Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Herd coach, receiver show support for MU player, family
8/15/2020 12:55:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
#YouAreNotAlone movement spreads on social media
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dallas Baker, Marshall's fourth-year receivers coach, energetically bounced around the field inside the Chris Cline Athletic Complex on Friday afternoon. Beads of sweat formed on his bald head and trickled down his face. The hairless look is new to him.
Early Friday morning, Baker shared a post to his Twitter account – @CoachDBaker81 – that included a 100-second video detailing his personal cancer scare during his playing days with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, and how the cancer diagnosis of a current Marshall football player's sibling inspired he and one of his receivers to shave their head in solidarity and support.
"Good morning, my name is Dallas Baker. Most of you might know me as Coach Baker …" the video begins.
A day after the video was tweeted, it had more than 400 retweets and 700 likes. It included the hashtag #YouAreNotAlone, which was Baker's way of showing support for anyone dealing with struggles in the world these days. In addition to Baker, redshirt junior receiver Stone Scarcelle also shaved his head to support fellow receiver Broc Thompson, a sophomore from Indianapolis, and Thompson's younger brother, who was diagnosed with cancer last month and is undergoing chemotherapy.
"I was talking to Broc and he told me that his younger brother is starting to lose his hair, so we started talking on the phone and hearing how upset he was and being a parent, God put it on my heart," Baker said. Â
"But in doing so," Baker added, "Myself and Stone put our minds together and thought about all the people who have battled cancer, have been affected by cancer, deal with bullying or any other mental health issues where they may feel alone."
The movement spread quickly on social media. Matthew Beardall, who concluded his playing career at Marshall in December, tweeted support and echoed Baker's sentiment that there is "more to life than football." Current senior offensive lineman Alex Mollette reminded people that "everyone is going through something whether you know it or not. Be a difference-maker in some way." Current and former players alike joined virtual hands for the cause.
Broc Thompson saw the messages, too.
"An amazing coach and an even better man," Thompson tweeted. "Reminds us every day that it's more than just football."
During a time of so much uncertainty, stress and fear, Baker's video set off a domino effect of emotions and positivity. Baker, himself, started to buckle under the weight of the movement when asked about Scarcelle's willingness to shave his head and support a teammate and his teammate's family.
"I love Stone," Baker said, his voice cracking. Before Baker could continue his comments, he shuffled his feet back and forth on the indoor facility's track and stared at the ground while collecting himself.
"Stone has become like a son to me," Baker continued. "He reminds me of myself so much. I went to Florida on scholarship, but I was in a room full of a bunch of 4- and 5-star guys. I was a little on the skinny side. I was a little looked-over. Stone was the exact same way. He came here as a walk-on and nobody expected him to play. But from the first day, his attitude in the room, paying attention, when I was talking I could see he was taking down notes. From that moment we were drawn to each other. I told him all the time, 'Look Stone, it's me and you. Nobody else. I don't care what happens, I have your back all of the time. I believe in you."
So, Baker was not surprised when Scarcelle had another's back, too.
"We both have younger brothers," Scarcelle said of Thompson. "When I heard about it, it really hit home. I put myself in his shoes and I was thinking about how upset I would be and what I would do. I thought I should support him in every way possible. He's my teammate and my brother."
In the video, and then again after Friday's practice, Baker shared the story of his own brush with cancer. In 2008, Baker was a second-year NFL player with the Steelers. He had been a seventh round draft pick (No. 227 overall) by the Steelers in 2007.
Prior to the 2008 season, Baker felt a lump in his shoulder, but he feared bringing the issue to the attention of the medical staff might cost him his spot on the roster. He continued to play, and then on Oct. 5, 2008, the Steelers' fifth game of the season, Baker was playing in Jacksonville against the Jaguars and in front of his family and friends. Baker dove to catch a ball from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and when he hit the ground, Jaguars linebacker Justin Durant landed on top of him. Baker's shoulder popped.
Baker, who was 25 at the time, eventually won a Super Bowl ring that season with the Steelers, but a postseason MRI showed the growth was likely cancer.
"First thing on my mind was, wow, I'm never going to play football again," Baker said. "It wasn't, 'I'm going to die.'"
A doctor told Baker it was 97 percent certain he had cancer, but he would be evaluated again in two weeks. At the second visit, Baker was declared cancer free.
"He said, 'Boy, you are lucky, that three percent was a lot stronger than 97 percent," Baker recalled. "I'm not lucky; I'm blessed. That was the testimony I told Broc and his brother. He's 15 years old having to deal with this.
"This movement was very important, but it wasn't hard," Baker added. "From the moment I got the job here, I always told my receivers 'It's bigger than football.' Coach (Doc) Holliday was on the staff when I played for the University of Florida and it was the same way. It's always bigger than football."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and an eight-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
