Rick Baker

Rick Baker arrived at Hopi High School in Arizona in 1987. He has coached the boys program since 1987 and the girls program since 2017. Baker’s coaching honors include:
2022 National Federation of High School Athletics Cross Country Coach of the Year
2020 National Federation High School Athletics Hall of Fame
2015 National Federation High School Cross Country Coach of the Year
National Federation High School-Cross Country Region-8 Coach of the Year two times
Coached Hopi Boys’ Cross Country to 27 consecutive State Championships between 1990-2017; to 24 North Regional XC Championships between 1990-2014; and to two state runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019
Coached Hopi Girls Cross Country to two State Runner-Up Championships during the 2018 and 2019 seasons
Coached nine Individual State Champions
Coached Arizona’s only perfect score (15 pts.) at the 1999 State Meet

Baker was also a national class runner. He was the 1977 Individual Arizona State Mile Champion (4:20.6), a team member of the National Junior College Athletic Association All-American-Indoor Distance Medley Relay, a team member of the NAIA All-American-Indoor and National Champion Distance Medley Relay, and honored as the Tony Coffin Award/Outstanding Athlete Award-Haskell Indian Junior College, 1978.

Baker’s wife of 37 years is Deborah Secakuku Baker and sons are Chad Andrew Baker and Steven Secakuku Baker.