1992

Blessed with neither superior speed nor great physical strength or stature, John Baker simply willed his way to the level of outstanding miler by constant application of a work ethic rarely seen.  Recruited by coach Hugh Hackett out of Albuquerque;s Manzano High School, Baker’s story is one of courage, determination and sadness.

His first mile run at UNM was a school record, and he won a pair of Western Athletic Conference championships in the mile and in cross country.  Maybe Baker’s most dazzling race came at University Stadium in the spring of 1965.  The mighty Southern California Trojans were in town for a dual meet and Baker faced a trio of USC milers with better times than his.  With more than 10,000 screaming Lobo fans in attendance, Baker broke the tape first, winning by three seconds.  Inspired by Baker’s victory, the Lobos swept every following event, handing USC its third-worst defeat in 65 years, 92 1/3 to 31 2/3.

Baker had several options after graduation:  college coaching offers, work with children, train for the 1972 Olympics.  He accepted a job that would allow him to pursue both ambitions – he became a coach at Aspen Elementary School in Albuquerque, and at the same time started his rigorous training in preparation for the 1972 Games.

Shortly before his 25^th birthday in May of 1969, Baker noticed that he was short on stamina during workouts.  An ensuing doctor’s appointment confirmed the worst:  terminal cancer with approximately six months to live.

Early in 1970 with the cancer ravaging his body, Baker began coaching a small Albuquerque track club for young girls.  The Duke City Dashers. 

By summer, the Duke City Dashers were performing like their coach use to, breaking records at meets throughout New Mexico and bordering states.  Their performance made Baker claim:  “The Dashers are going to the national AAU finals.”

John Baker died on Nov. 26, 1970 (Thanksgiving Day).  He was 26, but lived 12 months longer than his doctor expected.  Two days later, his beloved Duke City Dashers won the AAU national championship in St. Louis.

The Baker story has been told nationally on television (“A Shining Season,” CBS), in an article in Reader’s Digest and in publications and special programs throughout the West.

In early spring of 1971, 520 families in the Aspen school district voted to rename the elementary school in honor of John Baker.  The vote was 520-0 in favor.  Aspen School officially became John Baker Elementary.

Robin Cole was one of the most respected players in the history of one of the most respected professional football organizations in the National Football League, the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He earned that respect not just because he was a perennial all-star on the field, but also because he was – and is – an outstanding citizen away from the game.

The only linebacker who was ever drafted in the first round (the 21^st overall pick) by longtime Steelers coach Chuck Noll, Cole enjoyed a 12-year career in the NFL that was as distinguished as that he had fashioned at the University of New Mexico.

Cole became a key member of the famed “Steel Curtain” defense that powered Pittsburgh to victory in Super Bowl XIII and XIV.  In 1980, Cole was the Steelers’ leading tackler in the 31-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams.  He retired after the 1988 season.

Arriving at UNM from Compton, Calif., the versatile Cole played tight end, deep snapper, defensive end and linebacker for head coach Bill Mondt.  He was an Associated Press All-American in 1976.

A motivational speaker after his playing days were complete, Cole served on more than a dozen boards in Pittsburgh, including chairperson of the March of Dimes and the Arthritis Foundation.  He was also involved in various special projects such as food drives, Easter Seals and a special project to promote the use of automobile seat belts.

The skinny kid arrived on the New Mexico campus from Pasadena, Calif., in the fall of 1976.  As a senior, he became an integral part of a Lobo team that captured the hearts of a community and placed UNM basketball on the national stage.

In 1977-78, the Cooper-paced Lobos led the nation in scoring, averaging more than 97 points a game.  They finished 24-4, achieved a No. 4 ranking in the national polls and won the Western Athletic Conference regular-season title.  Cooper earned All-America honors after averaging 16.1 points a game and igniting the fans in The Pit like never before.

Cooper was a third-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1978, and spent his entire 12-year career in L.A.  Known for his lockdown defense, he was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year following the 1986-87 season.

During the “Showtime” era, when Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy were grabbing most of the headlines, Cooper was as important to the Lakers’ scheme as any of them. 

Cooper was a member of five world championship teams in Los Angeles.

Playing offensive tackle and defensive end for head coach Ted Shipkey, Rushing was a member of Lobo teams (1938 and ’39) that combined to go 16-5 and made the school’s first postseason appearance in the 1939 Sun Bowl.  He was offered a contract to play professionally for the Brooklyn of the NFL, but World War II intruded, and Jack became a Navy gunnery officer who would see combat duty in four theaters of war.

Despite his recognized excellence as a Lobo football player, Rushing’s contributions to UNM athletics were probably more significant after his graduation in 1941.  In his long career as coach and administrator at Albuquerque and Highland high schools, Rushing began and shaped the careers of an outstanding number of highly successful UNM student-athletes like Bobby Santiago and Joe Vivian.

Rushing coached football and baseball at Albuquerque High, and was responsible for introducing wrestling to the New Mexico high school sports calendar in the 1950s.  Under Rushing, the Bulldogs won three state baseball titles and three state wrestling championships.  More state titles came when he moved to Highland High in 1958, and he eventually became the Hornets’ director of athletics.

Rushing is a Hall of Fame member of the New Mexico Activities Association and the New Mexico High School Coaches Association.  He was a lifetime member of the United States Naval Reserve Association.

Rushing was also a four-time president of the UNM Alumni Lettermen’s Association.

Volleyball • All-American and team captain in 1991

• Lobos won WAC title at 12-0

• 5-time WAC Player of the Week

• NCAA Woman of the Year for state of New Mexico in 1992

• Graduated with a 3.6 cumulative grade-point-average

• Worked at the Community Health Fair, UNM Wellness Center, UNM Children’s Hospital and with the homeless

Skiing

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

• All-American in 1990 and 1991

• Led UNM to a second-place finish at the 1992 NCAA Championships

• Graduated with a degree in International Business

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}