Antonio Baker
Our interview with Cody’s Coach Antonio Baker was simply delightful. He was raised in east Detroit, one of seven children to loving, god-fearing parents. He graduated from Detroit Kettering and then attended Virginia State University, a Historically Black University. One of his biggest lessons from VSU was that, although his classmates looked like him, they all had very different habits, accents, and life experiences from growing up in cities all over the country. He received his B.S. in what was then called Special Education, working with learning disabled and cognitively impaired students. After returning to Detroit, he served as the Self-Contained Teacher at Drew Middle School where he also coached basketball. Twenty years ago, he was asked to come to Cody HS as an assistant basketball coach; he eventually became head coach and then Athletic Coordinator.
In 2014, under the leadership of Pastor Kurt Alber and the late Dave Gulau, the Cody Partnership was formed. Working together with Coach Baker, Cody’s Athletic Booster Club took off like a rocket. Strong bonds were made with students and athletes. Literacy and academic performance improved for many. Oak Pointe folks selflessly provided equipment, transportation, and concessions for the teams. The annual Cody Bowling fundraiser continues to allow the Cody teams to move forward. In addition, several students have been able to attend camps and mission trips that changed their lives and eternities. At one time, Coach Baker cut Wednesday’s practice short so the entire girls’ basketball team could travel to Oak Pointe for 707. Two of Coach Baker’s female athletes recently graduated from college and cite their mission experiences as helping them reach new heights in life.
Coach stated his appreciation for Dennis Haggerty’s continued leadership and how the partnership never skipped a beat after Pastor Kurt’s departure. He is grateful that Dennis never shies away from Coach’s “crazy ideas”, the latest of which is to help build a Cody golf simulator for a golf program. As a man of faith, Coach Baker understands that it’s worth it if even only one person’s life is impacted. But, in partnership with Oak Pointe, coach sees many being profoundly impacted. In summary, he said “Phenomenal!”