WVU Sports Hall of Fame

Inducted: 2011

Written by Bryan Messerly

A native of White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., Warren Baker was a dominant inside player for the Mountaineer men’s basketball team from 1973-76.

For his career, he scored 1,556 points and grabbed 1,070 rebounds, and is the only player in school history to lead WVU in rebounding in each of his four seasons. Baker and Jerry West still rank as the only two players in school history to score more than 1,500 points and grab 1,000 rebounds. To this day, he is one of four players in school history to grab more than 1,000 rebounds.

Baker, who currently ranks 13th in career scoring at WVU, led the Mountaineers in scoring as a freshman and sophomore with 16.6 and 17.7 points per game, respectively. He averaged a double-double for his career with 14.8 points and 10.2 rebounds, and ranks third in school history in career rebounds.

His best scoring effort in a Mountaineer uniform came on Jan. 4, 1975, when he scored 39 points against Boston University. Baker had 22 rebounds in a game on two occasions, grabbing 22 boards against Richmond on Jan. 23, 1974, and against Pitt on Dec. 3, 1974. He had 26 career 20-point games and is WVU’s all-time leader in freshman scoring (16.6 ppg) and rebounding (11.2 rpg).

Baker had 54 double-doubles during his Mountaineer career, ranking second in school history behind West (70).

Co-captain of the 1975-76 squad during his senior year, Baker is a member of the 1976-85 WVU all-time men’s basketball team.

Baker received his bachelor’s degree in history and physical education from WVU in 1977 and his master’s degree in counseling and guidance from WVU in 1981.

Following his career at WVU, Baker spent time in construction before becoming a guidance counselor at Westover Junior High for seven years. After coaching basketball and teaching physical education at West Virginia Wesleyan, as well as coaching at North Marion High where he was twice named NCAC Coach of the Year, Baker has spent the last 23 years as an assistant professor of education at Fairmont State University. In 2005, he was the recipient of the William A. Boram Award for teaching excellence at Fairmont State.

He has served as a basketball analyst for the past 10 years on WAJR Morgantown and for the last four years as an analyst on the Mountaineer Sports Network for WVU women’s basketball.

Baker and his wife, Ann, reside in Canonsburg, Pa.