Bob Chesney is leaving Holy Cross to become the head coach at James Madison. Chesney built a dominant program in the Patriot League in his six seasons with the Crusaders.
Before Chesney took over Holy Cross, he was the head coach at the Division 3 school Salve Regina from 2010 through 2012. He led the Seahawks to a 23-9 overall record and won the 2011 ECAC Northwest Bowl. In 2013, he became the head coach at Division 2 Assumption where finished with 5 straight winning seasons including the final three that resulted in Division 2 Playoff appearances. He went 44-16 overall at Assumption from 2013 through 2017 before leaving for Holy Cross in 2018.
Chesney’s success at Holy Cross fit an established pattern from his previous stops. While he went 5-6 overall in his first season, he won four straight outright Patriot League titles from 2019 through 2022 and went to the FCS Playoffs as a result. The Crusaders lost in the first round in 2019 and 2020 before progressing to the second round in 2021. The 2022 season saw Holy Cross reach the FCS quarterfinals for the second time in school history (1983 the other occurrence) where they lost to eventual champion South Dakota State.
In his 6 seasons with Holy Cross, Chesney went 44-21 overall and 28-4 in the Patriot League. He won or shared 5 straight Patriot League Championships and increased Holy Cross’ number of FCS Playoff appearances from 2 before his arrival to 6 by the end of his tenure. Chesney joins a former FCS powerhouse in James Madison, which has had a successful first two years in the FBS going 8-3 in 2022 and making its first bowl game in 2023 after an 11-1 regular season.
Photo Credit to Holy Cross Athletics
