When word spread that legendary Haddonfield coach Nick Baker passed away on Saturday, the NJ cross-country and track and field community was gutted with grief.
The 70 year-old Baker was one of a kind, an XC and T&F lifer who spilled every ounce of his energy making his athletes better runners and more importantly better people over his five decades of coaching greatness.
Baker, who began coaching at Haddonfield in 1975, was one of the most successful coaches to that NJ has ever seen, and one of the most beloved and revered coaches in state history. He had a such a positive impact on the lives of his athletes, fellow coaches, reporters, officials, students he taught, and just just about everyone he ever met as he formed unbreakable bonds with countless people.
All you have to do is read the tributes for the iconic Hall of Famer, which poured in all weekend from all across the state and beyond, to understand just how much Baker meant to so many.
NJ MileSplit has compiled a list of several of those heartfelt tributes below as several people weighed in to give their thoughts on what Nick Baker meant to them and to the sport.
There's also a chart at the bottom of this article that shows many of Baker's greatest accomplishments.
Jason Russo - Haddonfield girls XC coach
To say that Nick was an excellent coach is selling him short. He was the best coach period. He was constantly two steps ahead of everyone else, always thought of every angle and found a way to take ANY athlete that bought in and help them improve. Given enough time - he'd make them relevant runners. And his passion for the sport and his program made it virtually impossible for any athlete NOT TO buy in. He would constantly take kids and teach them about hard work and consistent effort. Commitment to a goal and following through. Yes they'd become runners - but at the same time better people.
But his passion was not reserved just for his team. He truly LOVED the sport and always talked about ways to make it better for ALL of the athletes. He'd routinely talk to his colleagues about meets and how to make them better - whether run by the NJSIAA, another school, or one of his own meets I think the Haddonfield Invitational has been slightly tweaked 17 times in the past 17 years. And it wasn't just about the meets. He was always interested in the accomplishments of runners and teams around the state and nation - quick to commend a deserving team, or coach, on what he felt was a noteworthy accomplishment.
But again, it wasn't just about the sport. Nick served as an assistant principal, and later interim principal at Haddonfield High School, during an extremely difficult period of time. As principal, he helped guide the teachers and students - always knowing just the right thing to say and to do. He ran a school just like he did his teams, with passion and consistent consideration of what would be best for the students and teachers. He would regularly find the time to connect with his colleagues AS WELL as the students at HMHS. He was truly adored by all. We were truly blessed to have him at the helm of the building - even if for a short period of time.
All of this, while Nick was an incredible family man. Our program WAS an extended part of his family. And Nick shared his family with our program (including his grandchildren, who would willingly join us as practice.) Nick's wife Maureen, and kids Courtney and Colin are also incredible coaches who dedicated their time with the Haddonfield runners and followed in Nick's footsteps. Nick truly shared his entire life with the team at Haddonfield.
Nick welcomed me into the Haddonfield Community in the winter of 2006. Since then he has been a mentor, principal, colleague and friend. When I joined the program, he put me in a position in which it would be impossible for me to fail. He gave me enough leash to establish myself as a coach, but would always be the net when I took a fall. He believed in me and supported me as I acclimated myself to Haddonfield High School, and to my first position as a Spring Track and Field Head Coach. Nick has been a role model for me for the past 17 years, but at the same time has become an incredible friend. We shared a lot of great memories together. He even graciously offered his home to my wife and I one winter when we were waiting for our own to be built. He laughed it off by saying we were doing him a favor to look after it - but it was one of the most generous things anyone has ever done for me.
When Nick took that chance on me in 2006 - he forever changed my life. I could never thank him enough.
Jim Smith - Haddonfield Class of 1980 (Won the 1979 XC Meet of Champions title)
I was among Nick Baker's very first runners, when he coached Haddonfield's middle school track team in 1976 when I was in eighth grade and Nick was fresh out of college. Nick moved up to the high school the next year as an assistant track coach and then became head track coach the following year.
I had the privilege of running under Nick for 5 years, my first 5 years! Nick (and Maureen) always brought the perfect balance of intensity, humor, and sheer fun to the sport.
First, a personal story. My freshman year, he told me I could run 10:00 for two miles at our next dual meet. I was surprised because that seemed quite fast to me at the time. We talked about how we were prepared to do that, and I wrote the splits in ink on my arm so I could remember them during the race (which is funny in hindsight, because those are the easiest splits to remember). With Nick's encouragement on every lap, I ran 9:56.
With Nick, the goals were always ambitious, but doable. He made sure we were ready!
