Born Gheringhap, Victoria May 11, 1863 - died Geelong, Victoria, January 25, 1946

Recruited to Carlton from North Geelong (Victoria)

At Carlton

116 matches, 105 goals 1882-’88

Captain 1884-’85

Vice-Captain 1883, ’86

Premiership player 1887 (VFA)

Leading club goalkicker 1883 (19 goals) and ’85 (20)

Champion of the Colony (media award) 1883

An unnamed reporter for The Argus, in an article relating to the first 50 years of Australian Rules, wrote the following of Jack Baker in August 1908:

“Where is the present dark blue warrior that can compare with him (Baker) in his prime? And he was in his prime when he played with Coulthard. A graceful, breezy player, who carried the ball along with a rhythm that moved like music. How smoothly he glided past opponents, and how surely did he pick his man and kick to him?

“Jack was the best player that ever came away from Geelong, where, as a junior he played with Charley Brownlow, the Geelong club’s capable and popular secretary.”

Baker represented Carlton as a rover in the VFA years. He was both captain and vice-captain of the club and in 1887 led Victoria onto the MCG for the first inter-colonial match with Tasmania. He was declared the 1883 Champion of the Colony (an award now thought to have been based on newspaper accounts of players of the day) and was always listed amongst the competition’s best afield. He was also listed as vice-captain (from some reports) in Carlton’s 1887 Premiership side (noting that no Grand Finals were staged at the time) and was the club’s leading goalkicker in 1883 and 1885. He accumulated a minimum 111 career goals (bearing in mind goalkicking records for season 1884 are unknown).

In September 1922, the renowned Carlton Secretary/Coach Jack Worrall reflected on the football life of Baker some 20 years after he last laced a boot - accrediting him as the inventor of handball and a reformer of the bouncing the ball rule.

Worrall wrote:

“I have alluded before in these columns to his wonderful and manly play, so will not repeat it. He was not only a great player but a pioneer in some respects. He is given the credit of being the originator of handball, and there was no doubt about the fairness of his methods. He was also an unconscious reformer in what is called bouncing the ball. The law states that the ball shall be struck on the ground at least once every 10 yards. But from what I can gather it did not mention the ground at all.

“Many years ago when Carlton was playing Richmond on a shocking day, when bouncing the ball was out of the question, the resourcefulness of the champion came to his aid. On one occasion during the game he ran 50 yards, bouncing (presumably handballing) the ball in the air the while. There was no law to stop it; the umpire allowed it, and there was quite an argument over the incident, which resulted in the framing of the present law.”

A final tribute to Baker was paid by ‘Old Timer’ in The Referee, in 1908.

“Jack Baker . . . was a rover of exceptional ability, possessing pace, a fine mark, and a splendid kick. These attributes, combined with a cool head, and an excellent knowledge of the fine points of the game, have made his name famous whenever the Australian-invented winter pastime is played.

His way of beating an opponent who came at him from the front by hitting the ball over his head, dodging around, and catching it on the bounce, left an indelible impression on my mind. I have seen many perform this feat cleverly, but never one with the accuracy and speed of the old Carltonian.

Some writers state that he was a very graceful player, but he did not give me that impression. When at his top pace he moved nicely, but when ‘on the trot’ his gait was somewhat ungainly. Baker could probably run as fast with the ball as without it, and he is entitled to rank amongst the best who have ever donned a jersey.”