These two Duke University football stars and ACC alums have remained friends and community stewards in the Raleigh area.
by A.J. Carr | photography by Ben McKeown
Since Saint Louis University’s Bradbury Robinson completed the first legal forward pass in 1906, a galaxy of quarterback-receiver duos have lit up football stadiums with sparkling performances.
Duke University’s Leo Hart and Wes Chesson were stars in that galaxy. Between 1968 and 1970, with Hart throwing and Chesson catching, they produced a scintillating Blue Devils aerial show, breaking a bundle of records and the hearts of opposing defensive coordinators.
While they remain quietly humble, their stats shout loudly. Tall, talented and strong-armed, Hart’s numerous Duke and ACC records included most career completions (487), attempts (877) and yardage (6,116).
Three seasons he led the conference in passing yards, three times made first-team All-ACC all of his varsity-eligible years, and twice won team Most Valuable Player plaques. Chesson, a lithe, 6-foot-2-inch all-around athlete with sprinter’s speed, set 24 school records and three conference records and posted career totals of 164 catches and 2,399 yards.
His 74 receptions in an All-Conference senior year ranked fourth nationally and were a Duke season standard that stood for 42 years.
Like Chesson, Hart has been tightly tethered to his alma mater throughout the years. After leaving Buffalo, he returned to Durham as a Blue Devils freshman coach/recruiter for a brief time, then helped raise $8 million of the $22 million needed to build the Yoh Football Center. For 12 years he chaired the Athletics Advisory Committee.
He now resides in Atlanta with wife Glenda, but he’s been a man on the move: he’s flown more than some airline pilots — an estimated 7 million miles — and been around the world three times.
His business resumé includes manning high executive positions at Swiss Army Knives and in the hotel industry with Hyatt Regency, Fairmont and Ritz-Carlton, often receiving recognition for widely expanding the companies.
Though whirlwind busy, Hart has also carved out time to help with multiple philanthropic organizations, including St. Vincent Services Corporation, and Cystic Fibrosis, Andre Agassi and Dan Jansen Foundations. That’s Hart and Chesson, a memorable quarterback-receiver duo, and longtime friends who share an altruistic spirit.
Articulate and knowledgeable, he astutely provided insight expected of a former player who still looks like he could catch passes at age 74. In addition to insurance and radio work, Chesson has long been an active member at Hayes Barton United Methodist Church, served on various community boards and supported many causes.
In 2013, he and Janet made a major donation to help start the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at WakeMed Children’s Hospital that’s named in honor of Dr. Jerry Berstein.
And though he’s lived in Raleigh since the 1970s, Chesson has never forgotten his hometown. He maximizes the National Football League Foundation Matching Gift Grant to support Edenton High’s football program.
Like Chesson, Hart has been tightly tethered to his alma mater throughout the years. After leaving Buffalo, he returned to Durham as a Blue Devils freshman coach/recruiter for a brief time, then helped raise $8 million of the $22 million needed to build the Yoh Football Center. For 12 years he chaired the Athletics Advisory Committee.
He now resides in Atlanta with wife Glenda, but he’s been a man on the move: he’s flown more than some airline pilots — an estimated 7 million miles — and been around the world three times.
His business resumé includes manning high executive positions at Swiss Army Knives and in the hotel industry with Hyatt Regency, Fairmont and Ritz-Carlton, often receiving recognition for widely expanding the companies.
Though whirlwind busy, Hart has also carved out time to help with multiple philanthropic organizations, including St. Vincent Services Corporation, and Cystic Fibrosis, Andre Agassi and Dan Jansen Foundations. That’s Hart and Chesson, a memorable quarterback-receiver duo, and longtime friends who share an altruistic spirit.
This article originally appeared in the November 2023 issue of WALTER magazine.
