| James Madison Dukes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Current season: 2025 James Madison Dukes
| |||
| |||
| First season | 1972 | ||
| Athletic director | Jeff Bourne | ||
| Head coach | Bob Chesney | ||
| 2nd year, 21–3 (.875) | |||
| Home stadium | Bridgeforth Stadium | ||
| Field | Zane Showker Field | ||
| Stadium capacity | 24,877 | ||
| Stadium surface | FieldTurf | ||
| Location | Harrisonburg, Virginia | ||
| Conference | Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) | ||
| All-time history | |||
| All-time record | 338–218–4 (.607) | ||
| Postseason bowl record | 0–0 (.000) | ||
| Playoff appearances | 17 | ||
| Playoff record | 22-15 (.595) | ||
| Claimed national titles | 2 (2004, 2016) | ||
| Conference titles | 8 (1975, 1999, 2004, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) | ||
| Division titles | 3 (1994, 2006, 2020) | ||
| Rivalries | Richmond Spiders Liberty Flames William & Mary Tribe Old Dominion Monarchs Delaware Blue Hens | ||
| Current uniform | |||
 | |||
| Colors | Purple and Gold
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| Fight song | "JMU Fight Song" | ||
| Mascot | Duke Dog | ||
| Marching band | Marching Royal Dukes | ||
| Uniform outfitter | Nike | ||
| Website | JMUSports.com | ||
The James Madison Dukes football program represents James Madison University in the sport of American football. The Dukes compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), beginning play within the conference for the 2022 season. The university first fielded a football team in 1972, and the Dukes play at the on-campus Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Dukes are currently coached by Bob Chesney.
The JMU football team has been the centerpiece of JMU sports since the early 1990s. Under former head coach Mickey Matthews the Dukes continued their rise in national prominence, winning the 2004 FCS National Championship. The Dukes won their second national championship in 2016 and finished as national runners-up in 2017 and 2019.
Affiliations[]
- 2022-present - Sun Belt Conference (NCAA FBS)
- 2007-2021 - Colonial Athletic Association (NCAA FCS)
- 1997-2006 - Atlantic 10 Conference (NCAA 1-AA/FCS)
- 1993-1996 - Yankee Conference (NCAA 1-AA)
- 1980-1992 - NCAA Division 1-AA independent
- 1977-1979 - NCAA Division III independent
- 1976 - NCAA Division II independent
- 1974-1975 - Virginia Collegiate Athletic Association
- 1972-1973 - Independent
Seasons[]
2020s[]
| Season | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Bob Chesney | |
| 2024 | Bob Chesney | 9-4 |
| 2023 | Curt Cignetti; Damian Wroblewski | 11-2 |
| 2022 | Curt Cignetti | 8-3 |
| 2021 | Curt Cignetti | 12-2 |
| 2020 | Curt Cignetti | 7-1 |
2010s[]
| Season | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Curt Cignetti | 14-2 |
| 2018 | Mike Houston | 9-4 |
| 2017 | Mike Houston | 14-1 |
| 2016 | Mike Houston | 12-1 |
| 2015 | Everett Withers | 9-3 |
| 2014 | Everett Withers | 9-4 |
| 2013 | Mickey Matthews | 6-6 |
| 2012 | Mickey Matthews | 7-4 |
| 2011 | Mickey Matthews | 8-5 |
| 2010 | Mickey Matthews | 6-5 |
2000s[]
| Season | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Mickey Matthews | 6-5 |
| 2008 | Mickey Matthews | 12-2 |
| 2007 | Mickey Matthews | 8-4 |
| 2006 | Mickey Matthews | 9-3 |
| 2005 | Mickey Matthews | 7-4 |
| 2004 | Mickey Matthews | 13-2 |
| 2003 | Mickey Matthews | 6-6 |
| 2002 | Mickey Matthews | 5-7 |
| 2001 | Mickey Matthews | 2-9 |
| 2000 | Mickey Matthews | 6-5 |
1990s[]
| Season | Coach | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Mickey Matthews | 8-4 |
| 1998 | ||
| 1997 | ||
| 1996 | ||
| 1995 | ||
| 1994 | ||
| 1993 | ||
| 1992 | ||
| 1991 | ||
| 1990 |
Championships[]
National championships[]
| Year | Coach | Record | Championship | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Mickey Matthews | 13–2 | NCAA Division I-AA National Championship | |
| 2016 | Mike Houston | 14–1 | NCAA Division I (FCS) National Championship | |
