Baker attended Foothill High School, where he lettered in football, soccer, track and basketball.
As a freshman, he made 2 field goals of over 50 yards and hit a game winner with 0:01 seconds left.
At the time, only Luis Zendejas had made more field goals in a season for Arizona State than Baker.
Baker was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 1995 NFL draft.
After placekicker Chris Boniol missed the first three preseason games with a pulled quadriceps in his right leg, the Cowboys were forced to make the unconventional move of keeping Baker as a kickoff specialist.
[8] He made 6-of-7 field goals, while the extra points were kicked by Scottish rugby player Gary Parker.
He was released to make room for Sean Fleming, who returned from the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL.
[12] He hit 3 kickoffs out of bounds in the season finale against the Oakland Raiders, which contributed to a 41–38 overtime loss.