Longtime Summit High School wrestling coach, Pete Baker, passed away earlier this month. He was 45 and struggling with chronic health issues.
Baker leaves behind a wife and teenage daughter. He also leaves behind a 15-year legacy at the Summit High, including multiple state-level wrestlers and a burgeoning girls’ wrestling program – the first in school history.
Today, Baker’s athletes and assistant coaches are launching a petition to name the high school wrestling room in Baker’s honor.
“Coach Pete Baker was more than a coach—he was a mentor and a source of emotional strength for countless students,” the petition sponsors write. “His influence extended far beyond athletics. He fostered resilience, unity and purpose in young people, many of whom found their first sense of belonging within the walls of the wrestling room.”
But securing Baker’s name on the room might not be so easy. Continues the petition:
“The district recently declined a request to dedicate the wrestling space in his honor, citing concerns about precedent and current priorities. At the same time, we’ve learned of plans to dedicate school district property in memory of another beloved staff member. We fully support that recognition and celebrate the honoring of lives that have shaped our schools. In fairness and transparency, this same consideration should be given to coach Pete Baker.”
The other staff member, computer science teacher Rick Karden, fell to his death in July. He was guiding a rock-climbing tour in the Tenmile Range when he fell from an unsecured belay device.