Chesney to JMU!

[centraljerseycat]

Great for the Dukes, sucks for the Crusaders...

Hope Holy Cross can hire a replacement that keeps their positive momentum going...

https://footballscoop.com/news/bob-chesney-expected-to-be-james-madison-head-coach-holy-cross

[dbackjon]

Too bad for HC

[leopardball2010]

Great for the Dukes, sucks for the Crusaders...

Hope Holy Cross can hire a replacement that keeps their positive momentum going...

https://footballscoop.com/news/bob-chesney-expected-to-be-james-madison-head-coach-holy-crossBut who is that going to be? HC proved they don't want to go the "old school" PL route of hiring a PL or Ivy coordinator just because.

So who is the hot name, best up and comers? Any current FCS coordinators in the CAA (or others) being thrown around?

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[FU_Paladin08]

Keep away from Justin Roper please and thank you.

[Fordham]

All time great PL coach. Amazing program builder who I have a ton of respect for and hope he knocks it out of the park there.

And be thankful for the run he gave you, HC fans. It’s always tough to hear this news but he showed what can be done there and many great head coaches will be interested. my 2 cents - just make sure you guys don’t do the internal promotion thing. See what the market has and go get someone new

[crusader11]

Here are some names that have been kicked around --

"Inside" the HC family: Scott James (DC), Rich Gunnell (WR / Pass Game Coordinator), Chris Smith (former OC, current NYG offensive analyst), Mike Toerper (former assistant, current Ithaca HC)

"Outside" the family: Dan Curran, (HC, Merrimack), Tony Reno (HC, Yale), Glenn Caruso (HC, St. Thomas), Kevin Decker (OC, Old Dominion), Chris Pincince (former HC OC...but far enough removed he's an outsider...current New Haven HC).

For my money, hire Chris Smith and be done with this in short order. Salvage what you can of a fantastic recruiting class.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

The inevitable has arrived!

Chensey did an amazing job turning around what amounts to a dumpster fire that Gilmore left behind in Worcester (hmm, relatively speaking, that sounds familiar) and turned the Crusaders into a Top 25/Top 20 program by the time left. The fact he only had one losing season, his first at HC, is a testament to his ability to surround himself with the right, even keeled/great demeaner people which allows the entire to gain players, administrators, alums, fans, etc. confidence.

The one knock on Chensey is for as great of a job he did turning Holy Cross around he really didn't do anything transcending relative to other PL coaches (especially Duffner, Biddle and Higgins) outside of the 5-peat and that included the Covid Spring season and arguably a disappointing 2023 campaign. If i'm JMU my concern is can he elevate the program from where Cignetti left it? I'm not sure if Chesney is as much of a "program elevator" as he is a builder. Obviously, time will tell. Duke fans will not have much patience.....

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

All time great PL coach. Amazing program builder who I have a ton of respect for and hope he knocks it out of the park there.

And be thankful for the run he gave you, HC fans. It’s always tough to hear this news but he showed what can be done there and many great head coaches will be interested. my 2 cents - just make sure you guys don’t do the internal promotion thing. See what the market has and go get someone new

Not sure I would have him on the Mount Rushmore of PL coaches

Biddle, Duffner, Higgins are 3 slamdunks imo. Then I would probably go with Clawson. Dave literally had to build a Division 1 program from a Division III outfit before turning into a winner. Chesney, Coen, Moorhead and Gadd would probably be others worthy of consideration...

[crusader11]

Not sure Chesney is behind Higgins.

Lehigh was pretty good under Hank Small. Higgins was stepping into a good position, plus he was an assistant from 1988-93 at Lehigh. Seamless transition.

Chesney had to jumpstart a program that had some good years under Gilmore, but was largely bad from 2013 until Chesney was hired. Higgins first four years were pretty average. Obviously, his last three were very special. Chesney holds the record for five straight league titles won (corona year be damned) and the longest winning streak for league wins (I think).

