Joe Baker
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Henry Baker | ||
| Date of birth | 17 July 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Woolton, Liverpool, England | ||
| Date of death | 6 October 2003 (aged 63) | ||
| Place of death | Wishaw, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Armadale Thistle | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1957–1961 | Hibernian | 117 | (102) |
| 1961–1962 | Torino | 19 | (7) |
| 1962–1966 | Arsenal | 144 | (93) |
| 1966–1969 | Nottingham Forest | 118 | (41) |
| 1969–1971 | Sunderland | 40 | (12) |
| 1971–1972 | Hibernian | 20 | (12) |
| 1972–1974 | Raith Rovers | 49 | (34) |
| Total | 507 | (301) | |
| National team | |||
| 1959–1966 | England | 8 | (3) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1981 | Albion Rovers | ||
| 1984–1985 | Albion Rovers | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Joseph Henry Baker (17 July 1940 – 6 October 2003) was an England international footballer. Born in Woolton in Liverpool, England, he spent virtually his entire childhood growing up in Motherwell, Scotland. He is notable for being the first player to have played for England without having previously played in the English football league system, and for scoring over 100 goals in both the English and Scottish leagues. His brother Gerry Baker was also a professional footballer.
Joe Baker's mother was Scottish. His father, born in Woolton, was a sailor and when living in New York, Joe's elder brother, Gerry, was born in 1938. After the outbreak of war the family moved to Liverpool where Joe was born in Woolton in 1940. Only six weeks after the birth the family moved back to Scotland where Baker spent the rest of his childhood.
His elder brother Gerry was also an international footballer.
A centre forward, Baker spent a month on trial with Chelsea as a youngster, but was not signed. He signed professional terms with Hibernian after playing junior football for Coltness United and Armadale Thistle. In his first season with Hibs, the 17-year-old Baker scored all four goals in Hibs' 4–3 victory over city rivals Hearts in the quarter-final of the 1958 Scottish Cup. Baker played in the 1958 Scottish Cup Final, which Hibs lost 1–0 to Clyde. He also scored nine goals in a Scottish Cup tie against Peebles Rovers. Baker was Hibs' top goalscorer for four consecutive seasons, scoring a club record 42 goals in 33 league games during the 1959–60 season. In all he scored 102 goals in just 117 league games, and 159 goals in all competitions for the Edinburgh club
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