James Madison Dukes football

Virginian college American football team

James Madison Dukes football

| | 2025 James Madison Dukes football team

|

First season| 1972; 53 years ago
Athletic director| Matt Roan
Head coach| Bob Chesney
1st season, 9–4 (.692)
Stadium| Bridgeforth Stadium
(capacity: 24,877)
Field| Zane Showker Field
Field surface| FieldTurf
Location| Harrisonburg, Virginia
NCAA division| Division I FBS
Conference| Sun Belt Conference
Division| East
All-time record| 378-229-4 (.622)
Bowl record| 1-1 (.500)
Playoff appearances| Div. I FCS: 18
Playoff record| Div. I FCS: 24–16
Claimed national titles| Div. I FCS: 2 (2004, 2016)
Conference titles| 9 (1975, 1999, 2004, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Division titles| 5 (1994, 2006, 2020, 2022, 2023)
Rivalries| Delaware (rivalry)
Old Dominion (rivalry)

Colors| Purple and gold[1]

Fight song| "JMU Fight Song"
Mascot| Duke Dog
Marching band| Marching Royal Dukes
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.

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;[2] Scott Norwood, of the Buffalo Bills; Gary Clark, an All-Pro wide receiver for the Washington Commanders; 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 National Football League (NFL); and Aaron Stinnie, an offensive guard for the New York Giants who won a Super Bowl with the 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

## History

[edit]

See also: List of James Madison Dukes football seasons

### Early history (1972–1998)

[edit]

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.[3] 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 in both the Dukes' only winless season in 1972 and its only undefeated season in 1975.[3][4]

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 CAA Football, the legally separate football league operated by the all-sports Colonial Athletic Association (since renamed the Coastal Athletic Association), in 2007.[5]

### Mickey Matthews era (1999–2013)

[edit]

JMU vs. Central Connecticut State, September 10, 2011

The Dukes made the NCAA playoffs in former head coach Mickey Matthews' first year with the team and in 2004, the Dukes won the Division I-AA (now FCS) National Championship behind quarterback Justin Rascati and running back Raymond Hines. They were the first and only team to win three games on the road to advance to the national championship game. They returned to the playoffs in 2006 but suffered an early exit at the hands of Youngstown State University. The Dukes went to the playoffs again in 2007, traveling to Appalachian State in the first round. While down 27–28, JMU lost the game with a fumble on the ASU 8-yard line in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter. In 2008, they posted a 10–1 season record (the lone loss coming in the season opener to FBS team Duke) and received the top seed in the playoffs behind sensational quarterback Rodney Landers. After defeating Wofford and Villanova (for the second time that season), they were defeated by the Montana Grizzlies in the semi-final round after Landers went down with an ankle injury. In the second week of the 2010 season, JMU beat then #13 FBS ranked Virginia Tech in Blacksburg 21-16[6]

A $62 million stadium expansion to Bridgeforth was completed in 2011, adding an upper deck, club seating and 17 private suites. Bridgeforth's official seating capacity is approximately 24,877, and is designed so it can be expanded to seat over 40,000.

Matthews gained his 100th career victory on October 6, 2012, in a 13–10 win over the Towson Tigers.[7]

At the end of the 2013 season, after going 6–6 and missing the FCS playoff for the fourth time in five years, Mickey Matthews was let go as the head football coach after 15 seasons at the helm for the JMU Dukes.[8]

### Everett Withers era (2014–2015)

[edit]

On December 21, 2013, Everett Withers, assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State was named as the sixth head coach in the program's history by athletic director, Jeff Bourne.[9] Prior to his work at Ohio State, Withers was interim head coach for North Carolina during the 2011 season after the dismissal of Butch Davis.[10] His first win as interim head coach at North Carolina was against the Mickey Matthews led James Madison Dukes on September 3, 2011.[11] While at JMU Withers compiled a 19-7 overall mark while making playoff appearances in both of his years in Harrisonburg. He also helped JMU receive national attention when ESPN's College GameDay show traveled to Harrisonburg to feature the 2015 Dukes.

