The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bill Kern

Followed Marshall Glenn. Bill Kern slid West Virginia from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 5 seasons.

24–23

1940–1947 · 1 stint

Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).

West Virginia, 5 seasons

−5.7

Regional Program II → Regional Program II.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

1–1 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Charlie Bachman.

Rivalry record

1–1

50.0% · 1 rival

One-score games

3–9

25.0% · margin ≤8

vs. Blue Blood or better

0–1

0.0%

Rivalry ledger

Pittsburgh1–150%

The toughest matchup

vs. Charlie Bachman0–3

3 meetings, 1940–1942

’40 L’41 L’42 L

0% win rate across a real, 3-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.

Performance by opponent class

Blue Blood

0–1 0.0%

Power Program

0–4 0.0%

National Program

1–7 12.5%

Regional Program

9–9 50.0%

Coaching career

1940–1947

West Virginiacaretaker

Regional Program I → Regional Program II

Bill Kern slid West Virginia from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 5 seasons.

15th-best West Virginia tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Marshall Glenn (1937–1939) · succeeded by Dudley DeGroot (1948–1949).

24–23