Blaine Baker
Arguably the most unremarkable member of the Fall '93 pledge class, Mr. Baker has a unique history with nicknames. Among them are Shake N Bake, Senator Baker, Pootie Bake, Shoulders, Nostrildamus, and Precious (shortened to "Presh"), just to name a few. But one nickname towers above the rest in Sigma Chi folklore: Lawn Dart.
Penned by Fall '90's future award-winning Derby Daddy, Brother Blue Baggott, the Legend of Lawn Dart began on a crisp fall morning in the heart of Lubbock, Texas, at the Tech intramural fields. The flag football playoffs had just begun. Sigma Chi's B-Team, the lowest seed in the tournament and a squad that had barely backed its way into the playoffs, found itself facing the undefeated, top-seeded Phi Delt A-Team. The Sigma Chi B-Team consisted almost entirely of Fall '93 pledges...plus fifth-year junior Aaron Payne. The Phi Delt squad had several former Texas Tech athletes and had beaten the Sigma Chi's defending champion A-Team during the regular season.
The game remained surprisingly close, with the Phi Delts clinging to a 7-0 lead late in the second quarter. As halftime approached, B-Team quarterback—and the Pride of Conroe, Texas—Greggory Wetter, With Ambitious Purposes and a Congenial Disposition, did something no one expected: he subbed himself out in favor of fellow pledge brother, Kevin Romero. Wetter knew something the Phi Delts didn't. Brother Romero was not only Possessed of Good Morals but also possessed one of the strongest arms in the State of New Mexico.
In the huddle, Romero delivered the game plan with complete confidence. "Baker, run a deep post. I'll hit you in the end zone." With seconds remaining before halftime on the Sigma Chi's own 42-yard line, Romero took the shotgun snap and unleashed a football that seemed to violate several laws of physics. Baker later recalled watching the ball reach its highest point and thinking, "There is absolutely no chance I'm catching this thing." But remembering recent Tuesday evening lessons in Having a High Sense of Honor and a Deep Sense of Personal Responsibility, he kept running anyway.
As Baker approached the goal line, flanked by two tightly draped Phi Delt defenders, he launched himself forward. With his head below his feet, arms fully extended, eyes squeezed shut, and what can only be described as blind luck, he somehow snagged the ball in his fingertips while crossing the goal line.
Touchdown! The Sigma Chi sideline erupted. Over the chaos, one voice rose above the rest. Brother Blue Baggott triumphantly proclaimed for all within earshot: "He looked like a Lawn Dart!" Eyewitnesses later reported that shortly after of Baggott's declaration, they noticed Baker's torso bore an uncanny resemblance to an upside-down yield sign.
And so the nickname stuck – But perhaps not quite as deeply as the sting felt by the previously undefeated Phi Delt A-Team, which went on to suffer an unforgettable first-round playoff loss to the Fall '93 Sigma Chi Pledge Class B-Team......and Aaron Payne, respectfully.
And per usual, the Sigma Chi A-team went on to win the whole thing!