For the team, Nick plotted out every meet and was a gamer. There were times he would tell me to pretend to warm up for one race and then run in another, to throw off the competition: we can get all the points in the 1600 and 3200 without you, Jimmy: how about you run the 400? I wasn't a very good 400 runner, but why not? And, many meets, he would have the whole team gather around the long jump at the end of the meet, cheering on our guy: if he gets second or better, we win! We won some, lost some, but laughed and smiled all the time.
I must say Nick's success never surprised me. It was so fun being part of his teams. Winning was part of the fun, for sure, but Nick's wry smile and laughter, is what I remember the most.
Danny Brennan, Haddonfield Class of 2015
I am the youngest of three brothers, all of which ran for Coach Baker (Graduating in 2000, 2003 and 2015).
The manner in which Nick was able to leverage running to educate his athletes about the importance of hard work and dedication for decades has impacted us all in ways which are truly immeasurable.
Coach had the innate ability to hold athletes accountable implicitly through trust and mutual respect, while still maintaining a culture of fun competition.
He truly cared about every athlete who went through the Cross Country and Track program. Coach took interest in his athletes beyond running and developed distinct relationships with every member of his team, their families and the broader running community.
He was one of one, a true personality who was able to uplift so many around him over the course of a legendary career.
Tom Brennan, Haddonfield Class of 2000, XC assistant coach (2004-2013), track and field assistant coach (2006-2013)
I was close with Nick during my most formative years (15-30). I hear him in my own voice. He cared and encouraged me in life with the unconditional support of a parent. He was always thrilled to run into alumni and learn about their success in life. Many I'm sure credit Nick's influence on them.
Coaching:
I think it's difficult to have success at something and not start to think you have all the answers. I don't believe Nick ever thought he had coaching our sport completely figured out. Every season was like a puzzle to solve. Sure some workouts were repeated, but Nick never had a rigid formula. He just worked the puzzle week to week and never stopped seeking more ideas to incorporate. I think this was the foundation of his success.
Personal anecdotes: Maybe just to make you laugh
I'm finding it really hard to remember details of victories and achievements during my time coaching with Nick. I'm having thoughts like, Nick is the only person I know who used the word "tuckered". Nick would drink a hot Dunkin Donuts coffee immediately. It would drive me crazy cause I didn't know how he wasn't burning his mouth with this incredibly hot beverage. I think he could throw a football 100 yards underhand. He had a bum shoulder, so it had to be underhand. Over the years I spent many nights in hotels traveling with the team. When watching the hotel TV, Nick would never stay on the same channel long. As soon as a commercial would pop up he'd be changing the channel rolling through the dial. One time (I think up at Wappinger Falls) he kept landing on Snakes On A Plane with Samuel L Jackson. Nick was hooting and hollering, laughing hysterically. I remember enjoying his reaction to this ridiculous movie so amusing I had tears. I'm really proud of my time coaching with Nick, but that was the most memorable moment.
Greg Pelose, Haddonfield Class of 2016
Coach Baker,
Where would I be without you?
You would commonly find me fishing near Penny Packer Park in middle school after classes ended. I knew nothing about cross country. I remember seeing the meets and being interested in learning more, but needed somebody to guide me, to help introduce me to the incredible sport of running. Nick and Maureen Baker did just that. This completed changed my life and I will forever be grateful for this.
As we all know, Coach Baker's passion for distance running is unmatched. I believe that attitudes and passions are extremely contagious, and Baker's was so strong that it pulled everybody around him in, much like a gravitational force. I feel so honored and blessed to have fallen within that gravitational pull, and I think that many others can say the same. The impact that he had went beyond just the growth of each of his athletes as runners, but also as they develop into young adults. Baker taught us how to work hard, and that when you work hard, you get the opportunity to "cash your paychecks"Man, was cashing paychecks with Coach as fun as it gets!
Since my time as your athlete, I have used these lessons that you have instilled in me to progress through life. Every time that I had a big life win, I would think of you and look forward to telling you. Thank you for being the perfect father figure to all of the young adults that were lucky enough to be a part of your Haddonfield XC and T&F family. Thank you for the lifelong friendships, thank you for everything. I will miss you deeply. I hope that you will rest easy knowing that your team will continue to pass on the lessons that you instilled in us, and that Haddonfield XC & T&F athletes will continue to "cash our paychecks" for generations to come.
Derek Gess - Haddonfield Class of 2019
"I think my favorite memory of Coach Baker is remembering how intimidated people outside of his team were of him and, frankly, I was that way too before I started training under him for the first time. From the outside looking in, people always seemed to be intimidated by his coaching style, his directness, and his "no BS" attitude. But what they failed to experience was the amount of dedication to his athletes and his innate love for the sport. They also failed to see that, on the inside, he was a fun-loving father figure for every man that went through his program. Whether that be playing bocce ball after practice, telling endless funny stories from growing up in Ireland and New York, or driving to key spots on our running routes in the "Baker-mobile" to playfully pick on us for stopping at every red light, there was no better person to develop skinny freshman boys into men of honor and character. I guarantee that every single person who has ever been influenced by him will remember him forever. Very few people will have a legacy as strong as Coach Baker."
