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Rice University Athletics
Photo by: Hawai'i Media Source
Rice Memories: Gabe Baker
4/11/2020 11:05:00 AM | Football, Blog
Former safety and Quin Award winner continues to explore multiple pursuits
When we last checked in with former Owl safety Gabe Baker in 2018, he had just begun a career in public service while continuing to stoke his competitive fires with appearances on a pair of television shows based on variations of obstacle course competitions.
Passion for Public Service Guides Baker
Two years later, the 2015 Bob Quin Award winner as Rice's top male student-athlete has seen his public service role re-defined by the unprecedented challenges of the current pandemic, while at the same time, his foray into television has led to an opportunity to appear as part of a new variation of one of the most popular current franchises on network television.
He took a short break to share a few of his favorite Rice memories as well as an update on his role on "The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart" which has its premier on Monday on ABC.
Favorite Rice Memory: "There's a lot to choose from, but I always hold on to the Hawaii Bowl as one of my most memorable experiences. The year before (2013) was incredible with the conference championship, but the following year was my fifth year and we were trying to keep things rolling. It was a year that had some fun moments early like going up to play at Notre Dame and then going up to A&M the next week, but when we then lost to Old Dominion on the last-second field goal, it was depressing because we knew we were pretty good. The way we were able to come back and get to the Hawaii Bowl said a lot about our team. To be able to end the season and my career with everyone in such an incredible place, it was everything you could ask for in a football experience. It was fun to practice, going to the events was a blast and then we came out and played really, really well.
First Game Memories: "We played Texas at Reliant and I was starting on special teams. We were the home team, but the stadium was full of Texas fans. It was their first game after Colt McCoy had left, so they were starting a new era. There was a lot of hype and expectation and a great environment to start my career. There really wasn't something that I look back on now and wish I'd done differently. I think I pretty much did what I was supposed to do. I don't remember being blow up on any plays. It was all about adrenalin.
Favorite class or non-athletic memory: "My spring of 2014 was my last heavy academic semester before my redshirt season in the fall and I had signed up for a lot of classes.
One of them was a Poly-Sci Urban Lab where we could pick somewhere in the world to do our on-the-ground research and I chose Shanghai. I had studied Mandarin in my time at Rice so being able to focus on a topic that would take me to China on Spring Break for eight days was so memorable and so meaningful. It was something I'd aspired to for a long time. I remember coming back and having to jump right back into spring practices. My sleep schedule was so out of whack, it was a challenge. That same semester, I was playing in the orchestra for non-majors and was having a great time doing it, but I had to stop because I broke my hand during one of the last spring practices. It was just part of a crazy last semester with all the things I'd involved myself in. The director of the orchestra never knew I was on the football team until after I was hurt.
Working for Harris County; "Coming in under Judge Emmett post-Harvey put me in the middle of some really dynamic policy initiatives to get resources to people who were impacted and that's that is going to continue on into the next decade. That was a pretty crazy time to get started and I was able to stay on board during the transition shifting to the new administration under Judge Hidalgo. My role changed from working on flood control policy to being a in a broader community engagement role. My role is to be a trusted resource for the community members who are dealing with the issues we're working on. Bringing people to the table for the decisions we're trying to make that can better the livelihood of the citizens of Harris County. From a communications perspective, it's a matter of identifying resources to meet needs. It energizes me to continue to find a place in the policy and civic service world. Being in so many different environments over the last 2 1.2 years in this office and facing so many varied challenges has been exciting.
From American Ninja to "The Bachelor": "It's been a series of random events that have come my way after our Pro Day in 2015. I had gone through Pro Day to get a clear answer about my prospects (to play professionally) and I was glad that I did. At the same time, I was excited to move on to other things. I had a friend who was really into "American Ninja Warrior" and some of the other obstacle course races, so I jumped in and started training with him. I applied for the show and made it for Season Eight in the spring of 2016 and then in August of that year I got pushed to be on Netflix's version of an obstacle race show (Ultimate Beastmaster) which was really cool. They never did show my run on "Ninja" but I got a full feature on Beastmaster. That show brought together athletes from different backgrounds from six different countries competing on an obstacle course. It's still on Netflix (Season 2, Episode 2).
"I had been advised to create a profile for these different casting call websites, so I set one up with some different things about myself, about my music, etc. Literally two years after I created the profile, a producer from ABC sent me a message about a new music dating show that was coming out. It wasn't something that really was what I was looking for, but I am also one that never shuts down an opportunity until I get a full understanding of it. I had questions because "The Bachelor" was honestly not a show I'd ever thought myself being a part of, but this was a different spin on the concept. The only expectation was for me to be completely myself and be open to whatever relationship connections happen or don't happen. This was music-based and a platform for independent musicians so I saw it was something that could lead to some creative relationships. It is kind of quirky, but I decided to go for it, you never know how God will lead you and what opportunities come from other opportunities.
"With all the things we've talked about and with losing my mother last fall, It's really brought home how much control I don't have over my own life and how much I am trusting in God and growing my faith. It's about learning lessons along the way, creating relationships and trying to make the most of all I am given.
