James Madison hires Holy Cross' Bob Chesney as head coach - ESPN

James Madison has hired Holy Cross coach Bob Chesney to be the school's next football coach, the school announced Thursday.

Chesney fit the profile of what athletic director Jeff Bourne sought in the search — a proven winner with head-coaching experience.

«We were methodical and intentional in casting a wide net to identify the next head coach of James Madison football, and I confidently believe that we found the total package in Bob Chesney,» Bourne said in a statement. «Ideally, we wanted a proven head coach with a track record of winning football games, both with frequency and against tough competition.»

Chesney emerged in recent seasons as one of the top FCS coaches in the country, leading Holy Cross to four FCS playoff bids in his six seasons there as head coach. That included four consecutive outright Patriot League championships from 2019 to 2022, and he has also won the Patriot League Coach of the Year award three times.

Chesney has won big at every stop of his coaching career, as he won more than 70% of his games as the head coach at both Division III Salve Regina (2010-12) and Division II Assumption College (2013-17), two smaller schools in New England.

Chesney led Holy Cross to the program's first-ever FCS playoff win in 2021 and led Holy Cross to win over UConn, the program's first win over an FBS school since 2002.

In 2022, Holy Cross went 11-0 in the regular season, the program's first undefeated regular season since 1991. They advanced to the FCS quarterfinals before losing to South Dakota State, the eventual champion. Holy Cross also beat FBS school Buffalo in 2022.

James Madison followed the hiring blueprint that brought them Curt Cignetti, who left the school for Indiana after an 11-1 season in 2023.