Ray Baer

Raymond T. Baer (May 7, 1905 – January 19, 1968) was an American football player. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1924 to 1927. He was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference and second-team All-American player in 1927.

Early life A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Baer was born in 1905. His parents, Nathan and Simone "Simmie" Baer, were Jewish immigrants from Russia. His father was a tailor.

Baer attended Manual High School. While in high school, he was an all-state football player at the end position.

University of Michigan Baer played college football at the guard and tackle positions for the University of Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1924 to 1927. Michigan quarterback Benny Friedman said of Baer: "Ray was the best college lineman I ever saw...the fastest man on the squad, he was smart, he was quick, he was very aggressive, and he had great desire. He was wonderful on both offense and defense." He was selected by the Associated Press (AP) as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player and a second-team All-American in 1927. He was also selected by the United Press as a second-team All-American in 1927. He concluded his college football career playing on the East team in the December 1927 East–West Shrine Game.

Later life After leaving Michigan, Baer served as the head football coach at Manual High School for many years and later at St. Xavier High School from 1946 to 1951, both in Louisville, Kentucky. His 1938 Manual team won the national high school football championship. He died in January 1968 at his home in Louisville at age 62. He has been inducted into the Louisville Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

His nephew Neal Baer, a Harvard Medical School graduate, produced the first TV series "Law and Order", for which he won an Emmy. He also worked on the series China Beach, and later produced Law and Order Special Victims Unit.