I wouldn't put him on the Biddle level because he didn't have that kind of longevity, but he's -- at the very least -- on par with Higgins, IMO.

[Libertine]

For my money, hire Chris Smith and be done with this in short order. Salvage what you can of a fantastic recruiting class.

FWIW, hire a good coach and the recruiting class will take care of itself.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Not sure Chesney is behind Higgins.

Lehigh was pretty good under Hank Small. Higgins was stepping into a good position, plus he was an assistant from 1988-93 at Lehigh. Seamless transition.

Chesney had to jumpstart a program that had some good years under Gilmore, but was largely bad from 2013 until Chesney was hired. Higgins first four years were pretty average. Obviously, his last three were very special. Chesney holds the record for five straight league titles won (corona year be damned) and the longest winning streak for league wins (I think).

I wouldn't put him on the Biddle level because he didn't have that kind of longevity, but he's -- at the very least -- on par with Higgins, IMO.

Higgins had 3 straight 10 wins, earned the PL's first and second ever playoff win (beating #3 Richmond in 1998, #6 Western Illinois in 2000), 4 PL Titles All-Together. Most importantly, his Lehigh teams gave the PL credibility nearly instantly in the new "Playoff Era". Those Lehigh teams laid the foundation that everyone else, including 2003 Colgate and Biddle, benefited from. He also gifted Pete Lembo the Eddie Robinson Award in 2001....

[Dane96]

Here are some names that have been kicked around --

"Inside" the HC family: Scott James (DC), Rich Gunnell (WR / Pass Game Coordinator), Chris Smith (former OC, current NYG offensive analyst), Mike Toerper (former assistant, current Ithaca HC)

"Outside" the family: Dan Curran, (HC, Merrimack), Tony Reno (HC, Yale), Glenn Caruso (HC, St. Thomas), Kevin Decker (OC, Old Dominion), Chris Pincince (former HC OC...but far enough removed he's an outsider...current New Haven HC).

For my money, hire Chris Smith and be done with this in short order. Salvage what you can of a fantastic recruiting class.


Ummm...you forget a name at HC? My understanding is that if Dean Kennedy decides NOT to go to JMU, he is going to be a front runner. Would be an amazing choice. He's 32 (yes, young...but there are many young coaches) with major ties to the area and SEC training (Ole' Miss and Florida). He played QB at Rochester...bright mind.

[Franks Tanks]

Not sure I would have him on the Mount Rushmore of PL coaches

Biddle, Duffner, Higgins are 3 slamdunks imo. Then I would probably go with Clawson. Dave literally had to build a Division 1 program from a Division III outfit before turning into a winner. Chesney, Coen, Moorhead and Gadd would probably be others worthy of consideration...

If we’re talking Gadd, you have to include Russo. 3x league champ and 1988 Eddie Robinson award winner. Duffner and Lembo were the other Eddie Robinson winners while coaching in the PL. Dan Allen won it while a BU.

[Wolffan]

All time great PL coach. Amazing program builder who I have a ton of respect for and hope he knocks it out of the park there.

And be thankful for the run he gave you, HC fans. It’s always tough to hear this news but he showed what can be done there and many great head coaches will be interested. my 2 cents - just make sure you guys don’t do the internal promotion thing. See what the market has and go get someone new

That is a great point. Chesney going straight from PL to FBS AND the recent success of the Holy Cross program AND the nice football facilities proves it is a terrific FCS head coach job for a very talented up and comer. Any FCS OC/DC wanting to move up would be foolish not to apply. Holy Cross is in the catbird seat when it comes to selecting a terrific hire and will have their pick of the very best and brightest.

(Although they are losing a boatload of talent to graduation [even more than last year] they should be competitive next year and then, with the right coach, it is off to the races again.)

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

If we’re talking Gadd, you have to include Russo. 3x league champ and 1988 Eddie Robinson award winner. Duffner and Lembo were the other Eddie Robinson winners while coaching in the PL. Dan Allen won it while a BU.

