Career
He served as the head football coach at Pepperdine University from 1946 to 1948 and Drake University from 1949 to 1958, compiling a career college football record of 65–49–2. Pepperdine College hired Gaer to form its football program in 1945. He served as head coach there from 1946 to 1948.
His teams tallied a mark of 22–6.
Gaer died on January 13, 1997 of cancer in his hometown of Atlantic, Iowa.
