Entering the 2007 season, the football program was in turbulent waters. After undergoing a coaching change following a disappointing 3-9 season, few expected the Wolfpack offense, which was plagued by inconsistency at the quarterback position, to light up the scoreboard.
But despite State’s instability, there was a consensus that the backfield, anchored by tailback Toney Baker, would be a strength for the team. Baker finished 2006, his sophomore season, as the team’s leading rusher with 688 yards.
Then, in the season opener against Central Florida, Baker sustained a knee injury that would derail a career seemingly on track. The initial surgery would keep him off the field for the remainder of the season.
“I love the game so much, and having that taken away from you for a little bit, it was very difficult,” Baker said. “There were times when I couldn’t even watch. I wouldn’t even want to watch football for the first few months. As I started meeting my smaller goals, I kind of got comfortable getting back, watching football, just really looking forward to it.”
As the 2008 season approached, team doctors determined Baker’s knee required another surgery, and another lost season of football. But as the spring practices for 2009 get underway, he is finally confident he will be ready to play for the Pack this fall.
“I am definitely 100 percent healthy,” Baker said. “I feel great. These past couple practices really just boosted my confidence even more. I have been pretty successful in the past few practices, and I am looking at getting better each day.”
Although Baker has not been on the gridiron for more than two years, his injury has not kept him away from the Murphy Center, where he has been undergoing rehab as well as attending team meetings. According to running backs coach Jason Swepson, Baker has very little catching up to do after even after being sidelined for so long.
“He’s really kept his mind fresh,” Swepson said. “He’s come to every meeting for the last two years, he’s watched a bunch of film and he knows the playbook. It’s a tremendous credit to him and his commitment to this program to keep his mind fresh and his excitement level high for two years. For a young kid to do that, well hats off.”
Baker came to the Wolfpack as the gem of Chuck Amato’s 2005 recruiting class. Listed as a five-star by a number of recruiting Web sites, he finished his prep career as the leading rusher in the history of North Carolina high school football. Baker said the injury has not changed those things that made him great in high school, and as an underclassmen for the Pack.
“My running style hasn’t changed,” Baker said. “My cutting abilities, my speed, lowering my shoulder — it’s just like it was before I left. So, I’m feeling pretty confident.”
Jamey Coll, former head athletic trainer for football, was with Baker throughout his recovery process. Baker said Coll was essential to his comeback from injury.
“He was there every step of the way for me. We were in it together,” Baker said. “Of course this whole program had a lot to do with me coming back, but he was really the guy that, day in and day out, me and him stuck through it and grinded it out. And that’s why I’m here, where I am now. Practicing the way I’ve been these last couple days, I just wish he could be out there to see me. He’s not working with us anymore, but he would be proud. [He is] one of the hardest working men I know.”
For the Wolfpack coaches, Baker is still somewhat of an X-factor as he has been injured for almost the entirety of coach Tom O’Brien’s time with the University.
“He’s proven in the past to be a good player,” Swepson said. “He’s only shown coach O’Brien and this staff the first half of the Central Florida game. Is he still an unknown? It’s a possibility. But with his work ethic, his attitude and his commitment to the program, it’s going to help us tremendously.”
