Kohl Jackson, Sports Writer
A menace on the field, linebacker Scooter Baker intensifies the Bison defense each week. He currently
leads the team in tackles, already receiving the honor of Great American Conference Defensive Player of
the Week twice this season. While being ranked 16th in the entire country in Division II tackles, he shows
a lot of promise for the rest of this season and beyond. After agreeing to an interview, we get the
opportunity to learn more about his mentality and life as a christian corvette-owning hard worker and
athlete at OBU. With some family ties to football including his grandfather that died before his birth,
Scooter possesses the natural talent of a successful athlete that few possess. During his younger years, he
began his explosive football career around the age of five and hasn’t looked back since. When asked about
playing football at a young age he replies, “I was always rough. I never played flag [football]. I skipped
flag and went straight to tackling.” Growing up he played both linebacker and running back. Successful
with both positions in high school, he eventually made the decision of picking just one in college. His
decision to stick with linebacker is paying off as he has the second most tackles in the GAC and continues
to dominate on defense. After sustaining a fibula fracture in high school, he made the decision to play
Division II football at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He later entered the transfer portal and
continued playing football for the Incarnate Word Cardinals, a Division I FCS team located in San
Antonio, Texas. Finally, he entered the transfer portal again and ultimately chose Shawnee as his new
home as an athlete. When talking about his decision of picking OBU he says, “Faith plays a role in my
decision everywhere I’ve been. I prayed before I came here. I talked to God on my journey. This is where
I ended up.” For athletic reasons he continues, “I want to go somewhere where I know I can dominate.
Somewhere I can just play and be free. I feel like this was the spot for me.” Comparing FCS level
Division I football to Division II, Scooter states, “The competition is a little bit more, but it’s not too
much different.”
Now that he is a Bison, his goal is to break the school record in tackles, which is currently held by Zack
Bishop who played for OBU in 2015 and registered 106 tackles in one season. This is a lofty yet
attainable goal considering Scooter has already reached over 75 total tackles up to this point in the season.
When talking about working together with his new teammates he says, “I feel like they reflect off my
energy. We as a team, I feel like we’re pretty good. We all adapt with each other well.” Outside of
football, he proclaims he is a country boy. He enjoys riding horses, horse shows, horse races, four-
wheelers and mudding. Scooter also enjoys the ability to buy himself luxury gifts for the work that he’s
done, including an orange corvette that he may be seen driving around campus from time to time. “The
car is really just one of my trophies. I reward myself. I’m graduated, I’m 23, and I’m blessed to be able to
do things for myself.” Another one of his trophies is a chain necklace he wears that represents his brand
logo “CertifiedSteppa.”Scooter’s career goal is to eventually play in the NFL after college and he is
working each week to make the next level a legitimate possibility. When asked about his professional
football inspirations he answered, “I looked up to Ray Lewis, Ladamien Thompson, Dez Bryant. Now I’m
cool with a lot of guys in the NFL,” then proceeding to mention his friendship with Devin White, a
starting linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As for advice to other athletes as well as
anybody who needs inspiration he finished the interview by saying, “I’ve always been a person that
whatever I set my mind to, I can do it. No matter what it is. Believe in yourself. Believe in yourself and
never stop. Never quit,” then adding, “it’s going to get hard, it’s going to get boring, but still set it out.
Somebody’s watching you. Just finish. Got to have finish mentality always. It’s better for your kids, for
the people around you, being a leader – just finish.”