### Mike Houston era (2016–2018)

[edit]

On January 18, 2016, James Madison named Mike Houston as head coach of the Dukes football program. Houston was formerly head coach of the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (2011–13) and Citadel Bulldogs (2014-15). Houston was very successful at Lenoir-Rhyne claiming three conference championships and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Football National Championship. At The Citadel, Houston led the Bulldogs to their first SoCon conference championship since 1992.[12] In 2016 Houston defeated 4 FCS top 25 teams on the road as he led the Dukes to the 2016 CAA Football title with a 20–7 win over Villanova University gaining the university's first ever back to back titles. In the 2016 FCS playoff second round, he and the Dukes defeated the University of New Hampshire 55–22. The Dukes then went on to defeat Sam Houston State 65–7 in the NCAA FCS Quarterfinals. In the Semifinals, Mike Houston's Dukes defeated the five-time NCAA Division I FCS champions the North Dakota State University Bison 27–17, giving them the opportunity to face Youngstown State in the National Title Game on January 7, 2017, in Frisco, Texas. JMU won the National Championship in decisive fashion, with a score of 28–14 (Youngstown State scored a meaningless touchdown with seconds left in the game) on a cold, 15 °F afternoon in Frisco, Texas

On January 7, 2017, JMU faced the Youngstown State Penguins for the 2016 FCS National Championship at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. JMU got off to a fast start, leading Youngstown 21–0 by the middle of the second quarter. JMU QB Bryan Schor had two quick passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown by JMU RB Khalid Abdullah got the game started quickly for the Dukes. Youngstown State battled back to score just before halftime to make it a 21-7 game at the half. JMU added another touchdown early in the third quarter extending their lead to 28-7. Youngstown State added a touchdown late in the 4th quarter but the game had already been decided. JMU finished off the game winning their second national championship by a final score of 28-14. JMU QB Bryan Schor threw for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns, JMU RB Khalid Abdullah rushed for over 100 yards and 2 touchdowns and JMU DB Jordan Brown finished with 7 tackles to lead the JMU defensive effort.[13][14]

The Dukes started their title defense season on September 2, 2017, with a dominating win against Division 1 FBS members East Carolina,[15][16] winning by a score of 34-14 to claim a victory over a team from college football's highest division for the second time in three seasons. The Dukes went on to finish with a perfect regular season record, including an 8–0 record in CAA Football — becoming the first team since 1977 to go undefeated in back-to-back CAA campaigns.[17] On Sunday November 19, JMU was awarded the #1 seed in the 2017 FCS Playoffs by the Selection Committee.[18] After a first-round bye, JMU faced the Stony Brook Seawolves in the FCS Second Round, winning by a score of 26-7.[19] In the FCS Quarterfinals, the Dukes faced Big Sky member Weber State. Trailing late in the 4th quarter, JMU eventually won the game on a last second field goal, advancing to the FCS semifinals to face South Dakota State, from the Missouri Valley Football Conference. In this game, the Dukes, bolstered by 10 takeaways on defense, cruised to an easy 51-16 victory,[20] and earned a return trip to Frisco, TX to defend their 2016 National Championship. In the Title game, the Dukes were plagued by dropped passes and uncharacteristic turnovers, and fell to the North Dakota State Bison by a score of 17-13.[21]

In 2017, JMU set program and CAA record winning streaks. Before falling to North Dakota State, the Dukes won their previous 26 games, dating back to the 2016 season, the 2nd longest winning streak in FCS history (NDSU- 33 games[22]).

On December 12, 2017, James Madison announced Mike Houston had signed a 10-year contract extension to keep him at the school through the 2027 season.[23]

The Dukes entered the 2018 season ranked second nationally,[24] behind only the defending national champion North Dakota State, and faced NC State to start the 2018 campaign, losing a close game by a score of 24-13.[25] JMU then won its next four games as they held their #2 ranking. The Dukes then had their 19 game home win streak snapped[26] against Elon who was ranked #10 in the country at the time. The Dukes also faced an uncharacteristic loss to New Hampshire later in the season[27] as their record fell to 6-3. JMU won out the rest of the season but failed to win a share of the conference title for the first time since 2014. They earned an at large bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs[28] and faced Delaware in the First round, winning 20-6.[29] The Dukes then traveled to Colgate in the second round of the playoffs amid rumors of Mike Houstons departure.[30] JMU lost this game on a last second field goal. During the game, starting quarterback for JMU Ben DiNucci threw 5 interceptions and threw for 0 touchdowns as the Dukes lost 20-23.[31] At the end of the season, JMU finished with a 9-4 record.

