James Madison University is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison College in 1938 in honor of President James Madison and then James Madison University in 1977. It is situated in the Shenandoah Valley, just west of Massanutten Mountain.
The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universities, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond. The CAA was historically a Southern conference until the addition of four schools in the Northeast after the turn of the 21st century, which added geographic balance to the conference.
Michael Chester "Mickey" Matthews is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at James Madison University (JMU) from 1999 to 2013, compiling a record of 109–71. Matthews coached the 2004 James Madison Dukes football team to an NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship.
Bridgeforth Stadium is a football stadium located on the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The stadium is home to the James Madison Dukes football team. The playing surface is named Zane Showker Field.
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. JMU was a charter member of the Colonial Athletic Association, 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. The Dukes officially left the CAA and joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2022, participating in Division I FBS football and other sports sponsored by the conference.
The Old Dominion Monarchs football program represents Old Dominion University in U.S. college football. The first iteration of the team created in 1930 was known as the William & Mary Norfolk Division Braves. Founded in 2009, the current Monarchs team competed as an FCS independent for their first two seasons. In the 2011 season, they joined the Colonial Athletic Association and added conference games to their schedule, playing there until joining the Conference USA of the FBS in 2014. They joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2022.
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 Curt Cignetti.
Rodney Landers is a former American football player. He played college football as the starting quarterback for the James Madison Dukes of James Madison University (JMU). He was not selected in the 2009 NFL Draft, where due to his speed and flexibility he had been considered a potential defensive back, running back, wide receiver, or quarterback prospect. He spent time with the Richmond Revolution as a back-up Quarterback, Receiver and Return Specialist.
The 2010 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Hokies were led by 24th-year head coach Frank Beamer and played their home games at Lane Stadium. They were champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference after winning the Coastal Division and defeating Florida State 44–33 in the 2010 ACC Championship Game.
Curt Cignetti is an American football coach who has been the head coach of the James Madison Dukes since 2019. He previously served as the head coach for Elon University and was an assistant coach for the University of Alabama for four years.
Everett Rowe Withers is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as the Chief of Staff to Temple Owls football head coach Stan Drayton. He is formerly served as the defensive coordinator at FIU, and previously served defensive backs coach for the New York Giants and as the head coach for the Texas State Bobcats. Withers served as head football coach at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2011 season as well as James Madison University in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Lavaedeay Monlique "Vad" Lee is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League (USFL). He went to Hillside High School. Lee is considered to be a skilled dual-threat, athletic quarterback who redshirted as a true freshman at Georgia Tech. Lee played in several games during his redshirt freshman season in 2012 as a backup to starting Georgia Tech quarterback Tevin Washington, and Lee was the Yellow Jackets' starting quarterback during 2013 season. Lee went to Georgia Tech after a successful prep career in North Carolina. In January 2014, Lee transferred to James Madison University.
The 2007 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University in the 2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by head coach Mickey Matthews and played their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. JMU finished the season 8–4 with a record of 6–2 in their first season as members of the Colonial Athletic Association.
The 2015 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University during the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Everett Withers and played their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium and Zane Showker Field. They were a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The Dukes finished the regular season 9–2 to share the CAA championship with William & Mary and Richmond, who all finished with identical 6–2 conference records. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs, where they lost in the second round to Colgate and finish the season 9–3.
The 2006 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by head coach Mickey Matthews and played their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. JMU finished the season 9–3 with a record of 7–1 in their final season as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The James Madison–Richmond football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the James Madison Dukes and the Richmond Spiders. Previously, it was a divisional game in the South division of the Colonial Athletic Association, and conference game in the Yankee Conference and Atlantic 10 beginning with the Dukes entry in 1993. During this period, the teams have combined for three National Championships and fourteen Conference Championships. All of James Madison's home games have been hosted at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia while Richmond hosted its contests at City Stadium until 2009, and from 2010 onward at Robins Stadium, both in Richmond, Virginia; as of 2016, only one game has been played on a neutral field, a 1985 matchup in Norfolk, Virginia. The rivalry has become increasingly intense over the years, likely due to the stark differences between the two institutions, and the continued success of both programs.
The 2018 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Mike Houston and played their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium. They were a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). They finished the season 9–4, 6–2 in CAA play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Delaware in the first round before losing to Colgate in the second round.
The 2019 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Curt Cignetti and played their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium. They competed as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). They finished the season 14–2, 8–0 in CAA play to be CAA champions. They received the CAA's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Monmouth, Northern Iowa, and Weber State to advance to the FCS National Championship Game where they lost to North Dakota State.
The 2020 James Madison Dukes football team represented James Madison University as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Curt Cignetti and played their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium.
The 2022 James Madison Dukes football team represents James Madison University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They will be led by fourth-year head coach Curt Cignetti and play their home games at Bridgeforth Stadium, and compete as a member of the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference.
