John Patrick Schneider declare his departure.
Today, John Patrick Schneider, jay’s head coach, publicized his departure
coordinator, replacing him as head coach of the Johns Hopkins football team.
“Johns Hopkins has been a significant part of my life for the past 18 years, and that won’t change moving forward,” Chimera stated in a press statement. Chimera was the late Jim Margraff’s fullback for the Blue Jays from 2005 to 2008, and he spent ten years working for his mentor. The next stage will be as the team’s largest supporter and a proud alum. The Hopkins football program’s men will undoubtedly make the 2024 season exceptional, and they will constantly strive to elevate the bar for what it means to be a Hopkins football player.
Chimera, a 2009 graduate who will remain till the end of January, was reached by SMS and declined further comment.
Chimera led Johns Hopkins to a 40-7 record in just four seasons, which includes Centennial Conference championships in 2021 and 2023 as well as NCAA postseason bids in those same years. His 40 wins rank third, and his.851 winning percentage is the highest in program history.
After a season ends, Jennifer S. Baker, the athletic director at the university, said she always “gets a little sick to my stomach” because she knows her coaches are desirable candidates for other institutions.
“I was aware that he was considering this option, but he wasn’t looking for work,” she remarked. “When someone presents something fascinating to you, then here we are. He wasn’t particularly wanting to leave Hopkins.”
Baker made hints that she tried her best to keep Chimera on as head coach of Division I’s NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
She stated, “He’s not a coach that I would have just said, ‘OK, goodbye, and good luck,'” without providing any further details. Though I’m an AD and want the best for my people, even if that’s not always us, I also want them to pursue their passions, so we would have loved to have kept him at Hopkins.
Since 2020, the school has produced 18 Academic All-Americans, a record for NCAA Division III, under Chimera’s direction. Eight Blue Jays players were named to the Allstate American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team; two were national finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy (often known as the Academic Heisman); and eight others received seventeen All-American honors.
“I coach because of the relationships we have developed—my assistant coaches, past players, trainers, strength staff, and most importantly, the scholar athletes,” Chimera stated. “Since coming to Johns Hopkins in 2005, I have formed lasting acquaintances that I count myself fortunate to have.”
The Blue Jays have gone 142-24 since Chimera joined the football coaching staff in 2009, won 12 Centennial Conference championships, and made it to 11 NCAA postseasons.
Baker pointed out that Chimera’s declaration was released to the public five years and two days following Margraff’s death on January 2, 2019, at the age of 58, from an unexpected heart attack.
Greg took over as head coach for the first time, and in her words, “he elevated the program to greater heights.” “We haven’t been in the Final Four since Margraff’s last season in 2018, but we have established program records, and we felt we were competitive enough to qualify for the Final Four this year.” Although I’m obviously going to be biased in that regard, I believe we were good enough to play for a national championship this year. It’s not like plugging in a lightbulb; what we’re losing is someone who genuinely loves Johns Hopkins and has dedicated nearly half of his life to the institution. Practically speaking, I do believe that we have a fantastic program and that we have a great chance to offer someone as a head coach candidate or as a student-athlete. I also have complete faith that we will find a successor to Greg who will carry on leading us forward.
With the Quakers, Chimera will reunite with defensive quality control assistant Will Margraff—the third and youngest child of Alice Margraff, who was inducted into the Johns Hopkins Athletic Hall of Fame in October 2000—and athletic director Alanna W. Shanahan, who served as the school’s director of athletics from 2016 to 2019.
A search for Chimera’s successor begins immediately. According to Baker, she is looking for someone who can find athletes and develop them within the demanding academic standards of the university. While previous Division III experience and head coaching experience are “nice-to-have” qualities, she places more weight on “innovation and motivation for that innovation.”
By the end of January, Baker stated that she would love to have a replacement announced.
We’re going to go fast, she declared. However, we won’t rush anything. We will do it correctly.
