2004 All Star East Coach
Head Coach Rod Baker
Wyandotte Roosevelt High School
In the fall of 2004, Coach Baker will begin his 29th season of coaching H.S. football. He is entering his 11th year as Head Coach of the Theodore Roosevelt H.S. Bears, making him the longest serving head coach in the team’s history. He also holds the honor of most career wins in school history, which, by the way, dates back to 1898. In the 2001 season, Coach Baker’s team set records for playoff wins in a season with three and most wins in a season with ten. Coach Baker also has the most playoff appearances and has won more playoff games than any other coach in school history.
Coach Baker is a 1974 graduate of Roosevelt H.S., where he earned all league honors in football. He continued his football career at Albion College and went on to complete his education at Wayne State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1978. He furthered his education, earning a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership through Wayne State in 2003.
Coach Baker’s coaching career includes stops as an assistant coach at Roosevelt H.S., where he worked with Hall of Famer Mike Pascuzzi. He also worked as an assistant coach at Trenton H.S., working with Hall of Famer Jack Castignola, at Woodhaven H.S. he coached alongside of Hall of Famer Jim Buttson, and he also coached at Carlson H.S. Coach Baker coached six years in New Orleans, three of these years as head coach at Perry Walker H.S. where his teams were league champions twice and playoff participants all three years.
Additional honors for Coach Baker include two years as the MHSFCA Regional Coach of the Year, four years as the Downriver Herald coach of the year, and four years as the Detroit News All Metro West coach of the year.
Coach Baker has been married to H.S. classmate Loretta (Savala) Baker for 16 years. Together, they are raising two daughters, Carmen, age 15, and Lauren, age 11.