Full name Benjamin Howard Baker Role Olympic athlete Height 1.9 m | Playing position Position Goalkeeper Name Benjamin Baker | |
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Date of birth (1892-02-13)13 February 1892 Place of birth Aigburth, Liverpool, England Date of death 10 September 1987(1987-09-10) (aged 95) Died September 10, 1987, Warminster, United Kingdom | ||
Place of death Warminster, England | ||
Benjamin Howard Baker (13 February 1892 – 10 September 1987) was an English athlete who excelled in a wide range of sports, mostly in association football and high jump.
In team sports, Baker was goalkeeper for England, Liverpool, Everton and Chelsea football clubs, having previously played for the renowned amateur team, the Corinthians. He played for the "Amateurs" in the 1929 FA Charity Shield. He was also an international-level water polo goalkeeper. Baker initially played as a defender, and took the keeper position after his ankle was damaged in a naval mine sweeping operation during World War I.
In singles, doubles and mixed doubles, Baker competed in the 1929 Northern Qualifying Tournament for Wimbledon without making the main draw in any event and won the 1932 Welsh Covered Courts tennis competition.
Individually, Baker held British records in the high jump (1.95 m, from 1921 to 1946) and triple jump. He competed in these events at the 1912 and 1920 Olympic Games and finished in 6–11th places. At the Northern Counties Championships he won the high jump (1911–14, 1919–21), 120 yd hurdles (1921) and discus throw (1920); he also won the long jump at the 1920 Northern Olympic Trials. After retiring from sports Baker joined the family firm producing soap and chemicals and became a renowned businessman in the Liverpool area.