Hobey Baker, American Legend

by Emil R. Salvini

The most famous athlete of his era, Hobey Baker dazzled teammates and rivals alike. Handsome, charming and supremely athletic, he is the only individual to be inducted in both the Hockey Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. Three years after graduating from Princeton, Baker fought in World War One along with flying ace Eddie Rickenbaker against the deadly Flying Circus of Baron Richthofen, the Red Knight of Germany. Baker's untimely death at age 27 in France just as the Great War ended has been shrouded in mystery for almost ninety years. Salvini puts the mystery to rest after all of these years. Fellow Princetonian F. Scott Fitzgerald described Baker as, "an ideal worthy of everything in my enthusiastic admiration, yet consummated and expressed in a human being who stood within ten feet of me."

Genres: Hockey

164 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baker is an icon of a bygone age in some ways, but this study is a worthwhile reminder that is paired well with other studies of the time. The intersection of concerns with masculinity, social status, and war is encapsulated in and around the short life of Princeton’s one time star.

Well researched and human in its consideration, it is an important read for anyone interested in the evolution of college athletes and the games they played prior to the First World War. It encapsulates concerns such as Social Darwinism, the ideal of the the chivalrous Christian male of the time, and Roosevelt’s fight to save college football - elements that blend to show the timeframe and forces that created the college athlete and war hero that was Hobey Baker.

A solid read for those interested in sports, history, masculinity, and/or the intersection of such elements in early twentieth century America.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its refreshing to read about a true sportsman, in an age where men had integrity. Hobey Baker is truly an amazing story of an multi-sport athlete that played solely for the love of the game. It was really interesting to find out who Hobey Baker was, since I love college hockey. One of the first all-american hero's and was the who F Scott Fitzgerald based his novel The Great Gatsby on.

This book was really well written; the only issue was that it was far too short. We didn't really learn that much about Hobey and his thoughts and feelings. Still worth the read just for the historical value of WWI and early sports.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The real life person who inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise. Baker was an exceptional football player, whose talents on that field included very accurate drop-kicking. His most notable accomplishments were on the ice rink; there he was the greatest skater of his time. The annual Heisman Trophy for college hockey is called the Hobey Baker Trophy. This book chronicles the Princetonian's life before, during and after his days at the University. Bakre tragically died on an unnecessary flight in France at the end of WW I.

Greek tragedy embodied in an American hero.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who follows college hockey at all has heard of Hobey Baker. Because of that, I wanted to know more about him. The book gives a good account of Baker the athlete & pilot, and of college football & hockey at the first part of the 20th Century. I was hoping for a little more detail about Hobey the person. It's a good read, fairly short, but not exactly three dimensional. Maybe, after all this time, the information just isn't there.

[Maren Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cool story, and a quick read. Definitely not the best writing, which is why I only gave it 3 stars, but I enjoyed it. About a guy who is in the College Football and Hocky Hall of Fame - only guy to ever do that. The "Hobey Baker Award" is the Heisman of College Hockey.