I look at Russo, Hunt, Tavani even Dunlap (who coached in the Colonial/PL for 2 years) under the same umbrella. Dunlap is the best of the lot but since he was only part of the PL for two years it's tough to include him. Russo's best work was in the 1980s so his profile is similar to the Dunlap. Plus, the 1990s (1994 the 'Pards were not a good team) were rather forgettable which led to the program's feet being put to the fire. Resume wise, Russo and Tavani are similar (first half very good, second half not so much). Hunt had great highs (equal or greater to that of Chensey) but lacked any semblance of consistency then was fired for cause.

Gadd did something no other Bucknell has done, he won the PL, he won 10 games and he earned the Bison a national ranking. Relative to Bucknell's history in the PL, one could argue Gadd is the greatest outlier.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Ummm...you forget a name at HC? My understanding is that if Dean Kennedy decides NOT to go to JMU, he is going to be a front runner. Would be an amazing choice. He's 32 (yes, young...but there are many young coaches) with major ties to the area and SEC training (Ole' Miss and Florida). He played QB at Rochester...bright mind.

I'm interested to see if HC follows the "Chesney Formula" (lower level winner) or take a bit of a gamble with a well respected but unproven coordinator. If I'm HC I go with the former. Given this era of college football combined with the PL "culture" I think if possible it's better to go with someone who is already familiar with the administrative/CEO aspects associated with being a head coach.

[JacksFan40]

Great hire for JMU, sucks for HC though.

I assume Cheney will continue the success that JMU has had in the FBS, and if so I don’t see him staying very long. If a job like Boston College opens up I’d imagine he’ll jump.

[ngineer]

Not sure Chesney is behind Higgins.

Lehigh was pretty good under Hank Small. Higgins was stepping into a good position, plus he was an assistant from 1988-93 at Lehigh. Seamless transition.

Chesney had to jumpstart a program that had some good years under Gilmore, but was largely bad from 2013 until Chesney was hired. Higgins first four years were pretty average. Obviously, his last three were very special. Chesney holds the record for five straight league titles won (corona year be damned) and the longest winning streak for league wins (I think).

I wouldn't put him on the Biddle level because he didn't have that kind of longevity, but he's -- at the very least -- on par with Higgins, IMO.

Not really. Small had great offenses and lousy defenses and barely had a winning record. He put all the best athletes on the offense and left the remains for the D. When Higgins took over, he changed the formula, and it did take about three years to get turned around, but when he got the turn complete Lehigh's run from the latter half of 1997, when he installed freshman QB Stambaugh for the final four games, the program took off to an all-time five year run of domination. Kevin also hired some very good coordinators and assistants. An excellent ability to discover talent and requisite mental toughness. Had the NFL not come calling, Higgins may have remained at Lehigh to this day. He loves the place and comes back a couple times a year to be with his teams. Said he never thought of leaving for another college, but "how do you say 'no' to the NFL?" (even if it was the lowly Lions).

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Not really. Small had great offenses and lousy defenses and barely had a winning record. He put all the best athletes on the offense and left the remains for the D. When Higgins took over, he changed the formula, and it did take about three years to get turned around, but when he got the turn complete Lehigh's run from the latter half of 1997, when he installed freshman QB Stambaugh for the final four games, the program took off to an all-time five year run of domination. Kevin also hired some very good coordinators and assistants. An excellent ability to discover talent and requisite mental toughness. Had the NFL not come calling, Higgins may have remained at Lehigh to this day. He loves the place and comes back a couple times a year to be with his teams. Said he never thought of leaving for another college, but "how do you say 'no' to the NFL?" (even if it was the lowly Lions).

Great point about Higgin's coaching tree which includes Clawson, Coen, Lembo and Tom Gilmore! The latter maybe did not turn out to be the world's greatest head coach overall but did enjoy some solid early success at Holy Cross.