| Total national championships | 2 | |||
Conference championships[]
| Year | Coach | Conference | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Challace McMillin | Virginia Collegiate Athletic Association | 5-0 |
| 1999 | Mickey Matthews | Atlantic 10 Conference | 7–2 |
| 2004 | Mickey Matthews | Atlantic 10 Conference | 7–1 |
| 2008 | Mickey Matthews | Colonial Athletic Association | 8–0 |
| 2015 | Everett Withers | Colonial Athletic Association | 6–2 |
| 2016 | Mike Houston | Colonial Athletic Association | 8–0 |
| 2017 | Mike Houston | Colonial Athletic Association | 8–0 |
| 2019 | Curt Cignetti | Colonial Athletic Association | 8–0 |
| 2021 | Curt Cignetti | Colonial Athletic Association | 7–1 |
| Total conference championships | 9 | ||
Division championships[]
| Year | Division | Coach | Overall record | Conference record | CG Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Yankee Mid-Atlantic | Rip Scherer | 10–3 | 6-2 | N/A | |
| 2006 | Atlantic 10 South | Mickey Matthews | 9–3 | 7–1 | N/A | |
| 2020 | CAA South | [Curt Cignetti]] | 7-1 | 3-0 | N/A | |
| 2022 | Sun Belt East | Curt Cignetti | 8–3 | 6–2 | Ineligible | |
| Total division championships | 4’’' | |||||
Postseason results[]
FCS Playoffs[]
The Dukes have appeared in the Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs 18 times, most recently in 2021. Their combined record is 24–16. They were Division I-AA/FCS National Champions in 2004 and 2016 and National Runners-up in 2017 and 2019.
| Season | Round | Opponent | Result | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | First Round | Marshall | L 12–41 | ||||||
| 1991 | First Round
Quarterfinals |
DelawareSamford | W 42–35
L 21–24 | ||||||
| 1994 | First Round
Quarterfinals |
Troy StateMarshall | W 45–26
L 21–28 | ||||||
| 1995 | First Round | Appalachian State | L 24–31 | ||||||
| 1999 | First Round | Troy State | L 7–27 | ||||||
| 2004 | First Round
Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game |
LehighFurmanWilliam & MaryMontana | W 14–13 | W 14–13 | W 48–34 | W 31–21 | |||
| 2006 | First Round | Youngstown State | L 31–35 | ||||||
| 2007 | First Round | Appalachian State | L 27–28 | ||||||
| 2008 | First Round
Quarterfinals Semifinals |
WoffordVillanovaMontana | W 38–35 | W 31–27
L 27–35 | |||||
| 2011 | First Round
Second Round |
Eastern KentuckyNorth Dakota State | W 20–17 | L 14–26 | |||||
| 2014 | First Round | Liberty | L 21–26 | ||||||
| 2015 | Second Round | Colgate | L 38–44 | ||||||
| 2016 | Second Round
Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game |
New HampshireSam Houston StateNorth Dakota StateYoungstown State | W 55–22 | W 65–7 | W 27–17 | W 28–14 | |||
| 2017 | Second Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | National Championship Game | Stony BrookWeber StateSouth Dakota StateNorth Dakota State | W 26–7 | W 31–28 | W 51–16 | L 13–17 |
| 2018 | First Round
Second Round |
DelawareColgate | W 20–6
L 20–23 | ||||||
| 2019 | Second Round
Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game |
MonmouthNorthern IowaWeber StateNorth Dakota State | W 66–21
W 17–0 W 30–14 L 20–28 | ||||||
| 2020 | First Round
Quarterfinals Semifinals |
VMINorth DakotaSam Houston State | W 31–24
W 34–21 L 35–38 | ||||||
| 2021 | Second Round
Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Southeastern LouisianaMontanaNorth Dakota State | W 59–20
W 28–6 L 14–20 |
Bowl games[]
| Season | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Armed Forces Bowl | Air Force | L 21–31 |
| 2024 | Boca Raton Bowl | Western Kentucky | W 27–17 |
Rivalries[]
William & Mary[]
James Madison celebrates 2004 FCS title
Main article: James Madison–William & Mary football rivalry The James Madison University (JMU) and William & Mary (W&M) football rivalry is a significant matchup within Virginia college football, marked by a deep-rooted history and competitive intensity. Here's an in-depth look at the rivalry:
- First Meeting: The rivalry began on October 25, 1978, with James Madison defeating William & Mary 21-10.