Following the conclusion of the 2018 season, Mike Houston accepted the position of head coach at East Carolina University.[32]

### Curt Cignetti era (2019–2023)

[edit]

JMU vs. Richmond, November 16, 2019

On December 14, 2018, it was announced that former Elon football head coach Curt Cignetti would be the 8th head coach of James Madisons football program.[33]

The Dukes entered the 2019 season with 19 starters returning and a preseason ranking of #1 but not a consensus #1 as NDSU once again entered the season at #1 throughout most FCS polls.[34]

#2 James Madison came three yards shy of forcing a potential overtime in the NCAA Division I Championship Game, but a late interception sealed a third consecutive national title for #1 North Dakota State in a 28-20 victory for the Bison on Saturday afternoon at Toyota Stadium. The Bison concluded the 2019 season with a perfect 16-0 record,[35] while the Dukes saw their 14-game win streak end, completing the campaign at 14-2. JMU's 2019 senior class finished their careers with the most wins in school history, with 51 victories,[36] and the Dukes are now 2-2 overall in national-title games. JMU also finished 2019 tied for the most wins in a single season, with 14. This matches the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Since 2016, all three meetings with JMU and NDSU have been decided by 10 points or less, a touchdown game in each of the national-title game matchups.

On November 6, 2021, it was announced that the James Madison football program had accepted an invitation to move up to the FBS and would join the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 2023 football season.[37] In response to this announcement, the all-sports CAA announced that James Madison would be banned from the conference's championships for the remainder of their time in the conference. This ban did not apply to football because CAA Football had no such provision in its bylaws.[38]

Subsequently, James Madison announced they had finalized their departure from the CAA on February 2, 2022, and would join the FBS and the Sun Belt for the 2022-23 season.[39]

JMU's arrival in FBS made the Dukes the second program, after UCF, to have played at all four current levels of NCAA football.

On October 9, 2022, the Dukes became the first ever first-year FBS program to be ranked in the AP Top 25, ranked 25. The Dukes finished the 2022 season with an 8-3 record and tied for the best record in the Sun Belt East.[40]

In November 2023, the Dukes earned their highest ever ranking in the AP poll, ranked 18.[41] On November 18, James Madison University hosted ESPN's College Gameday for the first time as an FBS school (third time overall).[42] The Dukes finished the regular season with an 11-1 record and received an invitation to play Air Force in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, falling to the Falcons 21-31 in the team's first ever bowl game appearance.[43]

On November 30, 2023, Cignetti departed James Madison University to become the head coach at Indiana.[44]

### Bob Chesney era (2024–present)

[edit]

On December 7, 2023, Bob Chesney was hired from Holy Cross.[45] The Dukes went 9-4 in his first season at the relm, the season culminating in the program's first ever Bowl win at the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl.

## Current coaching staff

[edit]

Name | Position | Year joined | Alma mater

|
|
|

Bob Chesney | Head coach | 2024 | Dickinson (2000)
Dean Kennedy | Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks | 2024 | Rochester (2014)
Drew Canan | Special Teams coordinator/tight ends | 2024 | Johnson & Wales (2005)
Lyle Hemphill | Defensive coordinator/Nickelbacks | 2024 | Ursinus College (2002)
Chris Smith | Offensive line/Run game coordinator | 2024 | Holy Cross (2009)
Anthony DiMichele | Safeties/Recruiting coordinator | 2024 | Holy Cross (2011)
Eddie Whitley Jr. | Cornerbacks | 2020 | Virginia Tech (2012)
David Sims Jr. | Running backs | 2024 | Georgia Tech (2013)
Justin Harper | Wide receivers | 2024 | Virginia Tech (2007)
Chris Zarkoskie | Senior offensive analyst | 2024 | New Hampshire (2013)
Matt Moran | Senior special teams analyst | 2024 | Bowdoin (2010)
Mike Cordova | Graduate assistant (offense) | 2024 | Stonehill (2019)
Nick Sproles | Graduate assistant (offense) | 2024 | Florida (2020)
Sam Daniels | Defensive line | 2024 | James Madison (2010)
Zach Sparber | Linebackers | 2024 | Brown (2015)
Jason Novak | Director of strength and conditioning | 2024 | Stephen F. Austin State (1998)
Paul Cipriano | Associate director of strength and conditioning | 2024 | North Central (2013)
Kyle Barnes | Senior defensive analyst | 2024 | Assumption (2018)
Justice Seales | Graduate assistant (defense) | 2024 | Marist (2020)

## Conference affiliations

[edit]

* 1972–1973: Independent
* 1974–1975: Virginia Collegiate Athletic Association
* 1976: NCAA Division II Independent
* 1977–1978: NCAA Division III Independent
* 1979: NCAA Division II Independent
* 1980–1992: NCAA Division I-AA Independent
* 1993–1996: Yankee Conference
* 1997–2006: Atlantic 10 Conference
* 2007–2021: CAA Football
* 2022–present: Sun Belt Conference

## Rivalries

[edit]

### Old Dominion

[edit]

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".[46] 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.

