{"id":212289,"date":"2025-12-20T22:28:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T22:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/20\/who-is-bob-chesney-meet-the-james-madison-head-football-coach\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T22:28:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T22:28:36","slug":"who-is-bob-chesney-meet-the-james-madison-head-football-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/20\/who-is-bob-chesney-meet-the-james-madison-head-football-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Bob Chesney? Meet the James Madison Head Football Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"


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After a successful regular season, Bob Chesney<\/strong> is ready to lead the James Madison University football team in its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.<\/p>\n

The No. 12 Dukes visit No. 7 Oregon on Saturday, December 20, in the first-round matchup, with a chance to earn a spot in the quarterfinal round of the 12-team bracket.<\/p>\n

Chesney has been at the helm at JMU since 2023, but it was announced on December 6 that Chesney will be coaching at UCLA next season.<\/p>\n

Despite the move, he\u2019ll finish this year on the sidelines with the Dukes, leading JMU through the postseason.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019d like to thank Martin Jarmond<\/strong>, Chancellor Julio Frenk<\/strong> and the search committee for this incredible opportunity to lead the UCLA Football program,\u201d Chesney said in a statement. \u201cThrough our many conversations, it became abundantly clear to me that UCLA is willing to do what it takes to build a championship-level program. UCLA is a very special place. From its stellar academics, impactful alumni, geographic location and deep recruiting base, this is a program that can and WILL win at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep scrolling to read more about Chesney:\n<\/p>\n

Led JMU to the Sun Belt Conference Championship<\/h2>\n

This season has been one of the best-ever for JMU \u2014 the second season with Chesney on the sideline.<\/p>\n

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\n Bob Chesney, Head Coach of James Madison Dukes<\/span> Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Dukes finished the regular season with a 12-1 record, 8-0 in conference play, capped off with the program\u2019s first Sun Belt Conference Championship. The wins, in addition to the conference championship, earned JMU a spot in the College Football Playoff bracket and an opportunity to compete for a national championship.<\/p>\n

Chesney earned the 2025 Sun Belt Coach of the Year Award, and was named one of 24 semifinalists for the 2025 George Munger College Coach of the Year Award.<\/p>\n

Spent six successful seasons with Holy Cross before JMU<\/h2>\n

Before his time at JMU, Chesney brought success to the Holy Cross football program.<\/p>\n

He spent six seasons as head coach of the team (2018-2023) and won five consecutive Patriot League Championships, a program record.<\/p>\n

Three times, he was selected as Patriots League Coach of the Year (2019, 2021, 2022).<\/p>\n

He finished his time at Holy Cross with a 44-21 record, including a three-year stretch from 2021-2023 that saw the team go 29-8. (That\u2019s the program\u2019s best three-year stretch in 30 years).<\/p>\n

Started his coaching career in Division II and Division III<\/h2>\n

Before his continuing success in Division I football, Chesney made a name for himself by reaching new heights at both the Division II and Division III levels.<\/p>\n

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He started his head coaching career in 2012 at Division III Salve Regina, where he took a program that was in the midst of eight consecutive losing seasons and immediately pushed the team to a winning record. In his three years there, his teams went 23-9.<\/p>\n

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