"It's been a really dynamic ride to this point."
Passion for Public Service Guides Baker
Two years later, the 2015 Bob Quin Award winner as Rice's top male student-athlete has seen his public service role re-defined by the unprecedented challenges of the current pandemic, while at the same time, his foray into television has led to an opportunity to appear as part of a new variation of one of the most popular current franchises on network television.
He took a short break to share a few of his favorite Rice memories as well as an update on his role on "The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart" which has its premier on Monday on ABC.
Favorite Rice Memory: "There's a lot to choose from, but I always hold on to the Hawaii Bowl as one of my most memorable experiences. The year before (2013) was incredible with the conference championship, but the following year was my fifth year and we were trying to keep things rolling. It was a year that had some fun moments early like going up to play at Notre Dame and then going up to A&M the next week, but when we then lost to Old Dominion on the last-second field goal, it was depressing because we knew we were pretty good. The way we were able to come back and get to the Hawaii Bowl said a lot about our team. To be able to end the season and my career with everyone in such an incredible place, it was everything you could ask for in a football experience. It was fun to practice, going to the events was a blast and then we came out and played really, really well.
First Game Memories: "We played Texas at Reliant and I was starting on special teams. We were the home team, but the stadium was full of Texas fans. It was their first game after Colt McCoy had left, so they were starting a new era. There was a lot of hype and expectation and a great environment to start my career. There really wasn't something that I look back on now and wish I'd done differently. I think I pretty much did what I was supposed to do. I don't remember being blow up on any plays. It was all about adrenalin.
Favorite class or non-athletic memory: "My spring of 2014 was my last heavy academic semester before my redshirt season in the fall and I had signed up for a lot of classes.
One of them was a Poly-Sci Urban Lab where we could pick somewhere in the world to do our on-the-ground research and I chose Shanghai. I had studied Mandarin in my time at Rice so being able to focus on a topic that would take me to China on Spring Break for eight days was so memorable and so meaningful. It was something I'd aspired to for a long time. I remember coming back and having to jump right back into spring practices. My sleep schedule was so out of whack, it was a challenge. That same semester, I was playing in the orchestra for non-majors and was having a great time doing it, but I had to stop because I broke my hand during one of the last spring practices. It was just part of a crazy last semester with all the things I'd involved myself in. The director of the orchestra never knew I was on the football team until after I was hurt.
Working for Harris County; "Coming in under Judge Emmett post-Harvey put me in the middle of some really dynamic policy initiatives to get resources to people who were impacted and that's that is going to continue on into the next decade. That was a pretty crazy time to get started and I was able to stay on board during the transition shifting to the new administration under Judge Hidalgo. My role changed from working on flood control policy to being a in a broader community engagement role. My role is to be a trusted resource for the community members who are dealing with the issues we're working on. Bringing people to the table for the decisions we're trying to make that can better the livelihood of the citizens of Harris County. From a communications perspective, it's a matter of identifying resources to meet needs. It energizes me to continue to find a place in the policy and civic service world. Being in so many different environments over the last 2 1.2 years in this office and facing so many varied challenges has been exciting.
From American Ninja to "The Bachelor": "It's been a series of random events that have come my way after our Pro Day in 2015. I had gone through Pro Day to get a clear answer about my prospects (to play professionally) and I was glad that I did. At the same time, I was excited to move on to other things. I had a friend who was really into "American Ninja Warrior" and some of the other obstacle course races, so I jumped in and started training with him. I applied for the show and made it for Season Eight in the spring of 2016 and then in August of that year I got pushed to be on Netflix's version of an obstacle race show (Ultimate Beastmaster) which was really cool. They never did show my run on "Ninja" but I got a full feature on Beastmaster. That show brought together athletes from different backgrounds from six different countries competing on an obstacle course. It's still on Netflix (Season 2, Episode 2).
"I had been advised to create a profile for these different casting call websites, so I set one up with some different things about myself, about my music, etc. Literally two years after I created the profile, a producer from ABC sent me a message about a new music dating show that was coming out. It wasn't something that really was what I was looking for, but I am also one that never shuts down an opportunity until I get a full understanding of it. I had questions because "The Bachelor" was honestly not a show I'd ever thought myself being a part of, but this was a different spin on the concept. The only expectation was for me to be completely myself and be open to whatever relationship connections happen or don't happen. This was music-based and a platform for independent musicians so I saw it was something that could lead to some creative relationships. It is kind of quirky, but I decided to go for it, you never know how God will lead you and what opportunities come from other opportunities.
"With all the things we've talked about and with losing my mother last fall, It's really brought home how much control I don't have over my own life and how much I am trusting in God and growing my faith. It's about learning lessons along the way, creating relationships and trying to make the most of all I am given.
"It's been a really dynamic ride to this point."
WBB: Rice vs. Marshall Postgame Presser
Wednesday, March 09
VB: Rice-Texas Postgame Presser
Saturday, December 04
VB: Rice-San Diego Postgame Presser
Thursday, December 02