Mort Kaer
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| Mort Kaer | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | September 7, 1902 |
| Place of birth | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Date of death | January 12, 1992 |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| College | Southern California |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1931 | Frankford Yellow Jackets |
| College Hall of Fame | |
Morton Armour Kaer (b. September 7, 1902, Omaha, Nebraska; d. January 12, 1992, Mount Shasta, California), nicknamed "Devil May," was a world-famous athlete, as a track star and All-American collegiate and professional American football player.
At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, he placed fourth[1] in the pentathlon, a track and field event comprising five events: the 200 meters, 1500 meters, discus, javelin, and long jump.
Then came three great years as a halfback for the University of Southern California Trojans, 1924-1926. In 1925, he set a school record by scoring 19 touchdowns, which led the nation that year. The record lasted 43 years, broken in 1968 by O.J. Simpson. In Kaer's three years he had 36 touchdowns, a career record for the school, tied by Simpson in 1967-68 (Simpson did it in two years). He was elected All-American in 1926.
Five years after his college career, Kaer played one year of professional football, 1931, with the Frankford Yellow Jackets of the National Football League. He became coach at Weed, California High School, where he accumulated a record of 187-47-7 over 28 years in which his teams won 17 conference championships.
He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
