Nine months before making his debut in his first big college football coaching job, Bob Chesney sounded as confident as a running back with four downs to gain one yard.
Nothing could stop him, no matter the severity of the unique challenges ahead.
For example…
How did he feel about UCLA's lack of recent football success?
“For me,” Chesney said, “there is no doubt that we can win here.”
UCLA coach Bob Chesney poses for a photo with his family during his introductory press conference. The group includes his parents, Bob Chesney Sr. and Claudia; brothers Vincent and Nicholas; wife Andrea; and children, Lila, Hudson and Beau.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Feeling a lack of institutional support?
“Alignment,” Chesney said, citing his shared vision with university officials, “was a word that kept coming up again and again.”
That annoying rival from out of town?
“We don’t need to be another school in this town,” Chesney said, “we need to be a school in this town, and I promise that will happen here in the very, very near future.”
Unwavering in his belief that he can take his new team to the highest level, Chesney struck a brazen and fearless tone during his on-campus introduction at the Luskin Center Tuesday morning, his words as comforting as the familiar tune of the school band serenading him.
The Bruins could use that kind of swagger given their recent history. UCLA hasn't won a conference championship since 1998 and has suffered back-to-back losing seasons, including a 3-9 record in 2025 under predecessor DeShawn Foster And interim coach Tim Skipper.
The program hasn't done anything nationally since Bob Toledo won 20 straight games in the late 1990s and Jim Mora had minor success in his first three seasons from 2012 to 2014 before going through a major decline.
None of this could stop Chesney, 48, from becoming the first sitting head coach to quit his job to join the Bruins since Pepper Rogers made a similar move in 1971.
“I believe in the strength of UCLA,” said Chesney, who agreed to a five-year, $33.75 million contract that will pay him an annual salary of $6.75 million.
He will have additional support in his attempt to level up after leading James Madison to the College Football Playoff left the Sun Belt Conference in only his second season with the Dukes.
Bob Myers, former general manager of the Golden State Warriors worked on the search committeesaid UCLA was committed to giving its new coach the resources to be in the “top third, maybe top quartile” of the Big Ten, in an attempt to give Chesney what he needs to compete with the conference heavyweights. The Bruins also agreed to significant salary increases for assistant coaches to update their name, image and likeness.
As a sign of our belief in the importance of hiring, UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk joined sporting director Martin Jarmond gave the welcoming speech, becoming the first school president to do so when hiring a coach in recent memory.
“Today we usher in a bold new era for the UCLA football program,” Frenk said. “To lead us forward, we have hired what I believe is a game-changing hire who will ensure our program lives up to the storied legacy of UCLA athletics.”
Chesney said he believes in UCLA was supported by the search committee including Myers, athletic director Casey Wasserman and Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters, which is a deciding factor in his willingness to take advantage of this opportunity.
“I don’t want to believe that we’re in a place that doesn’t believe in itself,” Chesney said, “and these are three men who believe in UCLA and the strength of UCLA on a huge level, and I think that’s important for us and our support.”
Competition was the cornerstone of Chesney's rise, as the coach compiled a 132-51 record while orchestrating changes in programs at the Division III, Division II and Football Championship levels.
“Every day there are winners and losers in every thing we do,” Chesney said of his approach. “There's not a day that goes by that we just kind of get by. And that, I think, is really important, and ultimately that's been the theme of everything we've done up to this point. We don't go out on the field on a Saturday without having been there before in almost every situational aspect that you can imagine being pressured on.”
Bob Chesney was introduced as UCLA's new head football coach on Tuesday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Chesney seemed to crave stress, citing lack of sleep due to taking a new job amid unprecedented success at his current school. He said he fully expects the results he achieved in two seasons at James Madison, which opens the College Football Playoff against Oregon on Dec. 20, to carry over to his new job.
“Those same dreams are the dreams that we're going to have here,” Chesney said, “and those are things that we know we can accomplish and that we'll have a plan to make them happen. We have to make sure that we're bringing in the right people to make those dreams come true.”
Earlier in the day, Chesney met with his new players, impressing them with his vision and enthusiasm.
“He has a lot of energy and he cares about this place,” freshman linebacker Scott Taylor said, “and that’s what a lot of people want to see.”
Mixing humor with personal anecdotes, Chesney joked that he was the cousin of country singer Kenny Chesney and that a different Chesney would be at every game. He said his first coaching salary was $5,000 at a military college in Vermont.
Part of his success was treating each stop as a higher level.
“When I was in the Division III world, we ran it as a Division II program,” Chesney said. “And when you got to the Division II world, it became more like trying to run it as an FCS program.”
Family, Chesney said, was at the core of everything he did. His father, Bob Chesney Sr., was his high school football coach. His grandfather was his offensive line coach. His uncle Bill was his wide receivers coach, one neighbor was a cinematographer and another was an equipment manager.
As evidence of that connection, most of Chesney's immediate family filled the first two rows of seats in the Luskin Center ballroom.
“I never looked at it as a profession,” Bob Chesney said of coaching. “I looked at it as a way of life. … It's something that I've watched my whole life. You know, when I was growing up, I just thought that's what we do. I didn't know anything else that you could even call it a profession. To me, it was our ability to help young people on their journey, to grow and become who they need to be.”
Continuing his inclusive approach, Chesney has enlisted the support of UCLA students, the surrounding community and high school coaches, saying some of his staff will have deep ties to the West Coast. He added that his team will offer free clinics, hold open practices and do everything they can to remain as accessible as possible.
As for his coaching tree, Chesney said he learned from many of the big names in the business, including former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, former Louisiana State coach Brian Kelly and Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach, but wanted to embrace his own style.
“For me, I was always looking for my own voice, trying to figure out how to do it my way,” Chesney said. “I think that's important. I don't want to be like anyone else, I want to be myself.”
A unique coach with a remarkable vision, Chesney announced his remarkable future in a country hungry for something new.
