Franklin Phillip "Frank" Kerns (May 21, 1933 – August 3, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached Georgia Southern from 1981 to 1994.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 21, 1933 Cumberland, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | (aged 82) Statesboro, Georgia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Alabama |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1961–1964 | Clarke County HS |
| 1965–1968 | Fairhope HS |
| 1969–1970 | McGill Institute |
| 1971–1979 | Spring Hill College |
| 1979–1981 | Chattanooga (assistant) |
| 1981–1994 | Georgia Southern |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall |
|
| Tournaments | 0–3 (NCAA) 0–2 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
A native of Cumberland, Maryland, Kerns served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. He later earned a degree in physical education from the University of Alabama.[1] Kerns served as coach of Georgia Southern from 1982 to 1994, compiling a record of 244–132. A four-time Trans America Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Kerns coached the Eagles to NCAA Tournaments in 1983, 1987, and 1992. The Eagles also reached the National Invitation Tournament in 1988 and 1989 under the direction of Kerns.[2] He later coached in China for a year and in Austria for six years. He then coached at Bulloch Academy for several years.[1] Kerns was color analyst for Georgia Southern Radio for eight years.[2]
Kerns died on August 3, 2015, at East Georgia Regional Medical Center in Statesboro, Georgia. He was 82 years old and had a brief illness. He was buried on August 6, 2015.[1]
Head coaching record
editNAIA
edit| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Hill Badgers (Alabama Collegiate Conference) (1971–1973) | |||||||||
| 1971–72 | Spring Hill | 10–12 | |||||||
| 1972–73 | Spring Hill | 6–19 | |||||||
| Spring Hill Badgers (Southern States Conference) (1973–1981) | |||||||||
| 1973–74 | Spring Hill | 14–11 | 8–4 | ||||||
| 1974–75 | Spring Hill | 20–7 | 12–2 | 1st | |||||
| 1975–76 | Spring Hill | 13–14 | 5–9 | ||||||
| 1976–77 | Spring Hill | 18–10 | 10–6 | ||||||
| 1977–78 | Spring Hill | 12–16 | 8–10 | ||||||
| 1978–79 | Spring Hill | 7–18 | 7–11 | ||||||
| Spring Hill: | 100–103 (.493) | 50–42 (.543) | |||||||
| Total: | 100–103 (.493) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
NCAA
edit| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Southern (Trans American Athletic Conference) (1982–1992) | |||||||||
| 1981–82 | Georgia Southern | 14–13 | 8–8 | T–5th | |||||
| 1982–83 | Georgia Southern | 18–12 | 8–6 | T–3rd | NCAA Division I Preliminary Round | ||||
| 1983–84 | Georgia Southern | 16–12 | 8–6 | 3rd | |||||
| 1984–85 | Georgia Southern | 24–5 | 11–3 | 1st | |||||
| 1985–86 | Georgia Southern | 15–13 | 6–8 | T–5th | |||||
| 1986–87 | Georgia Southern | 20–11 | 12–6 | 4th | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1987–88 | Georgia Southern | 24–7 | 15–3 | T–1st | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1988–89 | Georgia Southern | 23–6 | 16–2 | 1st | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1989–90 | Georgia Southern | 17–11 | 11–5 | 4th | |||||
| 1990–91 | Georgia Southern | 14–13 | 9–5 | T–3th | |||||
| 1991–92 | Georgia Southern | 25–6 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| Georgia Southern (Southern Conference) (1993–1995) | |||||||||
| 1992–93 | Georgia Southern | 19–9 | 12–6 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1993–94 | Georgia Southern | 14–14 | 9–9 | 5th | |||||
| 1994–95 | Georgia Southern | 1–0 [a] | 0–0 | ||||||
| Georgia Southern: | 244–132 (.649) | 138–68 (.670) | |||||||
| Total: | 244–132 (.649) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
- ^ Kerns resigned following allegations of a recruiting violation.
References
edit- ^ a b c "Coach Franklin Phillip Kerns Obituary". Statesboro Herald. August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- ^ a b "Former Georgia Southern men's basketball coach Frank Kerns dies at age 82". Savannah Morning News. August 5, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.