Episode 67: David Baker
On the 67th episode of “Great Dane Nation,” Morten is joined by David Baker, the recently retired president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (04:33 – 45:28). But first, he checks in with TommyFreezePops (Tom Carroll) for this week’s edition of the “Opening Kick” (01:01 – 03:43). With the league seeing a crazy amount of onside kick recoveries on Sunday, Morten uses his pulpit to preach the gospel of old onside kick rules, and why they must return to the game.We then move to our interview with David Baker, where he discusses a wide range of topics: reliving the moment he delivered the Hall of Fame induction news to Morten and his wife back in 2017 (05:27); his trip with Morten back to Denmark to celebrate his Hall of Fame induction with his homeland (07:43); why he believes NFL Films should make an episode of “A Football Life” about Morten and Jan Stenerud’s journeys, from European immigrants to Hall of Fame kickers (12:09); why David believes Morten’s comeback story is inspiring to anyone trying to pursue something later in life, and how he thinks Tom Brady might be drawing inspiration from him (14:31); why now is the right time for him to retire from his post as president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (15:51); hints at the type of project he will be pursuing in this next chapter of his life (20:08); a life-changing conversation he had with Jim Brown in Israel (21:47); what he’s most proud of from his tenure in Canton, OH (24:00); what the next 10-15 years looks like for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a tradition he’d love to see started among Gold Jackets during times of crisis in this country (29:54); his favorite speeches from induction nights during his tenure (36:47); his favorite bronze busts from his tenure (38:48); and his favorite “Hall of Fame knocks” from his tenure (40:21).Then we move to this week’s edition of “Morten’s Fast 5,” where our Hall of Famer makes picks for the five biggest games of the football weekend (46:56 – 55:33). Morten gives his picks for Chiefs at Chargers (48:41), Patriots at Colts (49:38), Saints at Buccaneers (51:09), Titans at Steelers (52:20), and Packers at Ravens (53:15).Finally, we close things out with “Morten’s Game Winner” – a weekly monologue from The Great Dane on his biggest takeaway of the week. This week, Morten talks about his friend David Baker, and how your character as a man is what truly defines you as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (55:33).