Baker, Snowy (1884-1953), was one of Australia’s greatest all-around sportsmen. He excelled at 19 sports. Baker was all-schools athletic champion in 1898. He represented Australia against England in rugby and rowed in championship eights. He was a member of an undefeated Australian polo team from 1903 to 1906 and was a champion diver, swimmer, fencer, and horseman. He won championships in horse jumping, steeplechasing, and horseback wrestling. Baker won the Australian amateur middleweight and heavyweight boxing championship and the 1908 Olympic Games silver medal in middleweight boxing. He also won 25 wrestling contests. He played first-grade cricket and won open surf swimming races.
Baker promoted and refereed boxing. In partnership with his brother, Harald, he bought out Hugh D. McIntosh’s holdings in Sydney Stadium and began a boxing empire in five Australian capital cities. In 1918, Baker starred in the Australian film, The Enemy Within, and went on to play other rugged, manly roles in feature films.
Reginald Leslie Baker was born on Feb. 8, 1884, in Sydney. Baker edited and published his own magazine, Snowy Baker’s Magazine, which appeared from 1912 to 1914. Later in his life, Baker moved to California, where he coached film stars in horsemanship and represented California in international horse polo. He died in Los Angeles on Dec. 2, 1953.
