Colonel....?

Ok, so me and my cousin are having this debate, I know he is right, but I still argue with him, see he goes to a school where the mascot is a Colonel, pronouced 'kernel', but how come it isn't pronouced 'CO-LON-EL'? And how would you spell it if Colonel makes 'kernel' how would you make 'CO-LON-EL'? Also, how exactly is it pronouced that way? I see no 'R' or anything.