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James Madison Dukes

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James Madison Dukes
Logo
UniversityJames Madison University
ConferenceSun Belt (primary)
MAC (field hockey)
AAC (women's lacrosse)
NCAADivision I (FBS)
Athletic directorMatt Roan
LocationHarrisonburg, Virginia
Varsity teams19
Football stadiumBridgeforth Stadium
Basketball arenaAtlantic Union Bank Center
Baseball stadiumEagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park
Soccer stadiumSentara Park
MascotDuke Dog
NicknameDukes
Fight songJMU Fight Song
ColorsPurple and gold[1]
   
Websitejmusports.com

The James Madison Dukes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent James Madison University (JMU), in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The name "Dukes" is derived from Samuel Page Duke, the university's second president. The Dukes play as members of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), which sponsors sports at the NCAA Division I level. In football, JMU participates in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of Division I, formerly known as Division I-A.[2] JMU was a charter member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), (now known as the Coastal Athletic Association). The Dukes officially left the CAA and joined the SBC in 2022, participating in Division I FBS football and other sports sponsored by the conference.[3]

The university mascot, Duke Dog, is frequently seen at many sporting events, and the school colors are royal purple and gold. JMU has won five NCAA national championships, third-most among Virginia colleges and universities, trailing only Virginia (31) and Old Dominion (28).

JMU's women's athletics tradition is among the oldest in the nation, dating nearly back to the institution's founding in 1908. Strong intercollegiate programs for women have been in place at the university since the early 1920s, and JMU was among the first of the nation's institutions to provide well-rounded overall intercollegiate offerings for females. Men's athletics began at JMU when it admitted its first men in the late 1940s, and a comprehensive program for men began evolving in the late 1960s when the university became fully coeducational.[4]

Sports sponsored

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JMU sponsors an 18-sport intercollegiate athletics program. JMU has men's athletics programs in baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, and tennis. For women, the university offers programs in basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor), and volleyball.[5]

Sun Belt Conference logo in JMU's colors
Men's sports Women's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross country
Football Field hockey
Golf Golf
Soccer Lacrosse
Tennis Soccer
Softball
Swimming and diving
Tennis
Track and field1
Volleyball
Cheerleading
1 – includes both indoor and outdoor

Baseball

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Main article: James Madison Dukes baseball
JMU Baseball Stadium

The JMU baseball team's head coach is Marlin Ikenberry. Founded in 1970, the JMU baseball team played at Long Field at Mauck Stadium through the end of the 2009 season. In 2010 they opened play at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park, the school's new baseball and softball complex. The "Diamond Dukes," as the team is known, have compiled a 1092-670-8 all-time record and have made the NCAA tournament eight times, most recently in 2024. Billy Sample is JMU's most famous baseball alumnus, who played in 862 career major league games with the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves.

In the 2006 season, JMU had the top-two home run hitters in Division I. One of them, Kellen Kulbacki, placed in the top five in all three of the triple crown categories. Kulbacki received the 2006 National Player of the Year award as a sophomore. In 2008, the Dukes won their first CAA Championship defeating Towson University qualifying the team for the 2008 NCAA Division I baseball tournament hosted by North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Dukes also won the CAA Championship in 2011 defeating Old Dominion University qualifying the team for the 2011 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

Men's basketball

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Main article: James Madison Dukes men's basketball
Poster depicting the 1987–88 James Madison basketball players

The men's basketball team at JMU was founded in 1945. On March 25, 2008, it was announced that Matt Brady, former head coach of Marist College, had accepted the position of Head Men's Basketball Coach. Brady replaced Dean Keener who resigned after four years as head coach. Prior to Dean Keener, Lou Campanelli and Charles "Lefty" Driesell enjoyed long and successful tenures in the position. The men moved to the new Atlantic Union Bank Center (capacity 8,500) in fall 2020 after a 28-season tenure in the James Madison University Convocation Center (capacity 6,426). The Dukes have appeared in the NCAA tournament five times, most recently in the 2013 tournament. Their combined record is 4–5.

They've also been selected to compete in the NIT five times, most recently at the end of the 1993 season. At the end of the 2008–09 season, the Dukes were selected for the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason tournament. JMU made the semifinals before losing to CAA conference rival and eventual CIT champion Old Dominion Monarchs. The men's basketball team has compiled an all-time record of 567–432. On March 12, 2013, the Dukes defeated Northeastern University to win the CAA tournament, earning an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. This is the first appearance in the tournament since 1994 and only the second time in school history they have won the CAA.[6]

Women's basketball

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Main article: James Madison Dukes women's basketball

The women's basketball team was founded in 1920 making it one of the longest-running women's basketball programs in the country. The team has made the NCAA tournament eleven times, most recently in the 2013–14 season. They have gone to the WNIT six times. A perennial postseason participant throughout the 1980s, the program has seen a revival in recent years. Nationally recognized JMU players who have recently graduated include Meredith Alexis (2007) who has continued to play professional basketball in Europe. Alexis holds the CAA record for most career rebounds and was the school's all-time leading scorer before being passed by Tamera Young during the 2007–08 season. Young would graduate and finish the 2008 season having established a new all-time CAA scoring record and was selected in the first round (8th overall) of the 2008 WNBA draft.

