April 15, 2009

DEKALB, Ill. - Bill Baker, the radio play-by-play voice of the Northern Illinois Huskies for the past 29 years, has been selected for induction into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The organization will enshrine Baker on April 25.

Baker, a native of Montgomery, Ill., has been a reporter and radio personality on the Chicagoland sports scene for the past 36 years. He has covered NIU's postseason success in football, men's and women's basketball, softball and volleyball. Baker was given the Distinguished Service Award for Broadcasting from the Illinois High School Association in 1989.

Mark Lindo, who has served as both a basketball and baseball coach at Aurora Central Catholic and Naperville North High School, nominated Baker for the honor.

"Bill (Baker) is an absolute consummate professional, and he is incredibly deserving of being inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame," said Lindo. "The organization is recognizing his longevity calling both high school and college games, and he has done countless things to promote the profession during that time.

"Along with all of his individual talent, he broke numerous people into the profession, and has called nearly every sport imaginable; even the ones he didn't have prior experience calling. It has been a pleasure sitting beside Bill in the football booth for the past 25 years."

Baker has also been a staple in the Illinois high school broadcasting community, estimating that he has called at least 1,000 boys and/or girls high school games since beginning his broadcasting career in the 1970s.

Many of those regular-season and postseason games in the IHSA Tournament occurred in the Aurora region, during his time at both WKKD (1580 AM Aurora), where he served a stint as the radio station's general manager, and WBIG (1280 AM Aurora).

Home and away, Baker heads the Huskie Sports Radio Network for both football and men's basketball games, along with select women's basketball contests. He has also called baseball, softball, soccer and volleyball contests for the Huskies.

For the past 25 years, on NIU football broadcasts, Baker has teamed with Lindo, a fellow IBCA Hall of Famer, who serves as the color analyst. On Huskie men's basketball broadcasts, Baker pairs with Casey Kahler, a native of Belvidere, Ill., who also spent 12 seasons calling games in the Continental Basketball Association.

Currently, Baker doubles as the marketing director of the Kane County Cougars, the Midwest League (Class A) affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.