Central's Coach Baker Wraps it Up with 245-211-11 Record

It was quite a contest, but Dave Baker finally found the opponent he couldn’t outfox.

Time.

Central High School is seeking a new football coach this week after Baker stepped down on Friday, Feb. 2.

The 78-year-old Baker has experienced health problems in recent years but continued to guide the Scarlet Dragons and do so successfully: His last three teams all were District 6 Class 3A champions with a combined record of 28-5.

The 2022 and 2023 squads’ seasons ended in the state semifinals.

Baker’s retirement commences a 45-year head-coaching career which saw him set the all-time wins record at two Blair County programs. Before taking over at Central – where he was a member of the first graduating class after the consolidation of community schools in 1963 – Baker coached for more than 30 years at Williamsburg, winning 124 games and four conference titles at one of the smallest schools in Pennsylvania to sponsor football.

After a stint as an assistant on Dan Wilkins’ staff at Chestnut Ridge in the early 2000s and a couple of years helping A.J. Hoenstine at Central, Baker was hired in 2011 to take the reins at his alma mater.

In what would be considered by many to be the twilight of their careers, Baker shined his brightest. Under Baker, Central reached a new level in football, capturing seven of its nine all-time D6 titles and posting a perfect 7-0 mark in the finals.

Four of his Dragon teams advanced to the state final four, the 2015 edition falling to Aliquippa and the 2016 squad finally being sidelined by Beaver Falls.

Although his Williamsburg teams were very competitive, especially from the mid-1970s through back-to-back trips to the district semifinals in 1989 and 1990, it became harder to win with the waning Blue Pirate roster numbers in his final decade there, and he was about 50 games under .500 when he finally moved on.

However, the 119-42 mark he posted at Central put his final career benchmark at 245-211-11.

In 2017, Baker received the Lifetime Contribution to Football Award from the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Football Foundation.

The Spring Cove School District is advertising the job through Feb. 16.