Jeff Baer is a Chestnut Ridge graduate that took his skills to
Northwestern University where he played defensive tackle for the 2000 Big 10 Champions.
Baer was a big, strong football and basketball player for the Lions and graduated in 1997.
As a basketball player, he was a 3-year letterwinner, named the team’s Outstanding Rebounder all 3 seasons, was the team MVP and Mr. Offense Award in 1996, and played in the Summit Quest All-Star Basketball Tournament in 1997.
However, he really made his mark in football. He was a 3-year letterwinner as he played tight end, linebacker, and fullback for the Lions. As a sophomore, Baer was the Chestnut Ridge Rookie of the Year and a Bedford Gazette Honorable Mention All-Star selection.
In his sophomore season, he led the LHAC in tackles and was the team’s Defensive Player of the Year.
The accolades continued in his senior year as he helped the Lions capture the District 5 championship. He was named the Team MVP, earned LHAC All-Conference, was a member of the Tribune Democrat and Altoona Mirror All-Star teams on defense, and was named to the second team defense of the AP Small School All-State Football Team.
He was named to the Bedford Gazette All-Star Team as well as the Defensive Player of the Year both his junior and senior years, while also collecting the American Outfitters Athlete of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year awards.
Baer also was recognized at the Southern Alleghenies Football Coaches Association MVP and was both a
Wendy’s High School Heisman nominee and won the United States Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award.
He enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he was a walk-on for the football program. He earned the Northwestern Football Rookie of the Week for his work during the week of the Oklahoma game for the Pigskin Classic.
Baer earned a scholarship as a defensive tackle his sophomore year, where he helped the Wildcats win the Big 10 Championship in 2000. He was also named as Big 10 Academic All-American with his major being Mechanical Engineering.
Since graduating, he has participated in the Massachusetts Pan-Mass Challenge in 2021 and 2022, which is bicycling across Massachusetts to raise money for cancer research. He also participated in 3 sprint triathlons and a team triathlon.
He coached defensive line at Dover-Sherborn High School, and he is currently an assistant coach for the junior high team.
Baer has volunteered as a coach for football and weightlifting for Special Olympics in Bedford County, Illinois, Michigan, and Massachusetts.
He has four sons: Gus, Hank, Cash, and Willie, and is coaching Willie in Little League for his team, the Pirates.
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Bedford County Sports
Hall of Fame
Bedford County, Pennsylvania