Sports stats



Blitz gets a kick out of Baker

May 24, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Bakersfield Blitz News Release


BAKERSFIELD, CA (May 23, 2002) – After the kicking struggles during last week's game against Peoria, the Bakersfield Blitz has been assigned a new kicker, it was announced today by the league office of arenafootball2. Bakersfield product Jon Baker will join the team for this weekend's game against the San Diego Riptide in San Diego. Robert Nycz, the team's kicker through the first six games, will remain on the team though he will not travel to San Diego.

"I think he'll be able to help us," said head coach James Fuller of Baker. "His leg is strong and he's played in some big games through his career. He's been at the top and I don't think nerves will be a problem for him with the new style of game that arena football brings."

Baker played at Foothill High School and Bakersfield College before transferring to Arizona State University for the 1993-94 seasons, where he preceded Robert Nycz. At ASU, Baker was a three-time Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week, named Second-Team All Pac-10 and played in the Hula Bowl All-Star game in 1994. He also lettered in soccer, track and basketball.

After college, Baker spent some time in the NFL as well as NFL Europe and the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys in 1995 as an undrafted free agent and appeared in three games. He also has stints with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Baker played for the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe before moving to the Canadian Football League where he played in eight games with the Edmonton Eskimos and five games with the B.C. Lions in 1999 and 2000, respectively.

He will get his first chance to kick for the Blitz on Saturday, when Bakersfield travels to San Diego for a division match-up with the Riptide. The game is the second of three between the two teams this season and a re-match of week two, when the Blitz won an overtime thriller 49-43 after coming back from a 24-point deficit. Game time is set for 7 pm and can be heard live on 1410-AM KERN radio or on the internet at www.bakersfieldblitz.com.

The next home game for the Blitz is June 1st, when the Fresno Frenzy comes to town in the second installment of the "Battle of Highway 99". Bakersfield won the first contest 64-41 on May 4th. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 322-2525 or at the Centennial Garden box office.

More than two million fans have attended arenafootball2 games in the league's two-year history. In 2000, af2 began its inaugural season with 15 teams. The league expanded to 28 teams in 2001, making it the fastest single-league expansion in the history of sports.

• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...

arenafootball2 Stories from May 24, 2002


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Bakersfield Blitz Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central