### Delaware

[edit]

Main article: Delaware–James Madison football rivalry

### Richmond

[edit]

Main article: James Madison–Richmond football rivalry

### William & Mary

[edit]

Main article: James Madison–William & Mary football rivalry

## Championships

[edit]

### National championships

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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
2023 | Sun Belt East | Curt Cignetti | 11-2 | 7-1 | Ineligible
Total division championships | 5

## Postseason results

[edit]

### FCS Playoffs

[edit]

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 | Delaware
Samford | W 42–35
L 21–24
1994 | First Round
Quarterfinals | Troy State
Marshall | 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 | Lehigh
Furman
William & Mary
Montana | 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 | Wofford
Villanova
Montana | W 38–35
W 31–27
L 27–35
2011 | First Round
Second Round | Eastern Kentucky
North 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 Hampshire
Sam Houston State
North Dakota State
Youngstown State | W 55–22
W 65–7
W 27–17
W 28–14
2017 | Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship Game | Stony Brook
Weber State
South Dakota State
North Dakota State | W 26–7
W 31–28
W 51–16
L 13–17
2018 | First Round
Second Round | Delaware
Colgate | W 20–6
L 20–23
2019 | Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
National Championship Game  | Monmouth
Northern Iowa
Weber State
North Dakota State | W 66–21
W 17–0
W 30–14
L 20–28
2020 | First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals | VMI
North Dakota
Sam Houston State | W 31–24
W 34–21
L 35–38
2021 | Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals | Southeastern Louisiana
Montana
North Dakota State | W 59–20
W 28–6
L 14–20

### Bowl games

[edit]

Season  | Bowl  | Opponent  | Result

|
|
|

2023 | Armed Forces Bowl | Air Force | L 21–31
2024 | Boca Raton Bowl | Western Kentucky | W 27–17

## Head coaches

[edit]

Head Coach  | Years  | W-L-T  | Pct.

|
|
|

Challace McMillin | 1972–1984 | 67–60–2 | .527
Joe Purzycki | 1985–1990 | 34–30–2 | .530
Rip Scherer | 1991–1994 | 29–19 | .604
Alex Wood | 1995–1998 | 23–22 | .511
Mickey Matthews | 1999–2013 | 109–71 | .606
Everett Withers | 2014–2015 | 18–7 | .720
Mike Houston | 2016–2018 | 37–6 | .860
Curt Cignetti | 2019–2023 | 52–9 | .852
Damian Wroblewski | 2023 (interim) | 0–1 | .000
Bob Chesney | 2024–present  | 9–4  | .692
Totals  | Coaches  | Seasons  | Wins  | Losses  | Ties  | Pct.

|
|
|
|
|
|

1972–2024  | 10  | 53  | 378 | 229 | 4  | .622

[47]

## Future non-conference opponents

[edit]

Announced schedules as of December 13, 2024[48]

