Frank Kerns
{{Short description|American basketball coach}}
{{distinguish|Frank Kearns}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Frank Kerns
| birth_date = May 21, 1933
| birth_place = Cumberland, Maryland, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and given age|2015|8|3|82}}
| death_place = Statesboro, Georgia, U.S.
| alma_mater = University of Alabama
| coach_years1 = 1961–1964
| coach_team1 = Clarke County HS
| coach_years2 = 1965–1968
| coach_team2 = Fairhope HS
| coach_years3 = 1969–1970
| coach_team3 = McGill Institute
| coach_years4 = 1971–1979
| coach_team4 = Spring Hill College
| coach_years5 = 1979–1981
| coach_team5 = Chattanooga (assistant)
| coach_years6 = 1981–1994
| coach_team6 = Georgia Southern
| overall_record = {{Plainlist|
- 244–132 (NCAA)
- 100–103 (NAIA)
}}
| bowl_record =
| tournament_record = 0–3 (NCAA)
0–2 (NIT)
| championships = {{Plainlist|
- 3 TAAC tournament (1983, 1987, 1992)
- 4 TAAC regular season (1985, 1988, 1989, 1992)
}}
| awards = {{Plainlist|
- 4× TAAC Coach of the Year (1983, 1987, 1988, 1992)
- NAIA Coach of the Year (1975)
}}
| coaching_records =
}}
Franklin Phillip "Frank" Kerns (May 21, 1933 – August 3, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached Georgia Southern from 1981 to 1994.
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. 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.{{cite news|title=Former Georgia Southern men's basketball coach Frank Kerns dies at age 82|url=http://savannahnow.com/sports/2015-08-04/ex-georgia-southern-coach-frank-kerns-dies|accessdate=August 10, 2015|work=Savannah Morning News|date=August 5, 2015}} He later coached in China for a year and in Austria for six years. He then coached at Bulloch Academy for several years.{{cite news|title=Coach Franklin Phillip Kerns Obituary|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesboroherald/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=175435381#sthash.UEHKwK50.dpuf|accessdate=August 10, 2015|work=Statesboro Herald|date=August 6, 2015}} Kerns was color analyst for Georgia Southern Radio for eight years.
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.
Head coaching record
=NAIA=
{{CBB Yearly Record Start
|type=coach
|conference=
|postseason=
|poll=no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
|name=Spring Hill Badgers
|startyear=1971
|conference=Alabama Collegiate Conference
|endyear=1973
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1971–72
| name = Spring Hill
| overall = 10–12
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1972–73
| name = Spring Hill
| overall = 6–19
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
|name=Spring Hill Badgers
|startyear=1973
|conference=Southern States Conference
|endyear=1981
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1973–74
| name = Spring Hill
| overall = 14–11
| conference = 8–4
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1974–75
| name = Spring Hill
| overall = 20–7
| conference = 12–2
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1975–76
| name = Spring Hill
| overall = 13–14
| conference = 5–9
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1976–77
| name = Spring Hill
| overall = 18–10
| conference = 10–6
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1977–78
| name = Spring Hill
| overall = 12–16
| conference = 8–10
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1978–79
| name = Spring Hill
| overall = 7–18
| conference = 7–11
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Spring Hill
| overall = {{winpct|100|103|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{winpct|50|42|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
|overall= {{winpct|100|103|record=y}}
}}
=NCAA=
{{CBB Yearly Record Start
|type=coach
|conference=
|postseason=
|poll=no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
|name=Georgia Southern
|startyear=1982
|conference=Trans American Athletic Conference
|endyear=1992
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1981–82
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 14–13
| conference = 8–8
| confstanding = T–5th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference tournament
| season = 1982–83
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 18–12
| conference = 8–6
| confstanding = T–3rd
| postseason = NCAA Division I Preliminary Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1983–84
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 16–12
| conference = 8–6
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1984–85
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 24–5
| conference = 11–3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1985–86
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 15–13
| conference = 6–8
| confstanding = T–5th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference tournament
| season = 1986–87
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 20–11
| conference = 12–6
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason = NCAA Division I First Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1987–88
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 24–7
| conference = 15–3
| confstanding = T–1st
| postseason = NIT First Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| season = 1988–89
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 23–6
| conference = 16–2
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NIT First Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1989–90
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 17–11
| conference = 11–5
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1990–91
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 14–13
| conference = 9–5
| confstanding = T–3th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = confboth
| season = 1991–92
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 25–6
| conference = 13–1
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason = NCAA Division I First Round
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
|name=Georgia Southern
|startyear=1993
|conference=Southern Conference
|endyear=1995
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1992–93
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 19–9
| conference = 12–6
| confstanding = T–2nd
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1993–94
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 14–14
| conference = 9–9
| confstanding = 5th
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1994–95
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = 1–0 {{efn|name=Kerns resigned}}
| conference = 0–0
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Georgia Southern
| overall = {{winpct|244|132|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{winpct|138|68|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
|overall= {{winpct|244|132|record=y}}
}}
{{notes
| refs =
{{efn
| name = Kerns resigned
| Kerns resigned following allegations of a recruiting violation.
}}
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Georgia Southern Eagles men's basketball coach navbox}}
{{Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerns, Frank}}
Category:American men's basketball coaches
Category:Basketball coaches from Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Category:Georgia Southern Eagles men's basketball coaches
Category:Sportspeople from Statesboro, Georgia
Category:University of Alabama alumni