Benjamin Howard Baker

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.

Biography In team sports, Baker was goalkeeper for England, Chelsea, Everton and Oldham Athletic football clubs, having previously played for the renowned amateur team, the Corinthians. He played for the "Amateurs" in the 1925 FA Charity Shield. He was also an international-level water polo goalkeeper. Baker became the National high jump champion for the first time after winning the AAA Championships title at the 1910 AAA Championships. He would go on to be the British champion from 1910 through to 1921, by virtue of either winning the AAA title or being the best placed British athlete in the event. His outright successes came in 1910, 1912, 1913, 1919, 1920 and 1921.

Baker competed in jump 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 that produces soap and chemicals and became a renowned businessman in the Liverpool area.