James Madison Dukes football
| James Madison Dukes football | |||
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| First season | 1972 | ||
| Head coach | Everett Withers 2nd year, 19–7 (.731) |
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| Stadium | Bridgeforth Stadium and Zane Showker Field | ||
| Seating capacity | 24,877 | ||
| Field surface | FieldTurf | ||
| Location | Harrisonburg, Virginia | ||
| NCAA division | NCAA Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Colonial Athletic Association | ||
| All-time record | 280–209–4 (.572) | ||
| Claimed nat'l titles | 1 (2004) | ||
| Conference titles | 5 (1975, 1999, 2004, 2008, 2015) | ||
| Colors | Purple and Gold | ||
| Fight song | JMU Fight Song | ||
| Mascot | Duke Dog | ||
| Marching band | Marching Royal Dukes | ||
| Outfitter | Nike | ||
| Rivals | Richmond Spiders William & Mary Tribe Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens |
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| Website | JMU Football | ||
The James Madison Dukes football team, founded in 1972, plays at Bridgeforth Stadium and is currently coached by Everett Withers. The JMU football team was rarely the centerpiece of JMU sports until the hiring of prior coach, Mickey Matthews, in 1999. Since then, JMU has gained recognition as one of the top programs in NCAA Division I FCS football.
Notable Dukes include Charles Haley, the only player to win five Super Bowl rings and an inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame;[1] Scott Norwood, the Buffalo Bills' all-time leading scorer; and Gary Clark, a pro bowl wide receiver for the Washington Redskins.
Contents
History
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 – and, to date, only – 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]
Under Mickey Matthews
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 to 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.
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 25,000, and is designed so it may 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.[5]
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.[6]
Under Everett Withers
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.[7] 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.[8] His first win as interim head coach at North Carolina was against the Mickey Matthews led James Madison Dukes on September 3, 2011.[9]
Current coaching staff
| Name | Position | Year | Alma mater |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everett Withers | Head Coach | 2014 | Appalachian State (1986) |
| Brett Elliott | Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks | 2015 | Linfield College (2006) |
| Steve Sisa | Inside Linebackers | 2014 | Virginia Tech (2001) |
| Sean Fisher | Tight Ends | 2015 | Mount Union (2008) |
| Parker Fleming | Wide Receivers/Special Teams | 2014 | Presbyterian College (2010) |
| Jamal Powell | Offensive Line | 2015 | TCU (2002) |
| Jules Montinar | Secondary | 2014 | Eastern Kentucky (2009) |
| Aaron Burkart | Director of Football Strength & Conditioning | 2014 | Bowling Green (2006) |
| John Streicher | Director of Football Operations and Player Personnel | 2014 | Ohio State (2013) |
Conference affiliations
- 1972–1973: Independent
- 1974–1975: Virginia Collegiate Athletic Association (VCAA)
- 1976: NCAA Division II Independent
- 1977–1979: NCAA Division III Independent
- 1980–1992: NCAA Division I-AA Independent
- 1993–1996: Yankee Conference
- 1997–2006: Atlantic 10 Conference
- 2007–present: Colonial Athletic Association
Rivalries
William & Mary
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Delaware
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Championships
National Championships
| Year | Coach | Record | Championship | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Mickey Matthews | 13–2 | NCAA Division I-AA National Champions | |
| Total national championships | 1 | |||
Conference Championships
| Year | Coach | Conference | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Challace McMillin | Virginia Collegiate Athletic Association (VCAA) | |
| 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 |
| Total conference championships | 5 | ||
Playoffs
The Dukes have appeared in the Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs 12 times, most recently in 2015. Their combined record is 9–11. They were Division I-AA National Champions in 2004.
| Year | 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 |
Head coaches
| Head Coach | Years | Win-Loss-Tie | 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–present | 19-7 | .731 |
| Totals | Coaches | Seasons | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–2015 | 6 | 43 | 280 | 209 | 4 | .572 |
References
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- ↑ Thorpe's Game-Winning Drive Lifts #5 Football Over #12 Towson, 13-10
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