The Handoff: From Milloy To Baker
August 04, 2016 | Football, General
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Lawyer Milloy remembers a crowd so loud, he could barely hear the teammate standing next to him.
"I just remember the atmosphere was crazy," he said. "We fed off the crowd's energy."
It didn't matter who Washington was playing, the noise in Husky Stadium was deafening. Standing in the tunnel, as the minutes counted down toward kickoff, the safety could hear the sound build toward a crescendo.
"We heard the crowd and the noise get louder, and louder and louder, anticipating us to come out and perform," he said. "There's nothing like it."
Milloy will never forget those Saturdays on Montlake. And those memories, those crazy crowds are experiences Budda Baker wants to once again make the new normal at Husky Stadium.
"It would mean a lot," said Baker, talking about what it would be like to play in front of seven sellout crowds at home. "It would get us that much closer to what they had. That's our goal, to get up there. We have tremendous support right now, but we want to get Husky Stadium packed for every game. It makes it special for us.
"We love our fans. We feed off our fans."
These Huskies aren't trying to recreate the past. They are working toward leaving their own legacy. But the goal is to create an environment that builds on tradition.
As a player from the program's past, Milloy sees Baker as one of the players pushing Washington forward. He sees a leader, a local product who chose to stay home.
"It's his leadership," Milloy said. "He's progressed the right way. First of all, for him to stay home, to be OK with being in the first class of coach Pete's regime, that says a lot about him. That's what we all did. I grew up in Tacoma, and all the Seattle boys, we stayed at home.
"For that, I commend him."
Milloy has watched Baker get "bigger, faster, stronger." In the junior, Milloy sees a penchant for playmaking, a strong teammate who brings out the best in those around him.
"He's the type of guy who is infectious when he comes into a locker room," Milloy said. "Then, when he goes on the field, he makes plays. With those attributes, he has this team's attention."
To hear the high praise from one of the top safeties from the program's past is special for Baker. He understands the importance of maintaining a link between the program's past, present and future.
"That's greatness," said Baker, talking about Milloy. "He's a guy I can look up to, a guy who has done it real hard at UW, played in the NFL and is now here supporting me, and the whole UW community. It's really great to see.
"It shows the tremendous support from the former players who believe in us."
When Baker looks back on Milloy's playing days, Washington's current safety standout describes "a huge tackler, a big playmaker." He is someone Baker has worked to emulate.
"That's what I want to be," he said.
Milloy and Baker, two local products, two talented safeties, two players who represent the best of Washington football on and off the field.
