GREENVILLE, S.C.. -- Former Furman head coach Art Baker, who laid the groundwork for the dominance Paladin football has enjoyed over the past half century, passed away on Saturday.  He was 94 years old.

Named Furman's head coach in December of 1972, he directed the program's turnaround, guiding the Paladins from a 2-9 campaign to a 7-4 campaign in his inaugural season, earning Furman recognition as the nation's most improved football program in 1973.  He served as head coach for five seasons (1973-77), compiling a 27-24-4 record.

Baker's most significant and lasting contribution to the school's football program, however, was the hiring of several assistant coaches who later played major roles in the success of Paladin football, including Dick Sheridan, Jimmy Satterfield, and Bobby Johnson, who collectively directed Furman's gridiron program for almost a quarter century.

Sheridan succeeded Baker as head coach in 1978 and in eight seasons (1978-85) directed the Paladins to six Southern Conference championships and 1985 NCAA FCS national runner-up finish.  Satterfield followed Sheridan, and in eight seasons (1986-93) coached the Paladins to three SoCon titles and 1988 national championship.  Johnson succeeded Sattterfield and over seven campaigns (1994-01) led Furman to two league crowns and national runner-up finish in 2001.

Furman's three most recent head coaches — Bobby Lamb (2002-10), Bruce Fowler (2011-16), and Clay Hendrix (2017-Present) — are all extensions of Baker's coaching tree, having played for Sheridan and later served as Sheridan's assistant and on the staffs of both Satterfield and Johnson.

"Coach Baker's fingerprints are forever on Furman football, and Paladins everywhere will always appreciate the impact he had on our program — from his character as a man and influence as a coach on the field to the quality coaches he surrounded himself with," said Clay Hendrix on Sunday.

Baker is also credited with the introduction of the school's iconic Diamond F logo, which has served as Paladin athletics' primary mark over the last 50 years.

Baker was also head coach at The Citadel (1978-82) and East Carolina (1985-88).

Prior to coming to Furman he served as an assistant coach at Texas Tech (1970-72) and Clemson (1965-69).  He also served as an assistant at Florida State (1984).

A Sumter, S.C., native, Baker was a standout football player at Presbyterian (S.C.) College and 1953 graduate of PC.  Following military service, he began his coaching career at McColl High School in 1956 and coached at Newberry High School in 1958 before being named head coach at Columbia's Eau Claire High School in 1959, where in six seasons he posted a 43-16-4 record and led the Shamrocks to a pair of state runner-up finishes.  He served as South Carolina's Shrine Bowl coach in 1963.

He was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.