Tales From The Tailgate: Bob and Carol Baker

Walking through the brand new football facility Jones-Hill House, Bob and Carol Baker can’t help but look around at the grand architecture and reflect on their Maryland fandom. 

The married couple of 52 years has become synonymous with Maryland football. The pair have attended nearly every single Terrapin game, both home and away since 1976. 

Bob has been going to Maryland football games since he was an undergrad at the school. He was hooked from the moment he stepped foot inside the then-Byrd Stadium. 

“I wanted the full college experience and that started with the football games,” Bob said. “I always liked football but it wasn’t until I became a student here that I really fell in love with the game.”

Football wasn’t the only thing Bob fell in love with during his time at Maryland. 

Bob met Carol during his senior year at Maryland while she was a junior at nearby Frostburg State. When the two began dating, Carol admitted to not knowing much about football but still enjoyed attending games with Bob. 

After they got married in 1969, Bob decided he needed to get back to Maryland football. So, he bought season tickets for both himself and Carol in 1971. 

From that point on, Bob’s legendary streak started. Carol would go to some of the games too, but she wasn’t as avid a fan as Bob. At least not yet. 

It wasn’t until a rainy day where Bob went to the game with some of his old classmates, leaving Carol in their home alone, that she began to contemplate why she wasn’t going to all the games too. 

“I just got so bored sitting there all day,” Carol said. “Sitting there, staring at the rain, it doesn’t seem like the kind of weather that makes you want to go sit outside for hours but that’s what I wanted to do.”

When Bob got home that night Carol told him about her excruciatingly long day and she told him that she wanted to go from now on. The former school teacher grew to love Maryland as much as her husband as the two used it to become even closer.

Maryland has seen their share of thrilling wins and big bowl games. But for Bob, his favorite Terps moment came in the 2002 Peach Bowl against Tennessee. The game was a rout as Maryland dominated the Volunteers 30-3, handing Tennessee their worst bowl loss in school history.

“From top to bottom that may be the best game I’ve seen a Maryland team play,” Bob said. “We were on fire on offense and were great on defense. Just a fantastic performance.”

For Carol, her favorite moment came nearly 20 years earlier down in Miami in a game coined by Terps fans ‘The Miracle In Miami’. 

“We were losing to Miami 31-0 at halftime and it was terrible,” Carol said. “I said to the people around us ‘Hey we only need to score five touchdowns and we’ll be winning’ and don’t you know that’s exactly what we did!”

From the highs of the epic comebacks and New Year's Day bowl victories to the lows of near winless seasons, Bob and Carol have seen it all live and in person. 

However, there have been some close calls that nearly caused them to break their notable streak. 

In 1980, Bob received a call from his brother Henry asking him to be the best man at his wedding. When Bob found out that the wedding was on a Saturday in the fall, he wasn’t interested.

“When he told me the date I went and looked right at the schedule and Maryland had a game that day,” Bob said. “I said ‘Can you move it’? And thankfully he did so I didn’t have to make that difficult decision.”

Understanding his brother’s passion, Henry moved the wedding date up to June and now shares his anniversary on the same day as Bob and Carol’s.

A year later, Carol received a phone call in the middle of the night. Her grandfather had passed away. Receiving the call early in the week, Bob knew exactly what that meant. 

“I just knew because we got called on a Monday or a Tuesday that they were going to hold the funeral on Saturday,” Bob said with a laugh. “We were playing Wake Forest that weekend and she told them they had to move the date. And again, they did.”

Thankfully for Bob and Carol, their friends and family have learned not to schedule any life events or require their presence at any weekend gatherings in the fall months. 

Bob has countless stories of tailgates, road trips, and the actual games, but the things he remembers the most are the people. 

Case in point. On Oct. 20, 2018, they traveled to Iowa for Bob's 500th consecutive game. Once there, he made a wrong turn and found himself inside a Hawkeyes fans parking garage and tailgate. 

When he asked for directions, he couldn’t believe what the woman told him. 

“She told me that I would be safe parking right there even though I didn’t have a pass,” Baker said. “I told her that I had a pass from the University of Maryland but it turns out that lot was on the other side of the football field. She then told me that she would help park my car over in that lot just so I was more comfortable.”

That kind of hospitality blew both Bob and Carol away. Interactions like that are what make this journey they have embarked on worth it.  

To them, football is a microcosm of the kind of warmth and love they have. It is a game about teamwork and about looking out for the person next to you, making sure they are in a position to succeed.

However, the Bakers’ streaks -- an amazing 517 consecutive Maryland games for Bob and Carol’s run of 401 in a row -- were unfortunately snapped last year as COVID-19 restrictions forced Maryland fans to watch the games from home. For the Bakers, they were dismayed, but they weren’t going to Terps games just to keep up a streak.

“It just stunk we couldn’t be there,” Bob said. “The Minnesota game was an overtime game at home which would’ve been amazing and then there’s the Penn State game. My goodness, could you imagine being at that game? I’m looking forward to going back.”

The Maryland Athletic Department kept the streak going - in spirit - as a cutout of the Bakers was present in the stands at every game, home and away, transported by the staff that traveled to each game.

Their love for Maryland football is outweighed only by the love they have for each other, and it’s a love made stronger together through Maryland football. 

“I love him and I love Maryland,” Carol said while holding onto Bob. “It’s been a wonderful thing to share together.”