Robert Edward Chesney (born August 10, 1977) is an American college football coach who is the head coach at the University of California, Los Angeles. A graduate of Dickinson College, Chesney has also served as the head coach at Salve Regina University, Assumption University, the College of the Holy Cross, and James Madison University. At Assumption, he led the Greyhounds to consecutive NCAA Division II Football Championship playoff appearances in the final three years of his tenure. At Holy Cross, he led the Crusaders to five straight Patriot League titles.
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Early life and family
Chesney is originally from Kulpmont, Pennsylvania, born to Robert Chesney Sr., and Claudia Chesney (née Yonkovig). He has an older brother, Vincent Chesney, and a younger brother, Nicholas Chesney. Chesney is a 1996 graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes Regional High School and a 2000 graduate of Dickinson College. Married in 2007 to Andrea, he has two daughters and a son.
Coaching career
Salve Regina
Chesney was hired as the fourth head coach in Salve Regina University football program history following his five-year stint as associate head coach at Johns Hopkins University. Chesney rebuilt a Salve Regina program which had a streak of eight-consecutive losing seasons before his tenure, upon which he posted three winning campaigns in a row.
Assumption
Following his success with that program, Chesney was hired as the tenth head coach in Assumption College (now Assumption University) football program history. Prior to his arrival the Assumption program had posted two winning seasons in the 17 previous years. Chesney led the Greyhounds to five-straight winning records and NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his last three years. Chesney coached 94 all-conference selections and 12 All-Americans.
Holy Cross
On December 14, 2017, Chesney was named the 28th head football coach at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Chesney’s tenure as head coach was transformational. Over six seasons he compiled a 44–21 overall record, including a dominant 28–4 mark in conference play. Under Chesney, Holy Cross claimed an unprecedented five straight Patriot League championships; the first team in league history to do so. His 2022 squad went 11–0 in the regular season (the program’s first undefeated regular season since 1991), finished 12–1 overall, and advanced to the FCS quarterfinals — the deepest playoff run for Holy Cross in nearly four decades. Across his Holy Cross years, Chesney earned Patriot League Coach of the Year honors three times (2019, 2021, 2022) and was named the AFCA FCS Region 1 Coach of the Year following the 2022 campaign.
James Madison
On December 7, 2023, Chesney was named the head football coach at James Madison University. In his first season Chesney led the Dukes to a 9–4 overall record and captured the program’s first bowl victory ever, a 27–17 win in the Boca Raton Bowl over Western Kentucky. In 2025, the Dukes had an 11–1 record and secured the Sun Belt East Division Championship. On December 5, James Madison defeated Troy in the Sun Belt Conference Championship game 31–14. Two days later, James Madison was selected for the College Football Playoff as the No. 12 seed.
UCLA
On December 6, 2025, Chesney was announced as the head football coach at UCLA. UCLA granted permission for Chesney to continue coaching James Madison University through its playoff run. He inherited a Bruins program that went 3–9 in 2025 and 6–12 in their first two seasons in the Big Ten Conference.