Colin Gallagher - Haddonfield Class of 2016
If I had to summarize one of coaches biggest impacts it is his famous W.I.N. slogan, "what's important now." Back then, this was used everyday from a routine run, the last rep of a workout, or day before MOC. Coach broke down the day, the task at hand, to the basics of what's important now. I use to remember him saying this the day before a big meet. What's important now, the group of guys motivated for the big day tomorrow would usually say "place top 3" or whatever goal we had as a team. Coach would correct us, "what's important now is a good prerace run, get you striders in, have a good dinner and get to bed early." Coaches simplicity of WIN was perfect for the young minds he coached. Little did we know that this would stick with us for years to come. I know myself and other alumni take this slogan with us day to day personally and professionally. Nearly everyday I find myself using WIN to prioritize projects at work, focus on my health, or any task at hand. Having the pleasure of being a SJU (St. Joseph's) and Haddonfield athlete I was able to be coached by Baker and his friend and former colleague Coach Glavin who I believe described coach perfectly in his post on our 'well wishes' board for Coach Baker saying, "You are my idea of what every coach should be...about the kids, and not mired in the technical. An athlete's coach if ever there was one." Coach baker was the epitome of coaching and what it stands for. Coach pushed us to new heights checking off personal goal after personal goal thanks to his coaching. He was the best balance of compassion and hard nosed, friend and father figure.
Sean Campiglia - Haddonfield Class of 2019
Coach Baker was everything you'd want in a coach. He was a strong, relentless competitor who accepted nothing short of the best from his athletes and from the competition. He also was compassionate, thoughtful, guiding, and incredibly intentional with each and every one of his words. Every pre-race speech had me ready to PR. He preached the importance of both respect and humility. He taught us how to win, how to lose, and everything in between. He taught us to win in the face of losses. He taught us to not get caught up in our victories. He taught us the value of the details and dedicating time to do things the right way. But beyond that, he was a caring coach and a friend. He was the king of bocce ball, a dead eye with acorns and berries, and he called any unfamiliar box shaped thing a 'power box' (ranging from equipment chests to waste treatment centers to electrical fuses to pole vault mats). He was ridiculously good at any weird new thing he happened to find by his feet that day at practice. He taught us to always be forward thinking. He only allowed 24 hours to dwell on a bad race. After that, we were forced to move forward, no matter how bad it might've been. Also, he would routinely ask us: "What's important now?". After victories, defeats, rainy days, cold days, school records, injuries, team dinners... What's important now? It could be recovery, it could be sleep, it could be celebrating, it could be anything. What's important now? can be applied to so many aspects of life and is extremely valuable when navigating the unknown. I guess I'll start to wrap this up but I could write on and on for hours, talking about all of Coach Baker's philosophies, quirks, and memories. He really was such an amazing person and I can't emphasize enough how lucky I was to have him as a mentor in such a transformative time period within my life. Thank you for everything, Coach Baker.
Reuben Frank - South Jersey XC and T&F historian and veteran reporter
I can tell you the exact date I first met Nick Baker. It was Oct. 30, 1982, so just about 41 years ago. I had just started working a few weeks earlier for the old Gloucester County Times newspaper, and I was assigned to cover the Colonial Conference XC meet at Gloucester County College.
A Haddonfield runner named Blair Murphy won the boys race, and I interviewed Blair and Nick about the race and ran back to our office in Woodbury excited to write one of my first newspaper articles. I sat down and typed up what I thought was a compelling story and left the office feeling pretty good about myself.
Hours later, I got a call from the sports editor explaining that Haddonfield is in Camden County, not Gloucester County, and our paper doesn't cover schools in Camden County and I never should have written that story.
Oh well. It was too late to write anything else so the story ran in the paper the next day. In the ensuing years, as I got to know Nick, we would always laugh about that, how I had written a story about one of his runners that never should have even been written.
When I think about Nick, the first thing I think of isn't the decades of coaching success, the 20 state XC titles, 21 state track titles, 35 sectional XC titles, the South Jersey-record XC dual meet winning streak, the individual state champions and record-setting runners he worked with, the countless Coach of the Year honors he received or Hall of Fames he was inducted into.
The first thing I'll think about is that laugh and that smile. Because Nick was never defined by the unparalleled success he had as a coach, and he had the most genuine smile and the most infectious laugh.
