Dallas Baker facts for kids
Dallas Leon Baker, born on November 10, 1982, is a former American football player. He was a wide receiver, which is a player who catches passes. Dallas played college football for the University of Florida. After college, he played professionally for several teams. These included the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL), the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the Jacksonville Sharks and San Antonio Talons in the Arena Football League (AFL). While with the Steelers, he helped them win Super Bowl XLIII. As of 2025, Baker is a coach for wide receivers at Baylor University.
| Baylor Bears | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receivers coach | ||||||||
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| Born: | November 10, 1982 New Smyrna Beach, Florida, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 206 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | New Smyrna Beach (FL) Northfield Mt. Hermon (MA) |
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| College: | Florida | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2007 / Round: 7 / Pick: 227 | ||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
| Player stats at CFL.ca (archive) | |||||||||
| Player stats at ArenaFan.com | |||||||||
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Dallas Baker was born in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. He went to New Smyrna Beach High School. There, he was a star wide receiver for the Barracudas football team. In 2001, he set a school record. He scored seventeen touchdowns, caught 67 passes, and gained 1,142 yards.
After high school, he spent a year at Northfield Mount Hermon School. This is a special school that helps students prepare for college. Dallas helped their football team reach the New England championship game. He was also a great player on their basketball team. He graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon in 2002.
College Football Career
Dallas Baker earned a scholarship to play football at the University of Florida. He played for the Florida Gators football team from 2003 to 2006. He first planned to join the Gators in 2001. However, he had some academic issues. So, he went to Northfield Mount Hermon for a year instead.
Turning Point with Coach Meyer
When coach Urban Meyer joined the Gators in 2005, things changed for Baker. In 2005, he caught 56 passes. This was twice as many as he had caught the year before. His good grades also helped him get back a year of college eligibility.
Senior Year Success
In 2006, as a senior team captain, Baker had his best year. He caught 60 passes for 920 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named to the first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Baker's 25-yard touchdown catch helped the Gators win 21–14 against the Florida State Seminoles. The next week, the Gators won the SEC Championship Game. This was their first SEC title in six years.
National Championship Victory
The Gators then played the Ohio State Buckeyes for the national championship. Ohio State was favored to win, but the Gators won 41–14. Baker caught a touchdown pass for the Gators' first score in that game. Throughout his college career, sports announcers called him "Dallas Baker, Touchdown Maker."
He earned his bachelor's degree in health and human performance in December 2006.
Professional Football Journey
Dallas Baker was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2007 NFL draft. He was the 227th player picked overall. He played for the Steelers from 2007 to 2009.
Time with the Steelers
In 2007, the Steelers released him but quickly added him to their practice squad. A practice squad is a group of players who train with the team but are not on the main roster.
In 2008, Baker made the Steelers' main roster. He played in eight games and caught one pass for six yards. He was later moved back to the practice squad. He signed a future contract with the Steelers in 2009 but was released before the season started.
Playing in Other Leagues
After the NFL, Baker played in other football leagues. In 2010, he joined the Jacksonville Sharks in the Arena Football League (AFL). The AFL plays a faster, indoor version of football.
In 2011, he signed with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL). The CFL has slightly different rules than the NFL. Later that year, he was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He played for them until 2012. He also played for the San Antonio Talons in the AFL from 2013 to 2014.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Dallas Baker became a football coach. He started as the wide receivers coach at Warner University in Florida from 2015 to 2016.
In 2017, he became the wide receivers coach at Marshall University in West Virginia. He coached there until 2020. In 2021, he moved to Buffalo to coach wide receivers. Since January 2022, Baker has been the wide receivers coach at Baylor University.
Family Life
Dallas Baker has a famous uncle, Wes Chandler. Wes was also a great wide receiver for the Florida Gators and played in the NFL. Dallas's younger brother, Perry Baker, is a professional rugby sevens player. Perry represented the USA in the Olympics in 2016 and 2024.
See also
- 2006 Florida Gators football team
- List of Pittsburgh Steelers players
- List of Florida Gators in the NFL draft
- List of University of Florida alumni
