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.

Playing career

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

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.

Head coaching record