Track and cross country were a big part of who he was, but more than anything he was just a great guy. A terrific dad to Colin and Courtney, a loving husband to Maureen, a devoted teacher and mentor to literally thousands of young people and a tireless advocate for the sport he loved.
I can tell you the exact date the last time I saw Nick. It was Aug. 16, so just about two months ago. I ran into Nick and Maureen sitting with Steve Shaklee and Cricket Batz at Norcross Dell in Haddon Township, where Calexico was performing on a spectacular summer evening. We sat together in the back row, and every time I looked over at Nick he was smiling.
Paul Schwartz - Veteran reporter at the Bergen Record
Nick Baker was the epitome of what a great coach is. Not a great track & field or cross-country coach. A great coach! He coached superstars to legendary status, made stars superstars, turned hard workers into stars and newbies into stalwarts. He made everyone better: runners, coaches and even media members like us. I wish I could have covered his kids more.
Rich Refi - Hillsborough coach
Nick was a class act. Always friendly, always willing to talk. His teams were always great! Haddonfield was always a factor!
Mike McCabe - Union Catholic coach
NJ lost a great person and coach. I will be forever grateful for Nick's guidance and willingness to always help others.
Sean McCafferty - CBA XC coach
Nick Baker pushed me harder than most other coaches. His teams have always been good and all great young men. He impacted my coaching more than anyone outside those I have coached with. I got to chat with him the evening before Bowdoin as the sun set in the park. I will never forget that chat.
Marty Holleran - Metuchen coach
When you hear of Haddonfield, you think of Nick Baker. He was an outstanding coach and a better person. Always enjoyed seeing him at meets and our conversations about everything other than track! He was a good man and friend. He should be remembered - as his athletes would say - as one of the greatest coaches in our state. He did so much for so many kids. He should be remembered for that. We lost a good one, very sad.
Wil Rivera - South Brunswick coach
Nick Baker's influence on NJ XC and TF is immeasurable. Haddonfield has always been a gold standard of excellence and he is the reason why. The testimonials of those that knew best speak volumes for the man he was. He was a maker of great runners and even better people and that impact will live on in NJ and beyond.
Rob DeFillipis, Red Bank Catholic coach
-Nick's success on the course and track speaks for itself, and is well documented , no one has had more success especially when you consider he did so with both genders. But I think the better part is how he was able to take those successes and turn them into friendships throughout the track and field community.... RIP Nick
Steve Shaklee - Cherokee's veteran coach
Nick Baker was one of a kind! His impact on our sport in New Jersey cannot be overstated. He set the bar incredibly high and, in doing so, made us all better. The cross country and track community is close. We may compete against each other, but we share with each other as well. No one more so than Nick. He absolutely loved the sport! He lived and breathed it, and he was always interested in talking to other coaches, hearing their ideas and sharing his. He is truly a coaching legend and should not only be remembered for his unparalleled level of success. but also for the positive impact he had on so many student/athletes and on those of us in the coaching community. Personally, he was an inspiration to me . . . someone I looked up to, admired, and learned from. But, more than that, he was my friend. Cricket and I always enjoyed getting together with Nick and Moe! It was great conversation mixed with lots of laugher. Nick lived life to the fullest! He loved his family! He loved his friends! He loved our sport! Nick was always genuine and real, and that is what I appreciated about him more than anything. Like so many of us in the South Jersey running community, I will miss him terribly . . . but I will think of him often.
Chris Tafelski - Westfield coach
Coach Baker embodied everything that makes a great educator. His teams are always well prepared, intensely competitive, and happy for each other. He set the standard of excellence for a public school program. Not only did he lead thousands of kids over his years, but he inspired and mentored a generation of younger coaches. There's no doubt that his legacy will live on not just in Haddonfield, but on countless other teams as well.
NICK BAKER BY THE NUMBERS
1975- Began coaching as an assistant soccer coach at Haddonfield and as a middle school wrestling and track and field coach
1977-Became an assistant track and field coach at Haddonfield
1978- Took over as head track and field coach at Haddonfield and started the indoor T&F program
1982-Became the head XC coach at Haddonfield
325-Total XC dual meets victories against just 16 losses.
251-Dual meets victories in a row, which is a current streak and represent a SJ record and is the third longest streak in U.S. history.
37-State Championships won in all three seasons combined (XC, indoors and outdoors)
35-Sectional XC titles, including 19 in a row, which are both state records
34-The number of times Haddonfield qualified for the XC Meet of Champions, which is a state record for a public school
20-Number of State track and field championships (indoors and outdoor combined)
17-State Group XC Championships
1-XC Meet of Champions titles, which Haddonfield won in 2001
Infinity-The number of lives Baker impacted during his remarkable life
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