He spent most of his teenage years playing in the youth ranks at Bayern Munich, until finally making the senior squad in 1971–72, aged just 17.
Despite this breakthrough, this would be Gerber's sole appearance for the legendary team as he moved onto FC St. Pauli of the (then) second flight Regionalliga North during the summer.
However, Gerber was denied a rapid return to the top flight as FC St. Pauli narrowly missed promotion after losing out in the playoff group to Fortuna Köln.
Although the club hadn't progressed, Gerber certainly had as he staked his claim as one of the best young goalscorers in Germany with his astonishing haul of 51 goals in 55 games.
Gerber again proved himself the club's leading marksman with 19 goals in 32 games, but they could only manage fifth place, prompting the striker to leave.
With Gerber restored to their strike force, the club finally broke through into the top level as they won the division.
Their stay at this class would last just the one season though, as they finished bottom, but Gerber proved himself equipped for this standard with 16 goals.
The following season would prove an uncharacteristically poor one for the striker as he lost form scoring just twice in his opening 10 games and being cast to the sidelines with the arrival of new coach Carl-Heinz Rühl.
Gerber would not make the drop into the Oberliga though, as he headed for a new challenge in Canada, joining the Calgary Boomers of the North American Soccer League.
The following season was a much harder experience as the club fell back down and Gerber, for the first time in his professional career, failed to register a single goal for the campaign (from 18 games).
They faced FC 08 Homburg of the Bundesliga in a playoff for the final spot in the top flight, but narrowly lost 4–3 on aggregate.
Gerber's hopes of another successful promotion campaign were immediately shattered in the 1987–88 season as he was badly injured in the opening game at Union Solingen.
This post lasted until August 1997, as he was fired by new club president Utz Claassen, but reinstated just weeks later after angry fan demonstrations.
[7] He started the 2003–04 Regionalliga North campaign still as coach but by the run-in the club were in danger of slipping down another level for the third year running.