Bill Kern

For the American baseball player, see Bill Kern (baseball).

William Franklin Kern (September 2, 1906 – April 5, 1985) was an American football player and coach. He played college football as a tackle at the University of Pittsburgh in 1925 and 1927 and then with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) in 1929 and 1930. Kern served as the head football coach at the Carnegie Institute of Technology from 1937 to 1939 and at West Virginia University from 1940 to 1942 and again in 1946 and 1947, compiling a career record of 36–35–2. In 1938, he led the Carnegie Tech Tartans to the Sugar Bowl, where they lost to the national champion TCU Horned Frogs, 15–7.

Bill Kern

Kern pictured in The Monticola 1941, West Virginia yearbook
Biographical details
Born	(1906-09-03)September 3, 1906 Kingston, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	April 5, 1985(1985-04-05) (aged 78) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Playing career
1925, 1927	Pittsburgh
1929–1930	Green Bay Packers
Position(s)	Tackle
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1936	Pittsburgh (assistant)
1937–1939	Carnegie Tech
1940–1942	West Virginia
1943	Del Monte Pre-Flight
1946–1947	West Virginia
Head coaching record
Overall	43–36–2
Bowls	0–1
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
First-team All-American (1927) AFCA Coach of the Year (1938)

Bill Kern

Born:	(1906-09-02)September 2, 1906 Kingston, Pennsylvania
Died:	April 5, 1985(1985-04-05) (aged 78)
Career information
Position(s)	Tackle
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	187 lb (85 kg)
College	Pittsburgh
High school	Wyoming Seminary (Kingston, PA)
Career history
As player
1929–1930	Green Bay Packers

Playing career

As a player in college, he was a first-team All-American tackle at the University of Pittsburgh in 1927.^[1] Following college, Kern played tackle for the NFL's Green Bay Packers in 1929 and 1930.^[2]

Coaching career

Kern's tenure at West Virginia was interrupted by military service during World War II. He served as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1945.^[3]

Head coaching record

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	AP#
Carnegie Tech Tartans (Independent) (1937–1939)
1937	Carnegie Tech	2–5–1
1938	Carnegie Tech	7–2			L Sugar	6
1939	Carnegie Tech	3–5
Carnegie Tech:		12–12–1
West Virginia Mountaineers (Independent) (1940–1942)
1940	West Virginia	4–4–1
1941	West Virginia	4–6
1942	West Virginia	5–4
Del Monte Pre-Flight Navyators (Independent) (1943)
1943	Del Monte Pre-Flight	7–1				8
Del Monte Pre-Flight:		7–1
West Virginia Mountaineers (Independent) (1946–1947)
1946	West Virginia	5–5
1947	West Virginia	6–4
West Virginia:		24–23–1
Total:		43–36–2
#Rankings from final AP Poll.

See also

• List of college football head coaches with non-consecutive tenure