Al Baker

Last updated

Al Baker
Al Baker 2014.jpg
Baker in 2014
No. 60
Position: Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1956-12-09) December 9, 1956 (age 67)
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:280 lb (127 kg)
Career information
High school: Weequahic (Newark, New Jersey)
College: Colorado State
NFL draft: 1978  / Round: 2 / Pick: 40
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Unofficial NFL record
  • Most sacks in a season: 23
Career NFL statistics
Sacks:131 [lower-alpha 1]
Interceptions:4
Games:181
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

James Albert London Baker (born December 9, 1956), nicknamed "Bubba", is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) from 1978 to 1990. He played college football for the Colorado State Rams. He was named to three Pro Bowls and was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Contents

Professional career

Baker, a graduate of Weequahic High School in Newark, New Jersey and Colorado State University, was selected in the second round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. Listed as 6-6 and 250 pounds, he combined speed and strength.

He made his mark early as he recorded 23 sacks (an unofficial stat at that time) his rookie year, with five sacks in a single game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played for the Lions for five seasons, starting 66 of 67 games. In his last season with the Lions, 1982, when sacks became an official statistic, he totaled 8.5 in only nine games. He also had two career interceptions with the Lions. [1] During his career with the Lions he unofficially totaled 75.5 sacks including a record 23 sacks in 1978, 16 in 1979, 18 in 1980 and 10 in 1981, which are the franchise's top three all-time, single-season sack efforts. It also ranks as one of the highest for the first five years of a player in football history. [2] [3] [4] [5] He was one of the anchors of the "Silver Rush", Detroit's defensive line from 1978 to 1982, which consisted of Baker, Doug English, William Gay, and Dave Pureifory; the group set the franchise record for sacks. [6] In 2021, Baker was listed as the NFL's unofficial all-time single-season sack leader due to Pro Football Reference adding sack statistics from 1960 to 1981, the year before the stat became official. Baker recorded 23 sacks as a rookie in 1978 with the Detroit Lions, topping the official record of 22.5 sacks by Michael Strahan and T. J. Watt. [7] He ranks among the NFL's career sack leaders, with 65.5 official and 131 unofficial sacks to make him one of 62 players in the "100 Sack Club".

A contract dispute had Baker sent to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983. He had 13 sacks that season along with two interceptions. He had ten sacks the following year, had four in 1985 and then closed out 1986 with 10.5 sacks. In 1987, he was a reserve defense lineman for the Cleveland Browns, then served in the same position in 1988 for the Minnesota Vikings. He returned to the Browns as a starter for all 16 games of the 1989 season as well as for all nine games he played for the Browns in 1990, his final NFL season at age 34. [1]

Post-NFL career

Baker said in the NFL that he hoped to "play long enough to make a fortune in football. Then my son can be a doctor. He won't have to play this dumb game". [8] Baker now lives with his family, including his wife of 34 years, Sabrina, [9] in Avon, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, and he owned a restaurant called Bubba's Q World-famous Bar-B-Que & Catering in Avon, though the restaurant is no longer open. He appeared on the ABC-TV show Shark Tank on December 6, 2013, in which investor and entrepreneur Daymond John agreed to invest $300,000 for a 30 percent share in Queen Ann Inc., the food company he and his children, Brittani and James, started. Part of the agreement was the licensing of Baker's patent for de-boning pork ribs. [10] Bubba's-Q Boneless Baby Back Ribs have been sold at stores, online, and on QVC, and were featured on Good Morning America . In 2023, he spoke out about his perceived unfair treatment in the Shark Tank deal, for which he said he received only $659,653 in total, versus over $16 million in revenue, which had been promoted as one of the show's biggest successes. [11] In a response, Daymond John stated that the Bakers' take, approximately 4% of revenue, came from the very thin profit margins of the food industry, and claimed that he had suffered a net loss on their arrangement. [11] He later filed suit against the Bakers for their social media campaign, claiming that it had damaged his reputation and cost him speaking engagements. A federal judge found that the Bakers had violated a 2019 settlement and in June granted John a preliminary injunction and restraining order against the Bakers, preventing them from publishing disparaging remarks about their business relationship, and requiring that they take down previously posted content. The injunction and restraining order were reviewed and became permanent in July. [12]

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius Peppers</span> American football player (born 1980)

Julius Frazier Peppers is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was selected by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the 2002 NFL draft, and also played for the Chicago Bears from 2010 through 2013 and the Green Bay Packers from 2014 to 2016. After rejoining the Panthers for the 2017 season, he retired after the 2018 NFL season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Peterson</span> American football player (born 1978)

Julian Thomas Peterson is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Peterson was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. He also played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Vanden Bosch</span> American football player (born 1978)

Kyle Dale Vanden Bosch is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. He also played for the Tennessee Titans and Detroit Lions before retiring following the 2012 NFL season. He is currently a post game commentator for the Arizona Cardinals on 98.7 Arizona Sports Radio.

