Sue Baker

Marion High School

SUE BAKER Sue Baker was the coach of all girls’ sports at Marion High School in the 1960’s. She coached softball, volleyball, basketball and track and field during the Girls Athletic Association days. Girls’ sports at that time were not recognized by the Indiana High School Athletic Association and Title IV did not exist to provide equal opportunity and finances for women athletes.  However, Coach Baker knew the value of women participating in competitive sports and developed one of the best girls’ athletic programs in Indiana. From 1962 to 1968, Coach Baker’s basketball teams compiled an 84-6 (93 percent) record and from 1966 to 1968 she won 33 of 36 volleyball matches (92 percent).  She also had outstanding seasons in softball and track and field.  Due to the lack of coverage of girls’ sports in those years, her exact records are not known. Coach Baker was constantly looking to upgrade her teams schedule by finding more competitive teams to play.  Even though she had no budget, she would take her teams to Richmond and Warsaw to play the best teams in the area.  This was evident by the fact that Warsaw won two of the first three IHSAA girls’ basketball championships in 1975/76 and 1977/78. Coach Baker believed women could be athletes and worked hard to provide competitive opportunities for them.  And many female athletes benefited from her coaching and leadership. Coach Baker left Marion High School in 1968 to pursue her Doctoral degree in Texas.  Unfortunately after completing her doctoral dissertation, she died from a brain tumor in the early 1970’s.  She was a true visionary and leader for women athletes at Marion High School, but did not live to see her vision realized and her talents given a venue to achieve greatness.  But no doubt she inspired many girls in the early stages of women’s sports to reach their full potential.