Thom Baker

Thom Baker is the head coach for College of Idaho Men’s Soccer and serves as a guest coach for the Nike Soccer Camps at Boise State University.

Baker is entering his 11th season as head coach of the C of I men's soccer program and has a career record of 69-79-6. Under Baker, 18 Coyote players have earned All-Cascade Conference honors; 26 players have earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors; and 43 players have been named to the CCC All-Academic team. Baker has led the Yotes to six playoff appearances in his first eight years as head coach. In 2013, he led the team to the CCC Championships, advancing to the semifinals, before a tough 1-0 double-overtime loss to eventual champion, Corban. In 2015, his squad lost in the CCC quarterfinals, 3-1, to eventual champion, Rocky Mountain; while in 2017, the Yotes dropped an overtime 1-0 decision to regular-season champion, Southern Oregon, in the CCC quarterfinals. Last season, C of I qualified as the No. 4 seed and lost to No. 5 seed Southern Oregon, 2-1. His Yotes have defeated one Top-25 team - a 2-1 victory over No. 23 ranked Rocky Mountain in 2014, along with a 1-0 victory over NCAA Division II Dominican University. His 2014 team became the first C of I squad to score at least five goals in a match on three separate occasions, including seven goals in wins over Oregon Tech and Corban. Baker returned to the College after 12 seasons as a local high school coach at both Vallivue and Bishop Kelly High Schools. At Vallivue High, his squads posted a 96-48-12 overall record and five trips to the state tournament, including second-place finishes in both 2001 and 2002. From 2010-12, his BKHS teams posted a 35-21-7 record, including a second-place finish in the 2010 4A state tournament. A 1995 graduate of the College, Baker played from 1990-93 under longtime head coach John Calpin, and played alongside current C of I Director of Soccer, Brian Smith. He has also spent the past 13 years as a top official of NCAA and NAIA soccer games in the Western U.S. He and his wife, Stephanie, have two children - Cole and Taylor, and reside in Boise.