If it wasn't for Matt Millen's ties to the Lehigh Valley Higgins never ends up in Detroit.

[ngineer]

I look at Russo, Hunt, Tavani even Dunlap (who coached in the Colonial/PL for 2 years) under the same umbrella. Dunlap is the best of the lot but since he was only part of the PL for two years it's tough to include him. Russo's best work was in the 1980s so his profile is similar to the Dunlap. Plus, the 1990s (1994 the 'Pards were not a good team) were rather forgettable which led to the program's feet being put to the fire. Resume wise, Russo and Tavani are similar (first half very good, second half not so much). Hunt had great highs (equal or greater to that of Chensey) but lacked any semblance of consistency then was fired for cause.

Gadd did something no other Bucknell has done, he won the PL, he won 10 games and he earned the Bison a national ranking. Relative to Bucknell's history in the PL, one could argue Gadd is the greatest outlier.

Excellent point. We forget about Gadd because it's been so long since he's gone, but Bison have had long, long run of mediocrity for decades, except for the period Gadd was at the controls.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

I look at Russo, Hunt, Tavani even Dunlap (who coached in the Colonial/PL for 2 years) under the same umbrella. Dunlap is the best of the lot but since he was only part of the PL for two years it's tough to include him. Russo's best work was in the 1980s so his profile is similar to the Dunlap. Plus, the 1990s (1994 the 'Pards were not a good team) were rather forgettable which led to the program's feet being put to the fire. Resume wise, Russo and Tavani are similar (first half very good, second half not so much). Hunt had great highs (equal or greater to that of Chensey) but lacked any semblance of consistency then was fired for cause.

Gadd did something no other Bucknell has done, he won the PL, he won 10 games and he earned the Bison a national ranking. Relative to Bucknell's history in the PL, one could argue Gadd is the greatest outlier.

Excellent point. We forget about Gadd because it's been so long since he's gone, but Bison have had long, long run of mediocrity for decades, except for the period Gadd was at the controls.

He never had a losing record while at Bucknell! Only 3 other PL coaches can lay such a claim; Joe Moorhead, Mark Duffner, and Pete Lembo. Duffner and Lembo were handed keys to a Ferrari...

[DFW HOYA]

Gadd did something no other Bucknell has done, he won the PL, he won 10 games and he earned the Bison a national ranking. Relative to Bucknell's history in the PL, one could argue Gadd is the greatest outlier.

Honorable Mention: Kevin Kelly, Georgetown.

2011: 8-3
Rest of his career: 16-60

[Pard4Life]

Tom Gilmore is available.

[Sader87]

Tom Gilmore is available.

xdrunkyx
Pass....total jackass...how he coached at HC for so long will be a study done for millenia.......

[KPSUL]

JMU has done real well with their last two Head Coach hirings: Curt Cignetti and Mike Houston.

Sorry to change the subject, but several sports news outlets have indicated that there has been a lot of FBS interest in Matthew Sluka. Does anyone know if he has received any offers yet?

[Go...gate]

If we are talking about the all-time great PL Coaches, let's not forget Fred Dunlap, shall we? His name is on the Championship trophy.

Chesney's departure is unfortunate - best Coach at Cross since Rick Carter/Mark Duffner.

Agree on Tom Gadd. Outstanding Coach and beloved by his players and university.

[ngineer]

Higgins had 3 straight 10 wins, earned the PL's first and second ever playoff win (beating #3 Richmond in 1998, #6 Western Illinois in 2000), 4 PL Titles All-Together. Most importantly, his Lehigh teams gave the PL credibility nearly instantly in the new "Playoff Era". Those Lehigh teams laid the foundation that everyone else, including 2003 Colgate and Biddle, benefited from. He also gifted Pete Lembo the Eddie Robinson Award in 2001....

So true. When Higgins notified Sterrett he was leaving, Lembo, Cecchini and Gilmore all went to Joe and said they would all stay for at least 2-3 years if he picked one of them as the HC. So Lembo go the gig, and Chick and Tom stayed in their coordinator roles and they had a heck of a run. Lembo's first year was such a gift. Just stand there and don't get in the way! 1998-2001 was amazing.

