With Chesney in charge, JMU football continues its winning ways

The JMU Dukes football team started the Bob Chesney era on Saturday, picking up a 30-7 road win against the Charlotte 49ers.  

Chesney was announced as the ninth head coach in the history of the football program on Dec. 7, 2023.  

Before taking the reins at JMU, Chesney spent six seasons as head coach at the College of the Holy Cross (2018-23), guiding the Crusaders to unprecedented success with a program-record five consecutive Patriot League Championships since 2019 and an overall record of 44-21.  

Chesney takes over a JMU program that made a historic transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision, going 19-4 over the past two regular seasons. JMU finished atop the Sun Belt Conference East Division standings in both years with a combined 13-3 conference record, and the Dukes received a bid to the 2023 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl for the program’s first bowl game in program history.  

The Chesney era will continue Saturday when the Dukes host Gardner-Webb University at 6 p.m. for the team’s first home game of the 2024 season.