- Series Record: As of the end of the 2023 season, James Madison leads the all-time series with a record of 27-17.
- Most Recent Game: The most recent matchup occurred on November 13, 2021, when JMU defeated William & Mary 32-22.
Old Dominion[]
Main article: Royal Rivalry
On October 26, 2022, the JMU Dukes and in-state rival Old Dominion Monarchs announced the official beginning of the "Royal Rivalry". As the Virginia-based schools within the Sun Belt Conference, they will compete for an all-sports trophy that contains a football component and draws its name from the royal inspiration of both schools' mascots.
JMU leads the football series at 3–2. JMU won the most recent meeting 35–32 on November 16, 2024.
Liberty[]
Main article: Liberty–James Madison football rivalry
The football rivalry between James Madison University (JMU) and Liberty University is notable within the context of mid-Atlantic college football, particularly during the years when both programs competed in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). As of 2024 the Duke hold a 12-6 edge on the Flames, the teams have recently schedule a future home-away series beginning in 2025.
Other rivalries[]
Other rivals of the Dukes include Delaware University from Conference USA, and in-state rival the Richmond University Spiders.
Overview/History[]
The JMU football team has been the centerpiece of JMU sports since the early 1990s. Under former head coach Mickey Matthews, the Dukes continued their rise in national prominence, winning the 2004 FCS National Championship. The Dukes won their second National Championship in 2016 and finished as national runners-up in 2017 and 2019. Notable Dukes include Charles Haley, one of two players to win five Super Bowl rings and is also an inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame;[1] Scott Norwood, of the Buffalo Bills; Gary Clark, an All-Pro wide receiver for the Washington Redskins; and Arthur Moats, a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers who is known for delivering the sack that led to the end of the record streak of consecutive starts made by Brett Favre in the NFL.
Just five years after (then) Madison College had become a coeducational institution, the Dukes fielded their first football team. Football was the brainchild of Dr. Ronald Carrier, Madison's president at the time, who was attempting to change the psychology of the campus away from an all-women's teachers college.[2] The first game took place on October 7, 1972 against Shepherd College's junior varsity team at Harrisonburg High School. The team consisted of a few dozen walk-ons and was coached by 30-year-old Challace McMillin.
In 1975, the Dukes had their first undefeated season and won the Virginia College Athletic Association title. Two players, Madison Hall of Fame quarterback Les Branich and offensive guard Jeff Adams, played on both the Dukes' only winless season in 1972 and its only undefeated season in 1975.[2][3]
For the 1980 season, Madison made the jump from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division I-AA where they played as an Independent through 1992. After twelve seasons the Dukes would join the Yankee Conference, which would become the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1997, then finally the Colonial Athletic Association in 2007.[4]
Affiliations[]
Logos/Uniforms[]
References[]
- ↑ "2011 College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinees".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "JMU – First Football Game", James Madison University.
- ↑ "JMU – Undefeated Season", James Madison University.
- ↑ "College Football Data Warehouse".