Francis Michael Chesley (born July 14, 1955) is a former

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). Chesley was born on July 14, 1955 in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, where he attended Eastern High School. After a chance encounter with a track-and-field coach from the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...

, Chesley started attending the school and played baseball for one season. After quitting baseball, he walked-on to the school's football team. After starting out as a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

and a

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

, injuries opened up a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

position, where Chesley eventually flourished and became a starter. Chesley was drafted in the sixth round of the

1978 NFL draft The 1978 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 2–3, 1978, at the Roosevelt Hotel ...

by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

, the only player from his college team selected in the draft. After sustaining an injury before the season and missing a few weeks of practices, Chesley was released by the Saints. The

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

signed Chesley late in the

1978 NFL season The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16 games, which it remained in place until 2021 when it was increased to 17 games. Furthermore, ...

after a number of injuries to their linebackers. Chesley played one game for the Packers. He is a brother to fellow NFL players

Al Chesley Albert Cornell Chesley (born August 23, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. Chesley is listed as the starti ...

and John Chesley.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chesley, Francis 1955 births Living people Players of American football from Washington, D.C. Eastern High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni Green Bay Packers players American football linebackers University of Wyoming alumni Wyoming Cowboys football players