Sooner Profile: Lewis Baker

NORMAN, Okla. -- When watching Lewis Baker fly around the football field, some might describe his play as reckless. Whether it be on defense or special teams, Baker is always going 100 miles per hour and often throws himself around with complete disregard for his body.

Baker's play is far from reckless, however. Described by coaches as one of the smartest players on the field, Baker's style of play is simply a by-product of the energy and all-out effort he brings every time he steps on the field. One of five senior captains, Baker is just trying to lead by example and hopes his work ethic and energy rub off on the rest of his teammates. Those are the characteristics, after all, which champions are made of.

And championships are the only thing Baker has on his mind. Like so many others before him, he came to Oklahoma for the sole purpose of winning championships, and he won't be satisfied with his senior year unless he adds a couple more to his collection.

In the process, you can be sure of one thing -- Baker will do his part by leaving everything he has out on the field.

Lewis Baker Program Feature from the Miami Game

We sat down with Lewis last week to talk about his style of play and what he hopes to accomplish in his final season with the Sooners.

On his willingness to sacrifice his body on the field:
"When I get the opportunity to play, I'm playing for my teammates. I'm playing for a championship. Being one of the leaders on the team and a captain, I feel you are only as good as your leaders and your seniors. When I do things like that, I don't feel like they're dumb things. I play like that because I feel like my teammates will feed off of it and that's the most important thing."

On that being his way of giving everything he has every time out:
"You have to play smart too. As far as effort, that should never be a question. If everyone's giving effort good things will happen all the time. Even if you are messing up and not playing as smart as you could play, as long as your giving effort good things are bound to happen. I just try to go as hard as I can to help my team."

On the example that was set by the guys before him:
"I tried to bring the same type of energy as a freshman, but you do learn those types of things along the way as well. When I was younger, I saw the older guys going super hard and not taking advantage of just being in there just because they're more experienced. They still played hard and were great leaders to our football team."

On some of the specific players he remembers looking up to when he first came to OU:
"Being a defensive guy, I remember looking up to guys like Dan Cody, Teddy Lehman and Tommie Harris. Everybody fed off of the energy those guys brought to the field every day."

On the one player he tries to model his game after:
"I'd probably say Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers but it has nothing to do with the hair. He's just the type of player who gives everything he's got every play. Even at the end of the game he's still going a hundred miles an hour."

On what he still wants to accomplish in his final season:
"I want to win out the rest of these games. We have to take it one game at a time but I'm always looking at winning a championship. That's why I came here. Whether it be the Big 12 South Championship, the Big 12 Championship or the National Championship, I want to win a championship and I'm going to do my part to get that done, I can guarantee that. Hopefully me teammates want the same thing, but I have to set an example and do what I can do."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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