2025  | 2026  | 2027  | 2028  | 2029  | 2030  | 2031  | 2032  | 2033  | 2034

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Weber State | Liberty | at Maryland | Delaware | at UCF |  | Liberty |  |  |
at Louisville | Wagner |  | at Miami (OH) | at Akron | Akron | at Delaware | at Liberty | Liberty | at Liberty
at Liberty | at Virginia Tech | at Delaware | at North Carolina | Charlotte | Norfolk State | Miami (OH) | Delaware |  |
Washington State | at UConn |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Color Information" (PDF). JMU Official Athletics Identity Usage and Style Guide. July 12, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
2. ^ "2011 College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinees". Archived from the original on July 13, 2012.
3. ^ a b "JMU – First Football Game". James Madison University. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
4. ^ "JMU – Undefeated Season". James Madison University. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
5. ^ "College Football Data Warehouse". Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
6. ^ "FCS #11 Jmu Defeats FBS #13 Virginia Tech 21-16". September 11, 2010.
7. ^ Thorpe's Game-Winning Drive Lifts #5 Football Over #12 Towson, 13–10
8. ^ "JMU dismisses football coach Matthews – Richmond Times-Dispatch: College Football". Timesdispatch.com. November 25, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
9. ^ "James Madison hires Ohio State assistant Withers as head coach". FoxSports.com. Associated Press. December 21, 2013. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
10. ^ "Everett Withers Named Carolina's Interim Head Football Coach". tarheelblue.com. 2011. Archived from the original on April 8, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
11. ^ "Renner's Record Setting Day Powers 42–10 Tar Heel Win". tarheelblue.com. 2011. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
12. ^ "JMU Names Mike Houston Head Football Coach". James Madison Athletics. 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
13. ^ "NATIONAL CHAMPS! JMU Tops Youngstown State 28-14". James Madison University Athletics. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
14. ^ "James Madison shuts down Youngstown State to claim second national championship". SBNation.com. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
15. ^ "East Carolina blown out by James Madison in opening football game on September 2, 2017 | News & Observer". Archived from the original on November 9, 2017.
16. ^ "JMU, who just beat ECU, is the latest FCS team you shouldn't schedule". September 2, 2017.
17. ^ "CAA Football Rewind - Nov. 18".
18. ^ "Four CAAFB Teams Receive FCS Playoff berths".
19. ^ "Stony Brook vs. James Madison - Game Recap - December 2, 2017 - ESPN".
20. ^ "South Dakota State vs. James Madison - Game Recap - December 16, 2017 - ESPN".
21. ^ "North Dakota State edges James Madison to win FCS championship". January 6, 2018.
22. ^ "Panthers snap North Dakota State's 33-game win streak". The Des Moines Register.
23. ^ "Houston staying at James Madison through '27". December 12, 2017.
24. ^ "FCS Football Rankings - FCS Coaches Poll | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
25. ^ "Dukes Drop Opener, 24-13, at NC State". James Madison University Athletics. September 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
26. ^ "Last-Minute Touchdown Lifts #10 Elon Past #2 JMU, 27-24". James Madison University Athletics. October 6, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
27. ^ "Dukes Drop Road Contest at New Hampshire". James Madison University Athletics. November 3, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
28. ^ "Dukes Earn Fifth Straight Berth in Playoffs, Host Delaware Saturday in First Round". James Madison University Athletics. November 18, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
29. ^ "Defensive Dominance Propels #6 JMU Past #21 Delaware in FCS First Round". James Madison University Athletics. November 24, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
30. ^ Lin, Daniel. "Charlotte 49ers withdraw football coaching offer from Mike Houston". charlotteobserver. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
31. ^ "Colgate Hits Walk-Off Field Goal to Upend Dukes, 23-20, in FCS Second Round". James Madison University Athletics. December 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
32. ^ "ECU hires Jon Gilbert as AD, Mike Houston as football coach". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
33. ^ "Curt Cignetti Takes Helm of James Madison Football". James Madison University Athletics. December 14, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
34. ^ "JMU Ranked #1 in HERO Sports Preseason Top 25". James Madison University Athletics. June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
35. ^ "North Dakota State football beats James Madison for eighth FCS championship | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
36. ^ "Dukes Stopped Just Short in Title Game to NDSU, 28-20". James Madison University Athletics. January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
37. ^ "James Madison Dukes making move to FBS, joining Sun Belt Conference". ESPN. November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
38. ^ "Predictably, Athletes Take the Biggest Hit as CAA Bans Departing JMU from Championships". Sports Illustrated. November 4, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
39. ^ "James Madison to Compete in the Sun Belt Conference Beginning Fall 2022". sunbeltsports.org. February 2, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
40. ^ "Sun Belt Standings 2022". www.warrennolan.com. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
41. ^ "JMU Rises to #18 in AP Top 25". jmusports.com. November 12, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
42. ^ "Undefeated and nationally ranked, JMU to host ESPN's 'College GameDay'". www.richmond.com. November 12, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
43. ^ "No. 24 James Madison and Air Force to Meet in Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl". www.armedforcesbowl.com. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
44. ^ "Curt Cignetti leaving JMU to become head coach at Indiana". www.whsv.com. November 30, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
45. ^ "JMU hires Holy Cross' Chesney as head coach". ESPN.com. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
46. ^ "'Royal Rivalry': ODU and JMU create new challenge — with trophy on the line". October 26, 2022.
47. ^ "NCAA Statistics".
48. ^ "Future James Madison Football Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 14, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

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James Madison University

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* Bridgeforth Stadium
* Convocation Center
* Godwin Hall

Related|

* Royal Rivalry

Campus|

* Wilson Hall
* John C. Wells Planetarium
* Edith J. Carrier Arboretum

People|

* Alumni

Media|

* The Breeze
* WMRA
* WXJM

Student life|

* Duke Dog
* Marching Royal Dukes
* Student Success Center

* Founded: 1908
* Students: 21,496
* Endowment: 154.7 million
* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Sun Belt Conference football

East Division|

* Appalachian State Mountaineers
* Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
* Georgia Southern Eagles
* Georgia State Panthers
* James Madison Dukes
* Marshall Thundering Herd
* Old Dominion Monarchs

West Division|

* Arkansas State Red Wolves
* Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
* Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks
* South Alabama Jaguars
* Southern Miss Golden Eagles
* Texas State Bobcats
* Troy Trojans

Championships & awards|

* Conference champions
* Championship game
* All-time standings
* Individual awards

Seasons|

* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

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