By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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David Baker is a man you cannot miss — and surely cannot forget.

Baker — once called the “New Tower of Power” by Sports Business Journal — lumbers down a hotel hallway in Houston on a Saturday in February with a message and camera crew in tow. The message doesn’t come on a scroll or written memo, but through a knock on a door.

Much has been made of Baker’s knock, delivered with a forcefulness that fits the man creating the sound — Jason Taylor has likened it to getting a knock from the FBI. But it does not herald bad news. Instead, it summons football immortality.

As his knock this afternoon is answered, the room, brimming with nearly 20 of those closest to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, erupts in cheers. The video shows tears flowing and the people inside embracing as Baker informs Jones of his impending enshrinement into football’s most hallowed club.

Baker is the president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The 64-year-old’s frame — all 6-foot-9 and nearly 400 pounds of it — looms over almost anyone. His suit size is a 64. When Baker is approached for a handshake, the hand that isn’t his is guaranteed to disappear within his massive paw. Continue reading →