Mort Kaer shattered scoring records for the USC Trojans before taking his world-class athleticism to the Olympic stage and the early gridirons of the NFL.
Football Bio
September 7, 1902 – Mort Kaer, a former Southern California halfback, was born.
Mort became enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in the 1972 ceremonies and was also a US Olympian. He took fifth place in the 1924 Olympic pentathlon competition in Paris after returning home.
Kaer played for USC for three seasons and set a school record with 19 touchdowns in 1925. That Trojan record lasted for 43 seasons before OJ Simpson eclipsed the touchdown mark in 1968.
Mort had become an All-American for his fine play in the 1926 season. [National Football Foundation]
After school, his football career moved into the professional ranks with a one-year stint with the NFL’s Frankford Yellow Jackets.
He may have stopped playing after that one NFL season, but he stayed in the game He loved so much, only this time in the coaching ranks, where he became the head coach of Weed High School in Weed, California, and stayed there for 28 years, winning 17 conference championships in that span.
Mort Kaer left an undeniable mark on the gridiron, transforming from a record-setting USC phenom into a championship-winning high school coach who shaped the next generation of football players.
Accolades and Football Accomplishments
- Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
- Named a Consensus First-Team All-American in 1926.
- Set a USC single-season record with 19 touchdowns in 1925 (a record that stood until O.J. Simpson broke it in 1968).
- Represented the United States in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, finishing 5th overall in the pentathlon.
- Played in the NFL for the Frankford Yellow Jackets (1931).
- Served as the head football coach at Weed High School for 28 years, capturing 17 conference championships.
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