Dawn Evans, was an Associated Press All-American honorable mention in 2009 after finishing the season as the nation's third leading scorer, and was named CAA Player of the Year in 2011. The team won the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association championship for the first time since 1989, defeating ODU in the championship game, and again in 2011, defeating the University of Delaware. In 2012 the team competed in the WNIT defeating Davidson, Wake Forest, South Florida, Virginia, and Syracuse to reach the championship game. Competing for their first ever WNIT title, they played Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma and lost 75–68. As of 2010, the women's basketball team had compiled an all-time record of 779–447–5. On January 6, 2015, the Dukes became the 3rd NCAA women's basketball team to reach 1000 wins in program history, defeating the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks 74–57.

The Dukes women moved into Atlantic Union Bank Center alongside the men in fall 2020.

Field hockey

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Field hockey field and athletics track

The field hockey team, currently coached by former Old Dominion field hockey standout and 1984 Olympian Christy Morgan, has enjoyed great success, winning the national championship in 1994 over North Carolina in double overtime.[7] The team has made the NCAA tournament nine times since the tournament started in 1981, most recently in the 2008 season.[8]

With JMU's move to the Sun Belt in 2022, a conference which does not sponsor field hockey, the Dukes field hockey program became an independent effective for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In April 2023, the school and the Mid-American Conference reached an agreement for the field hockey team to become an affiliate member of the conference beginning in the 2024 season. [9]

Football

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Main article: James Madison Dukes football
James Madison (in white) v Air Force at the 2023 Armed Forces Bowl

The Dukes played their first season in 1972 and were coached by Challace McMillin until 1984. Madison moved from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division I-AA in 1980 and would join what is now the Colonial Athletic Association's football conference in 1993 (at the time it was an independent entity known as the Yankee Conference). The football team's popularity grew with the addition of head coach Mickey Matthews in 1999, who in 2004 led JMU to their first National Championship, defeating Montana by a score of 31–21 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Since that time, the Dukes have proven to be one of the more formidable teams in all of FCS football. In 2010, JMU went on the road to defeat Virginia Tech in what was one of the biggest upsets in college football history.[10]

On January 7, 2017, JMU won their second National Championship in the program's history, defeating Youngstown State by a score of 28–14 in Frisco, Texas.[11] During the 2017 season, JMU continued its dominance over FCS competition, reaching its second consecutive title game with a 14–0 record before losing a close game to emerging rival North Dakota State, 17–13. The decade of dominance by NDSU, combined with the short-term dominance by James Madison, made it one of the most anticipated title games in the history of FCS Football.[12]

Notable Dukes include Charles Haley, one of only two players to win five Super Bowl rings and inductee of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame;[13] Scott Norwood, the Buffalo Bills' all-time leading scorer; and Gary Clark, an All-Pro wide receiver for the Washington Redskins (now the Washington Commanders).

Softball

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Main article: James Madison Dukes softball

Men's soccer

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Main article: James Madison Dukes men's soccer

Women's lacrosse

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Main article: James Madison Dukes women's lacrosse

JMU has fielded a women's lacrosse team every year since 1969, when the program began. It became a member of the CAA in 1992 and has played its conference schedule against Colonial teams every year since then. The Dukes currently compete as an affiliate member of the American Athletic Conference.[14]

JMU Lacrosse won the school's fourth Division I National Championship in May 2018, when JMU's senior-laden team capped a Cinderella run with a 16–15 win over Boston College.[15]

National championships and playoff appearances

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National Championships
Football (DI-AA/FCS) 2004, 2016
Field Hockey 1994
Women's Lacrosse 2018
Archery 1995
Division I FCS Playoff Appearances
Football 1987, 1991, 1994, 1995,
1999, 2004, 2006, 2007,
2008, 2011, 2014, 2015,
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019,
2020
Men's College World Series appearances
Baseball 1983
Women's College World Series appearances
Softball 2021
NCAA tournament Appearances
Baseball 1976, 1980, 1981, 1983,
1988, 1995, 2002, 2008,
2011, 2024
Men's Basketball 1981, 1982, 1983, 1994,
2013
Women's Basketball 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989,
1995, 2007, 2010, 2011,
2014, 2015, 2016, 2023
Field Hockey 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997,
1999, 2002, 2006, 2007,
2008
Women's Lacrosse 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999,
2000, 2001, 2003, 2004,
2006, 2010, 2011, 2015,
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
Men's Soccer 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976,
1992, 1993, 1994, 1995,
1996, 2000, 2001, 2005,
2011, 2014, 2018
Women's Soccer 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998,
1999, 2002, 2004, 2007,
2008, 2010
Softball 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016,
2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
Volleyball 2016, 2017, 2022

Rivalries

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Old Dominion

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Main article: Royal Rivalry

On October 26, 2022, the JMU Dukes and in-state rival Old Dominion University announced the official beginning of the "Royal Rivalry".[16] 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.

