William G. Kline

William Gordon Kline (June 21, 1882 – after 1942) was an American college football, baseball and basketball coach. At different times, Kline served as the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball, basketball and football teams, as well as the Florida Gators baseball, basketball and football teams.

Early life

Kline was born in Salem, Illinois in 1882, and graduated from Amboy High School in Amboy, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he played halfback for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team and was also a hurdler for the Illini track & field team.

In 1918, Kline was a professor at the University of Nebraska, and he became the head coach of the war-time depleted Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. Because of World War I and the 1918 influenza pandemic, the 1918 Huskers did not play their usual Missouri Valley Conference schedule, and, in fact, played the teams from two military training installations. The highlight of his season coaching Nebraska came when the Huskers played the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team to a scoreless tie. From 1919 to 1923, Kline was a law professor at the University of Florida College of Law in Gainesville, Florida, while also serving as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team in 1920, 1921 and 1922. While teaching U.S. Constitutional Law, Federal Procedure and Bankruptcy, and several other commercial law classes, he compiled a 19–8–2 record in three seasons as the Gators football coach. and the Gators basketball team from 1920 to 1922, tallying an overall record in two seasons of 10–11.

In 1923, he returned to the University of Nebraska, where he became the Cornhuskers basketball coach and compiled a 23–12 record in his two seasons there, finishing third and second in the conference standings. In 1924 and 1925, he also coached the Cornhuskers baseball team, and posted an 18–15 record.

Kline wrote several sports-related books, including The All-American Football Coaching Course (1929), The Varsity Football Play Set (1933), The All-America Basketball Coaching Course (1933), and Football for Fans (1934).

Head coaching record Football