FORMER Sunderland striker Joe Baker has died at 63, writes Clive Hetherington.
Baker, who played at Roker Park for two years from 1969, suffered a suspected heart attack during a celebrity golf tournament at Lanark Golf Club.
He was rushed to hospital in Wishaw, but lost his fight for life early yesterday.
Baker, who made his name with Arsenal, held the distinction of being the first player from a Scottish League club to win an England cap, which he did while with Hibernian in 1960.
Liverpool-born but Motherwell-raised, Baker earned himself a £70,000 move to Italian side Torino, where he played alongside Jimmy Greaves and Denis Law, after scoring a phenomenal 42 goals in 33 League games for Hibs in season 1959-60.
His stint in Italy was short-lived, and he joined Arsenal in August 1962 in a then-club record £72,500 deal.
With the Gunners, Baker netted exactly 100 goals in 156 games. He won eight England caps and was named in the original 40-man squad for the 1966 World Cup, but failed to make the final selection.
By then, he had moved to Nottingham Forest for £60,000 and he was signed by Alan Brown for Sunderland in June 1969 for £30,000.
He made 44 appearances for Sunderland, scoring 12 goals, before returning to Hibs. He also played for Raith Rovers and had two spells as manager of Albion Rovers.
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