Title IX compliance

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On September 29, 2006, the James Madison University Board of Visitors announced that ten sports teams would be eliminated effective July 1, 2007.[17] The affected teams were men's archery, cross country, gymnastics, indoor track, outdoor track, swimming, and wrestling, as well as women's archery, fencing, and gymnastics. The stated reason for the cuts was to comply with Title IX requirements, specifically that the ratio of male-to-female student athletes match the whole student population. Many students were angered by the cuts, complaining that only less-popular sports were affected, and not sports such as football. Numerous editorials have appeared in newspapers across the country, both in support of and against the decision. On October 12, the United States Olympic Committee sent a letter to President Rose and Athletic Director Jeff Bourne, asking them to reconsider the decision to eliminate all ten teams.[18]

This action, however, was not without precedent. In March 2001, JMU's Board of Visitors was presented with four options for bringing the athletic program into compliance with Title IX. At that time, the options as presented to the board were to maintain the status quo, eliminate eight teams as recommended by JMU's Centennial Sports Committee, create a two-tiered system consisting of scholarship and non-scholarship teams as recommended by the administration, or raise student fees to fund an endowment for athletic scholarships as recommended by athletic coaches. Board of Visitors Athletic Committee chair Pablo Cuevas was paraphrased in The Breeze as stating that the option of maintaining the status quo was not viable due to concerns regarding Title IX. At that time, the teams under consideration for elimination were men's wrestling, swimming, archery, gymnastics, and tennis, and women's gymnastics, archery, and fencing.[19] The Board of Visitors, in a unanimous vote, ultimately decided to adopt the administration's recommendation of a two-tiered system of scholarship and non-scholarship teams. The non-scholarship teams were men's swimming, indoor and outdoor track and field, cross country, golf, wrestling, tennis, gymnastics, and women's swimming. Athletic director Jeff Bourne stated that the plan to eliminate scholarship funding would be implemented gradually over four to five years, as all then-active scholarships would be honored, and that verbal commitments to scholarships made by coaches to potential recruits would also be honored.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Color Information" (PDF). JMU Official Athletics Identity Usage and Style Guide. July 12, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "JMU to the Sun Belt: Frequently Asked Questions". JMUSports.com. November 6, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  3. ^ "James Madison to Compete in the Sun Belt Conference Beginning Fall 2022" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  4. ^ "JMU Athletics At A Glance". JMUSports.com. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  5. ^ "Athletics At a Glance". James Madison University Athletics. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  6. ^ Borzello, Jeff. "Tiny Dancers: James Madison". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  7. ^ "NCAA Field Hockey Champions". Usfieldhockey.com. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
  8. ^ "#4 JMU draws #12 Virginia in NCAA Field Hockey First Round – JMUSports.com—Official Web site of James Madison University Athletics". JMUSports.com. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
  9. ^ "James Madison To Join MAC As Affiliate Member in Field Hockey in 2024". Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  10. ^ "Va. Tech suffers 2nd loss in 6 days as James Madison pulls off upset". ESPN. September 11, 2010. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010.
  11. ^ "James Madison wins FCS title, beats Youngstown State". ESPN.com. January 7, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  12. ^ "North Dakota St. edges JMU to regain FCS title". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  13. ^ "Inductees: Charles Haley". College Football Hall of Fame. Atlanta Hall Management, Inc. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  14. ^ "American Adds James Madison University as Affiliate Member in Women's Lacrosse" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  15. ^ "2018 women's NCAA lacrosse championships – James Madison Dukes gut it out against Boston College Eagles, complete dream season with national title". espnW. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  16. ^ "'Royal Rivalry': ODU and JMU create new challenge — with trophy on the line". October 26, 2022.
  17. ^ "JMU Enacts Proportionality Plan to Comply with Title IX" (Press release). James Madison University. September 29, 2006. Archived from the original on August 27, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
  18. ^ "Letter from United States Olympic Committee" (PDF). United States Olympic Committee. October 12, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2006. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
  19. ^ Jones, Sarah (March 22, 2001). "BOV to decide athletic future". The Breeze. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
  20. ^ Jones, Sarah (March 26, 2001). "Final Verdict – BOV votes to cut scholarships". The Breeze. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2006.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Madison University athletics.
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