HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Bob Chesney was introduced as the 9th head coach in JMU history on Tuesday afternoon, but he inherits a program far different than any of his predecessors.
This Dukes program is ranked, and headed to its first bowl game in school history after shattering conventional wisdom about the growing pains a team is supposed to have when moving up from the FCS to FBS level.
"When you come into a program that you need to totally rebuild, it's like year two or three until you start seeing some of those results" Chesney explained. "Here, you're already in a great place. We just need to identify strengths, correct any issues, and continue to advance and accelerate this program."
Chesney has done that at every stop in his 13-year head coaching career. From Division III Salve Regina to Division II Assumption and at Holy Cross on the FCS level, his teams have had just one losing record and his Crusader teams won five straight Patriot League titles.
But he is now charged with guiding a new FBS program through the minefields of the transfer portal and NIL, as is every college coach in the country. There were some grumblings about JMU tabbing an FCS coach for his opening, but both Chesney and his current boss believe he's the man for the job.
"We're putting a product on the field as far as identifying talent, developing talent, producing on the field...that puts us in a position to be extremely successful" Chesney asserted. "Which we will do here."
"It took about 10 minutes into his presentation and I intrinsically thought 'We got our guy,'" JMU Athletic Director Jeff Bourne recalled. "That's one of the blessings about being around a place for 25 years, you know what works. You could just feel it. When it's right, it's right."
Chesney was flanked by not just his wife Andrea and their three children, but by several members of his extended family, which was a recurring theme during his remarks.
Family is of paramount importance to Chesney and his success, and that's the way he runs his programs.
"Those deeper connections are to me what makes a team a team and a family a family," Chesney said.
JMU has already tabbed offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski as the Dukes' acting head coach for their upcoming Armed Forces Bowl appearance against Air Force.
Chesney will not have any role in preparing the team or coaching in that game, but he is at daily practice connecting with his new team and slowly introducing the players to things that he will fully implement next spring.
Until then, Chesney won't try to reinvent a wheel that has gained significant speed and momentum.
"When you watch a game here, there is something different about that" Chesney gushed. "You understand the challenges that come at every level you've been at. There's not a lot of emotion, just a long to do list of things we need to get working on."
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