Jovan Haye is the defensive ends coach for the Vanderbilt Commodores. A former American football defensive lineman, Haye was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Vanderbilt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Schwartz</span> American football coach (born 1966)

James J. Schwartz is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He was head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009 to 2013. He was also defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans from 2001 to 2008, Buffalo Bills in 2014, and Philadelphia Eagles from 2016 to 2020. In addition, Schwartz was the Senior Defensive Assistant for the Titans from 2021 to 2022. He won Super Bowl LII with the Eagles in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepper Johnson</span> American football player and coach (born 1964)

Thomas "Pepper" Johnson is an American football coach and former linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, the first seven of which were for the New York Giants. He won two Super Bowls with the Giants before playing for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and New York Jets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Scott</span> American football player (born 1981)

Bryan Anderson Scott is a former American football linebacker and safety. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State University. He was also a member of the New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills.

Ezra Ray Johnson is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for 15 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Oilers in the National Football League (NFL) from 1977 to 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Gay (defensive lineman)</span> American football player (born 1955)

William H. Gay is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He resides in Detroit, Michigan. Gay played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions (1978–1987) and the Minnesota Vikings (1988). He had 44.5 professional career quarterback sacks. Gay was selected in the second round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. J. Mosley (defensive lineman)</span> American football player (born 1983)

Calvin Michael Mosley Jr. is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Missouri. He has also played for the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corey Williams (American football)</span> American football player (born 1980)

Corey Williams is a former American football defensive tackle. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arkansas State.

Lowell Douglas English is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions (1975–1985) of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay Matthews III</span> American football player (born 1986)

William Clay Matthews III is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). The six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro played primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He is the all-time official sack leader for the Green Bay Packers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ndamukong Suh</span> American football player (born 1987)

Ndamukong Ngwa Suh is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, where he earned All-American honors, and was selected by the Detroit Lions second overall in the 2010 NFL draft. He also played for the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philadelphia Eagles. He has played in three Super Bowls: Super Bowl LIII with the Rams, Super Bowl LV with the Buccaneers, and Super Bowl LVII with the Eagles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Taylor (American football)</span> American football player (born 1988)

Phillip Eugene Taylor Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and Baylor Bears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ezekiel Ansah</span> Ghanaian-born American football player (born 1989)

Ezekiel Nana "Ziggy" Ansah is a Ghanaian former professional American football defensive end. Born in Accra, Ghana, he moved to the United States to attend Brigham Young University, where he played college football for the Brigham Young Cougars. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions fifth overall in the 2013 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Donald</span> American football player (born 1991)

Aaron Charles Donald is an American former football defensive tackle who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He spent his entire career with the Rams franchise while it was located in St. Louis and Los Angeles. He played college football at Pittsburgh, where he received unanimous All-American honors, and was selected by the Rams in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Budda Baker</span> American football player (born 1996)

Bishard "Budda" Baker is an American football safety for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington, and was selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. Baker is a six-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Bosa</span> American football player (born 1997)

Nicholas John Bosa is an American football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected second overall by the 49ers in the 2019 NFL draft. Bosa was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and helped his team reach Super Bowl LIV. In 2022, he won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. He is the son of former NFL defensive end John Bosa and younger brother of Joey Bosa, currently a linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aidan Hutchinson</span> American football player (born 2000)

Aidan Joseph Bernardi Hutchinson is an American football defensive end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). Hutchinson was a unanimous All-American at the University of Michigan, and the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 2021. He was selected with the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions, and named to the All-Rookie Team in 2022. Hutchinson was voted to his first Pro Bowl in 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bubba Baker - Pro Football Reference". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  2. ↑ "State Your Case: Al "Bubba" Baker and his quiet 132 sacks | Sports Illustrated Talk of Fame Network".
  3. ↑ "Detroit Lions | al "Bubba" Baker". Archived from the original on 2016-02-16. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  4. ↑ "Pre-1982 Sacks Added To Pro Football Reference". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  5. ↑ Smith, Michael David (2021-07-12). "Pre-1982 sack stats still unofficial, but now widely available". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  6. ↑ Wesley, Colton (11 July 2016). "Detroit Lions: The Most Underrated Players In Team History". Detroit Jock City. Fansided. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  7. ↑ "NFL Sacks Single-Season Leaders (since 1960) | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  8. ↑ Mizell, Hubert (1979-11-12). "Tampa Bay 'Bums' live it up as Lions fold again". St. Petersburg Times. pp. 1C, 11C.
  9. ↑ "Bubba on Shark Tank - 92.3 The Fan".
  10. ↑ "Buuba's Q - Cleveland.com". 7 December 2013.
  11. 1 2 Perman, Stacy (2023-05-18). "Ex-NFL player thought 'Shark Tank' would launch his barbecue empire. It became a nightmare, he says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  12. ↑ Perman, Stacy (2023-07-21). "'Shark Tank's' Daymond John granted permanent restraining order against former contestant" . Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  13. 1 2 "Al 'Bubba' Baker on becoming unofficial single-season sack king: 'Tears just started running down my eyes'". NFL.com .
  14. ↑ "Baker, Al "Bubba"". 19 November 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  15. ↑ "Awards - Bubba's Q.com" . Retrieved 10 April 2023.

Notes

  1. ↑ 65.5 of his 131 career sacks are "official," since that category did not become official until 1982, Baker's fifth season)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.