Bob Chesney's earliest memory of football traces back to the backseat of a car traveling through small-town Pennsylvania. As a high school coach, his father made Friday night games a community affair, with family members taking on distinct roles and a local neighbor volunteering to film. Because he filmed the games, the neighbor was granted parking close to the stadium gate in Pennsylvania's coal country.
Young Bob Chesney gripped his father's ballcap in the backseat, nervous they might not reach the stadium before kickoff while his dad, Bob Sr., patrolled the sideline. "I would take his hat, and I would sit in the back and basically pray with it in my hand," Chesney said. The moment the vehicle pulled into its spot, young Bob bolted toward the gate.
He hurdled the barrier and charged down to the turf, where the squad warmed up. He embraced his father and handed him the ballcap. Four decades later, father and son have reversed roles, and dad always shows up early.
Bob Chesney Sr., 76, arrives at UCLA's football offices a little after 6 a.m. He goes home at 7 or 8 at night. He sits in staff meetings, works with the defensive line and hands out candy he calls "power pills." He doesn't have a title.
He's not on the Bruins' payroll. But players call him Coach Senior, or just Senior. "He's more like a grandfather to them right now, which is kinda cool that they all respect him," his son said.
Saturday, Senior will be on the sideline at Autzen Stadium when No. 21 UCLA (4-0) plays No. 13 Oregon (3-1). It's the biggest test yet of Chesney's first season, in the same stadium where his James Madison run ended in the College Football Playoff last December, after UCLA had already hired him. Bob Sr. has been there for nearly every step, every job, as his son has quickly risen through the coaching ranks, from Division III Delaware Valley to the Big Ten.
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