 Chesney at Holy Cross in 2023 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | James Madison |
| Conference | Sun Belt |
| Record | 5–1 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | August 10, 1977 Kulpmont, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1996–1999 | Dickinson |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2000–2001 | Norwich (GA) |
| 2002 | Delaware Valley (DC) |
| 2003–2004 | King's (PA) (ST) |
| 2005–2006 | Johns Hopkins (ST/DB) |
| 2007–2008 | Johns Hopkins (DC/ST/DB) |
| 2009 | Johns Hopkins (AHC/DC/DB) |
| 2010–2012 | Salve Regina |
| 2013–2017 | Assumption |
| 2018–2023 | Holy Cross |
| 2024–present | James Madison |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 116–47 |
| Bowls | 1–0 |
| Tournaments | 3–3 (NCAA D-II playoffs) 2–3 (NCAA D-I playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 NE-10 (2015, 2017) 5 Patriot League (2019–2023) | |
| Awards | |
| 2× Second Team All-Centennial (1997–1998) 2× NE-10 Coach of the Year (2015, 2017) New England Football Writers (NEFW) D-II/III Coach of the Year (2015) HERO Sports D-II Coach of the Year (2015) 3× Patriot League Coach of the Year (2019, 2021, 2022) 2× NEFW D-I Coach of the Year (2021–2022) 2× Gridiron Club FBS/FCS Coach of the Year (2021–2022) American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Region 1 Coach of the Year (2022) | |
Robert Edward Chesney (born August 10, 1977) is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, a position he has held since December 2023. A graduate of Dickinson College, Chesney served as the head football coach at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island from 2010 to 2012, Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts from 2013 to 2017, and the College of the Holy Cross from 2018 to 2023. At Assumption, he led the Greyhounds to consecutive NCAA Division II Football Championship playoff appearances in the final three years of his tenure.