Greg Chimera, who has served as offensive coordinator for Johns Hopkins University's football team for the past five seasons, was named the 27th head coach in the program's history on Friday.
Image caption: Greg Chimera
Chimera takes over for Jim Margraff, who had led the program for 29 seasons before his death last month.
"Greg Chimera emerged from a talented and diverse pool of candidates as the right person to lead our football program," Director of Athletics Alanna W. Shanahan said. "He has been a member of the Blue Jay football family for 14 years and has been an instrumental part of the success the program has enjoyed for the last decade. His passion for Johns Hopkins and understanding of the goals and mission of both the university and our football program have long been evident. We look forward to the leadership he will provide our student-athletes as they develop academically and athletically."
Chimera, a 2009 Johns Hopkins graduate and a four-year member of the Hopkins football team, recently completed his 10th season as a member of Margraff's staff. After coaching the Blue Jays running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers during his first five seasons, Chimera was elevated to offensive coordinator prior to the 2014 season. Since then, the Johns Hopkins offense has set numerous school records and is coming off the most successful offensive season in school history.
During a 2018 campaign that saw the Blue Jays post a school-record 12 wins and make a run to the NCAA Division III semifinals for the first time, Chimera's offense averaged 45.8 points and 550.3 yards per game. Both of those totals are school single-season records, as were the Blue Jays' 39 touchdown passes, 91 overall touchdowns, and 641 points scored.
Johns Hopkins has averaged at least 37 points per game in each of Chimera's five seasons as the offensive coordinator and more than 500 yards in each of the last four.
"I am humbled and honored to lead such a special program at one of the top universities in the world," Chimera said.
"Our goal is to continue performing at an elite level on and off the field, just as we did under Coach Margraff. Learning from him for the last 10 years has prepared me for this opportunity. He left a lasting impact on the program and I will be reminded and motivated daily by the lessons learned from a legend."
