tools to the NFL to carve out a successful career.

He would Edna Ruth Rushing in Bethany, prior to meeting his military obligation.

Afterward, he took a relatively low-paying (or sometimes no-paying) job at the small Bethany Nazarene College, which later would be known as Southern Nazarene College.

(Note: Part two of this feature is planned for the weekend paper.)

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Col-Hi graduate made All-Pro impact in NFL, gentle presence off field