Greg Chimera (pronounced kim-AIR-uh) enters his second year as Penn's offensive coordinator and Clarence S. Rockwell, VMD Quarterbacks Coach in 2025, announced by George A. Munger Head Coach Ray Priore on Jan. 4, 2024.
Chimera brings 14 years of coaching experience at Johns Hopkins University to Penn following a four-year stint as head coach and 10 seasons as offensive coordinator (2014-18), wide receivers coach (2013) and running backs/tight ends coach (2009-2012).
Penn began the 2024 season battling FBS-bound Delaware close on the road before picking up victories against Colgate, Bucknell, Brown, and Cornell. Chimera’s offense was potent in his first year with the program, headlined by a standout sophomore campaign from running back Malachi Hosley, who was named the Ivy League’s Offensive Player of the Year with unanimous first-team All-Ivy honors. In addition, Hosley was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award and earned All-America honors from FCS Football Central (second team) and Stats Perform (third team). Hosley made a start in all 10 games and led the Ivy League in all rushing categories including carries (191), yards (1,192), touchdowns (9), yards per carry (6.2), and yards per game (119.2). Chimera also saw wide receiver Jared Richardson earn second-team All-Ivy laurels after leading the Quakers with 684 yards (fifth among Ancient Eight pass-catchers).
As quarterbacks coach, Chimera guided junior Liam O’Brien to a standout season after three-year starter Aidan Sayin went down with a season-ending injury. O’Brien started the final four games of the year, completing 66 percent (76-115) of his pass attempts for 1,018 yards, 13 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He put forth a historic effort at Cornell, setting Penn’s single-game program records for both passing TDs (6) and total TDs (7) in a 67-49 victory over the Big Red. That performance earned the signal caller the Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week award.
Chimera was named JHU's head coach on Feb. 22, 2019 to succeed the late Jim Margraff, the program's all-time winningest coach, who passed away suddenly on Jan. 2, 2019. In four seasons at the helm of the program, Chimera led the Blue Jays to a 40-7 record, two Centennial Conference titles, two trips to the NCAA playoffs, a pair of Centennial-MAC Bowl victories and was the 2023 AFCA Division III Region 2 Coach of the Year.
Four players won a total of five Centennial Conference major awards during Chimera's tenure including Luke Schuermann as Defensive Player of the Year (2021-22), Ryan Stevens as Offensive Player of the Year (2022), Michael Nwosu as Rookie of the Year (2022) and Cole Crotty as Rookie of the Year (2023).
In 2023, Chimera led Hopkins to one of its most successful seasons in program history. The Blue Jays finished 12-1, with a Centennial Conference title and a trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals. The 12 wins tied a program record for single-season victories and the 12-0 start is the best-ever at JHU. Earning Centennial Conference Staff of the Year honors for the first time, Chimera was also named AFCA Division III Region 2 Coach of the Year for his leadership.
Under Chimera's guidance, Hopkins went 10-1 in 2022, finishing 8-1 in Centennial play. The Blue Jays started the year 7-0 featuring back-to-back shutout victories over Juniata (70-0) and Moravian (54-0). JHU topped Stevenson, 27-7, in the season finale to claim the Centennial-MAC Bowl. The program led the nation with six Academic All-Americans with a program-record five players earning All-America honors.
The 2021 season saw the Blue Jays post a 10-2 record with a share of the Centennial title and an appearance in the second round of the NCAAs. Hopkins, which ended the season with final national rankings of 13th (AFCA) and 14th (D3football.com), produced three All-Americans and a national-record eight CoSIDA Academic All-Americans on the year.
In his first season at the helm in 2019, Chimera guided the Blue Jays to an 8-3 record and a 51-28 victory at Stevenson in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series; the eight wins are the most ever for a first-year Johns Hopkins coach. With a 17-12 win at Randolph-Macon in the 2019 season opener, Chimera also became the first Johns Hopkins head coach in 99 years to earn a win in his debut (Ray Van Orman - 1920).
Chimera spent ten seasons as a member of the Blue Jay coaching staff prior to being elevated to head coach, including five as offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2018. In the 14 seasons since he joined the staff in 2009, Hopkins posted a 130-23 (.850) record, won twelve Centennial Conference titles (2009-18, 2021, 2023) and lost just 13 regular season games.
His guidance was crucial in Johns Hopkins completing its greatest season in school history in 2018 with a 12-2 record, achieving a 10th straight Centennial title and the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA semifinals. The Blue Jays set a school record with 12 wins, earning the program's first-ever Lambert Cup Trophy. That season, Chimera's offense averaged 550.3 yards and 45.8 points per game, both school-record marks. The fast-paced offense ran more plays (1,051) for more yards (7,704) than any other team in the nation on its way to the national semifinals.
Chimera played fullback and was a regular on special teams throughout his playing career at Johns Hopkins. He scored five touchdowns in his career and started 16 games over his final two seasons.
He graduated from JHU in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in psychological and brain sciences, minoring in entrepreneurship and management.
Chimera comes to University City by way of Towson, Md. with his wife, Allison and sons, Teddy and Charlie.
THE CHIMERA FILE
Offensive Coordinator/Clarence S. Rockwell, VMD Quarterbacks – Penn, 2024-present
James F. Margraff Head Football Coach – Johns Hopkins, 2019-23
Offensive Coordinator – Johns Hopkins, 2014-18
Wide Receivers – Johns Hopkins, 2013
Running Backs/Tight Ends – Johns Hopkins, 2009-12
Hometown – Gaithersburg, Md.
Family – Wife, Allison; Son, Teddy; Son, Charlie
Education
2009 B.S. – Johns Hopkins
