AZPreps365.com’s Jose Garcia contributed to this story

Running up and down rocky hills and mesas, and darting down goat trails through small villages in and around Keams Canyon, Arizona, isn’t a place you would find a Hall of Famer.

But now you can.

The legendary boys cross country coach at Hopi Jr./Sr. High School, Rickey Baker, has run these paths all the way to the National High School Hall of Fame. He was inducted at a ceremony as part of the NFHS’ 102nd annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday.

“It’s an honor to inducted because it’s the pinnacle of coaching. But it’s still a part of the journey. There’s more to accomplish,” Baker said. “You need to be humble about it because there are so many people involved with this hall of fame. All of the athletes I worked with, my family, and all the kids that came through the program and their families. This award is shared with a lot of people. Nobody succeeds alone.”

Everyone in the area around Keams Canyon knows the scenic trails and the folks in the villages watch these student-athletes year after year scamper down the dusty roads. Now the whole country gets the share in these experiences with Baker’s induction.

“Just the landscape and environment I grew up in and the kids are also training in -- the dirt roads -- it’s just perfect. But as we say, the bear will jump on your back if you’re not prepared,” said Baker.

No other cross country coach in the nation has achieved what Baker has. Literally. He guided the Hopi boys team to a high school record 27 consecutive state team titles. It’s a streak that caught the attention of a nation when the program was featured in an ESPN documentary.

Baker became Hopi’s head coach in 1987. Three years later, he started the most impressive high school cross country championship streak of all time. The string of titles was snapped in the fall of 2017. But even then the Bruins were still a dominating force as the state runners-up from 2017-19 before losing their entire 2020 season due to the pandemic.

The 1999 squad is the only one in Arizona high school cross country history to score a perfect 15 at state, and one of only three in the country to accomplish this at a state finals meet. That means his runners were the top five finishers in the race. And Hopi has been doing it against a multitude of different schools along the way. Eleven state titles were won in 2A (1990-2000), six in 3A (2001-06) and 10 in 1A/2A/Div. IV (2007-16).

Baker has also coached the girls cross country team, boys basketball and girls and boys track & field teams for a combined 64 seasons at Hopi. He won the 2A boys basketball title in 1997, placed runner-up twice in girls cross country, and has coached nine individual track & field state champions.

Basketball is big on the reservation. Chinle High School was the focus of a Netflix documentary just a few years ago. But there is as much passion for track and cross country in these areas because it is another way for the kids to earn scholarships and get a higher education. Movies such as McFarland, USA showcase this.

“It goes back to our Hopi culture,” Baker noted. “Hopis have always been known as distance runners. That culture is already there instilled in their families. When we get them at the high school level it’s not that hard for me to unlock that passion. I just have to train them to do what we do as a team across the terrain we use, which is perfect for distance running.”

Baker is a role model on the Hopi Reservation. He was raised in the Hopi village of Tewa, chopping wood and hauling water home as a kid. He used his childhood challenges to fuel his drive to better himself, becoming a one-mile state champ while attending Winslow High School.

The coach also brings a sense of purpose to Hopi High School because his cross country athletes see themselves in him. But what truly motivates Baker is seeing his kids succeed on the trails of life.

He added, “I want all these kids to be successful at whatever they attempt. It may be college. It may be junior college. It may be technical school or the military or the job force. Whatever they chose for their life or career path I want them to be successful. And success is different to all of us. No matter what they chose I am still proud of them.”