Class of 2008

During Ken Bakers nearly 40 years as a teacher and coach at East Greenbush, Hoosick Falls and Cambridge School Districts, he brought out the very best in the hundreds of young men and women whose lives he touched.

Ken went to Ithaca College where he was a member of the wrestling team 1958-1960. He was remembered for his courageous displays and one time gave up 40 pounds in a match against an opponents highly rated heavyweight wrestler. He graduated from Ithaca and received his masters degree from North Adams State College.

After college Baker took a job at East Greenbush where he taught Physical Education and started coaching wrestling and in 1966 he started having success as the head coach of the Columbia High School wrestling team. Ken coached Columbia until 1970 when he came to Hoosick Falls and became the Physical Education teacher there and also took over as the head wrestling coach. In 1972 Baker also took over additional duties as Hoosick Falls head football coach.

Ken coached the Hoosick Falls football team for 14 seasons and then went over to Cambridge to become their athletic director and head football coach in 1986 where he coached for another 10 years. While at Hoosick Falls the Panthers won section titles in 1981 and 1984. When Ken took over Cambridge he also turned them into a small school football force. When he retired from coaching in 1995, Baker finished with 151 wins as a football coach during his tenures at both Hoosick Falls and Cambridge and four Section 2 championships. Both schools dedicated their playing fields with his name.

Ken also had tremendous success as a wrestling coach for Columbia and Hoosick Falls. When he took over Hoosick Falls he won seven Class C section tournament titles in a row and he won 11 out of his first 13 Class C section tournaments as their head coach. He also won numerous league titles and the Wasaren League Invitational tournament is named in his memory called The Ken Baker Classic. Ken coached eight Section 2 wrestling champions and had three place at states. He also coached the wrestler that took over for him as coach at Hoosick Falls in Jim Sutton.

Because of Kens remarkable success as a coach in football and wrestling he was inducted into both the New York State Football Hall of Fame and also the Section 2 Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The Ken Baker Memorial Scholarship is also dedicated in his memory and to ensure the legacy and ideals of Ken Baker. The winners of this scholarship do not need to participate on an athletic team to be eligible for the prize, nor do they need to carry a minimum GPA. The major qualification for the scholarship is "focusing on living a life that matters."