Oregon State University

Baker is the first Oregon State player and the first player from the West Coast to win the Heisman.

Heisman Winner

Terry Baker

QB | Senior | Oregon State University

Baker is the first Oregon State player and the first player from the West Coast to win the Heisman. He’s also the only player in history to win the Heisman and appear in an NCAA Final Four in basketball.

Born in Pine River, Minn., Baker attended Jefferson High in Portland, Ore., where he was a three-year letter winner in basketball and baseball. Football, however, was Baker’s most dominant sport. Baker played quarterback and tailback and led his team to a 23–0 record with two state titles in his last two seasons. As a senior in 1958, he threw for 1,261 yards and ran for 438 yards.

Baker attended Oregon State where he played both basketball and football. On the gridiron, Baker was a talented dual-threat, passing for 863 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 610 yards and five scores as a 1960 sophomore. As a junior, Baker threw for 875 yards and rushed for 375 and had a combined seven scores.

Meanwhile, Baker averaged 9.0 points per game as the Beavers’ starting point guard his first two seasons.

Baker’s senior campaign was a harbinger of the kind of seasons to be had by future dual-threat quarterbacks. He threw for 1,723 yards and 15 scores and rushed for 538 yards and nine TDs as the Beavers finished 8-2 and ranked 16th in the polls. He won the Heisman Trophy for his achievements. He was the first player from a school west of Texas to win the award. In addition to winning the Heisman, he also won the Maxwell Award and the W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy, was a consensus first team All-American and was named the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

His Heisman in tow, Baker led OSU to a 6-0 victory over Villanova in the Liberty Bowl. The only score was Baker’s 99-yard touchdown run, which is still an NCAA record.

But Baker wasn’t through with his college career at that point. He later joined the Beaver basketball team as a senior and averaged 13.4 points to help his team make the 1963 Final Four.

Baker graduated OSU with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1963 and then was selected as the first overall pick of that year’s NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He played with the Rams for three seasons and then for the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL while earning a J.D. at USC’s Law School.

He served on the staff of the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest and Kent State Task Force in 1970 and practiced law in Portland as a partner in the law firm Tonkon Torp LLP until retiring in 2012. He received the NCAA Sliver Anniversary award in 1988 and was elected to the GTE Academic All-American Hall of Fame in 1991.

Baker was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1982.

More Articles About Terry Baker

Heisman Voting Results

Number of electors: 1,109 - Announced: November 27, 1962.

 PlayerClassPositionSchool1st2nd3rdTotal Points
1Terry BakerSRQBOregon State1727443707
2Jerry StovallSRDBLouisiana State11210082618
3Bob BellSRTMinnesota569571429
4Lee Roy JordanSRLBAlabama703541321
5George MiraRQBMiami (Fla.)415355284
6Pat RichterSREWisconsin554031276
7George SaimesSRHBMichigan State483638254
8Billy LothridgeJRQBGeorgia Tech243520162
9Ron VanderKelenSRQBWisconsin232226139
10Eldon FortieSRRBBYU252217136

Three points are awarded for first place on a ballot, with two points for second place and one point for third place.

Heisman Voting By Region

At this time, Heisman voters are spread out across five regions.

South

 Player
1Jerry Stovall
2Lee Roy Jordan
3Billy Lothridge
4George Mira
5Glynn Griffing

East

 Player
1Terry Baker
2Jery Stovall
3Don King
4George Mira
5Bob Bell

Midwest

 Player
1Bob Bell
2Pat Richter
3George Saimes
4Terry Baker
5Ron VanderKelen

Southwest

 Player
1Billy Moore
2Jerry Stovall
3Terry Baker
4George Mira
5Eldon Fortie

Far West

 Player
1Terry Baker
2Eldon Fortie
3Hal Bedsole
4Bob Bell
5George Mira

Statistics

DateOpponentResultAttCompPct.YdsYPATDIntRatingRushesYdsYPCTDPlaysTotal OffYPPTotal TDs
9/22/62^Iowa StateW 39-35301653.32528.431150.2316654.063463176.896
9/29/62at IowaL 28-8231147.81335.80096.4010-24-2.400331093.300
10/6/62at StanfordW 27-0151173.317511.701158.0011423.812262178.342
10/13/62^#14 WashingtonL 14-13231043.41446.321116.0714856.070372296.182
10/20/62PacificW 40-610770.014414.440322.964379.2501418112.924
10/27/62^West VirginiaW 51-22191157.81779.330188.257395.570262168.303
11/3/62at Washington StateW 18-12231460.825811.200155.108465.750313049.800
11/10/62at IdahoW 32-013753.81249.502103.2015583.863281826.503
11/17/62Colorado StateW 25-14291655.12267.810132.011316312.531423899.262
11/24/62OregonW 20-1717847.0905.320130.3517271.580341173.442
Heisman StatsUPI #168-220211154.917238.5155146.151155384.67931722617.1324
12/15/62+ VillanovaW 6-021942.81235.90092.06131299.921341524.471
TotalsUPI #169-222312053.818468.3155141.061286665.201035124136.8725

(+) Neutral Site
(^) at Portland, OR.

Baker also punted 33 times for 1,233 yards during the regular season, an average of 37.3 yards per punt.

Media

Terry Baker - Heisman Winner 1962 Oregon State University
Terry Baker - Heisman Winner 1962 Oregon State University
Terry Baker - Heisman Winner 1962 Oregon State University