Updated: August 10, 2017
In his ninth season as a member of head coach Jim Margraff’s staff and fourth as offensive coordinator is Greg Chimera, a 2009 Johns Hopkins graduate and a four-year member of the Blue Jay football team during his time at Homewood.
Chimera’s grooming for the offensive coordinator position came during a five-year period that is part of the most successful era in school history. He has helped guide Johns Hopkins to eight Centennial Conference titles, seven trips to the NCAA Playoffs and an 81-13 record, while more than 100 team and individual records have fallen since he joined the staff in 2009.
The Blue Jay offense is coming off another highly-productive season as Johns Hopkins set school records for total offense (6,121), yards per game (510.1), passing yards (4,106) and touchdown passes (37) in 2016. In addition, eight offensive players earned All-Centennial Conference honors, including four who grabbed first team accolades.
In his first season as the offensive coordinator in 2014, Johns Hopkins averaged 37.2 points and 434.4 yards per game and scored at least 27 points in 10 of 12 games and 21 or more in all 12 games. Making these numbers even more impressive were the fact that Chimera had a first-year starting quarterback and four new starters on the offensive line to develop. His unit topped even those lofty numbers in 2015 as the Blue Jays set school records for points (45.7) and yards (505.8) per game while producing the Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
After working primarily with the Blue Jay running backs and tight ends during his first four years, Chimera moved outside and coached the Johns Hopkins wide receivers in 2013. The Johns Hopkins passing game accounted for 19 touchdowns and nearly 240 yards per game despite losing one of its top weapons in the season opener and two of its top three performers being a sophomore and a freshman.
As a position coach from 2009-13, Chimera coached two All-Centennial running backs in Andrew Kase (2009) and Jonathan Rigaud (2011, 2012), one All-CC tight end in Brian Hopkins (2009) and one All-Centennial wide receiver (Dan Wodicka - 2013). Kase and Rigaud rank as the top two rushers in school history with more than 7,500 yards and 80 touchdowns between them.
In his first season as a member of the staff in 2009, he helped guide the Blue Jays to a 10-3 record, the Centennial Conference Championship and a trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals. That year, he worked closely with Kase, who earned Centennial Offensive Player of the Year honors and finished his career as JHU’s career leader in rushing.
Chimera then groomed Rigaud, who capped his career in 2012 by earning D3football.com All-America and Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors with more than 1,500 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns.
Chimera played fullback and was a regular on special teams throughout his career at Johns Hopkins. He paved the way over his last two years for Kase, who topped 1,000 yards in each season. Chimera scored five touchdowns in his career and started 16 games over his final two seasons.