[Fordham]

I have Chesney as higher than most of you on here. 5 PL titles in a row during the scholarship era when every other program but Fordham has been struggling to field teams who could compete with the NEC. I think he's a program builder, great game day coach and incredible recruiter. JMU may take a step back given the heights they achieved this year but I think he'll build them back up in short order. He's on my Mt Rushmore of PL coaches, although I admittedly may have an extra head or two on the mountain.

Likewise I just don't see it with Gadd. One 10-1 season but every other year was a 7-4, 6-5 or 6-4 one. That's not the level of repeated elite results that the others got to imo. Certainly impressive and I know you have to factor in the Bucknell drag into things but I just can't put him in there.

[Franks Tanks]

So true. When Higgins notified Sterrett he was leaving, Lembo, Cecchini and Gilmore all went to Joe and said they would all stay for at least 2-3 years if he picked one of them as the HC. So Lembo go the gig, and Chick and Tom stayed in their coordinator roles and they had a heck of a run. Lembo's first year was such a gift. Just stand there and don't get in the way! 1998-2001 was amazing.

Joe liked that staff so much it took him 22 years to hire an outsider. Why did he pick Lembo? Also strange that the presumed heir apparent by many (Chick) never got the job.

[ngineer]

Joe liked that staff so much it took him 22 years to hire an outsider. Why did he pick Lembo? Also strange that the presumed heir apparent by many (Chick) never got the job.

Good question on why "Pistol Pete". I think Pete came off as more 'ethereal'. Gilmore, obviously more 'rough around the edges' and Chick's resume may have been a bit thin at that point..although Lembo was a spring chicken. I think he was the youngest HC in D-1 football for a couple years. When Lembo left for Elon, I think Chick had already left for Harvard (not sure and no time to research, and I don't trust my 72 year old brain anymore.). Coen had been at Lehigh as an asst. and OC under Higgins, so technically not an outsider, and was loved by everyone, so when he applied it was a no brainer. Yes, many thought Chick would someday return as the HC, but cards were dealt differently.

[Bill]

Good question on why "Pistol Pete". I think Pete came off as more 'ethereal'. Gilmore, obviously more 'rough around the edges' and Chick's resume may have been a bit thin at that point..although Lembo was a spring chicken. I think he was the youngest HC in D-1 football for a couple years. When Lembo left for Elon, I think Chick had already left for Harvard (not sure and no time to research, and I don't trust my 72 year old brain anymore.). Coen had been at Lehigh as an asst. and OC under Higgins, so technically not an outsider, and was loved by everyone, so when he applied it was a no brainer. Yes, many thought Chick would someday return as the HC, but cards were dealt differently.

engineer
Correct - when Pete left for Elon Dave was already gone...and Tom was gone by that point too (obviously).

[ngineer]

Bill--love your 'location'...why? One of my all-time favorite movies!! I watch at once a year with my daughter (who's now 43) but grew up on the Blues Bros. Of course, when she first saw it, it was the 'sanitized' for TV version!

[KPSUL]

JMU is not an easy assignment. Not a lot of patience there and there will not be much, if any, of a grace period. Both Mike Houston and Curt Cignetti hit the ground running as JMU Head Coach and JMU transitioned to FBS with virtually no slip in results. Coming off an 11-1 regular season leaves little room for improvement, a lot more for dropping back. You'd have to expect Cignetti will bring some talent with him to Indiana.

[Bill]

Bill--love your 'location'...why? One of my all-time favorite movies!! I watch at once a year with my daughter (who's now 43) but grew up on the Blues Bros. Of course, when she first saw it, it was the 'sanitized' for TV version!

Thanks - but I have to give credit to Bogie...he found the Ampipe image for me years ago when he helped me figure out how to do images on this site!