North Central College Athletics

As the first North Central College track and field athlete to win multiple NCAA Division III National Championships and a pivotal player in the Cardinals’ sweep of the indoor and outdoor team national championships in 1989, Dan Baker ’89 made history as both a trailblazer and a follower in the Cardinals’ storied tradition in the sport.

Baker’s accomplishments, which includes an indoor national title in 1988 at 800 meters (1:49.9) and a second indoor national crown at 1,500 meters in 1989 (3:54.41), were the result of a four-year process of development under the watchful eye of a coaching staff renowned for its commitment to the maturation of the young men entrusted to its care.

“I would say I came in as a nobody,” Baker recalls. “I excelled because of two things – being brought up with a very diligent work ethic and having Al Carius and the coaching staff there.”

A key addition to his training schedule during his sophomore year helped springboard Baker to his first All-America accolades as a member of the 4x400-meter relay at the 1987 outdoor national championships.

“I had trained little during high school, and when it came time to go to college, the first practice was terrible,” he says. “I started joining the distance runners for morning runs after Christmas break my sophomore year, and it made all the difference.”

The strength gained from the addition to Baker’s regimen allowed him to garner a second straight All-America nod in the 4x400 relay as a junior, in addition to his first national title. As a senior in 1989, he capped off his career with All-America honors in the indoor and outdoor 4x400 relay and outdoor 800-meter run, to go with his indoor 1,500-meter victory.

Baker, who also claimed back-to-back College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Championships in the 800 meters in 1988 and 1989, graduated as a member of the quartet that held the North Central College record in the 4x400 relay (3:13.55), and still sits atop the Cardinals’ all-time list in the 800. He was a four-year participant in the prestigious Drake Relays, running as part of a distance medley relay team that placed third in 1988 with a then-school record time of 9:53.95.

“The entire coaching staff was excellent,” Baker said. “(Assistant coaches) Frank Gramarosso and Ken Popejoy were great influences and mentors, and a volunteer assistant, Larry Brown, really helped teach me something about stretching. They were real positive influences, every one of them.”