James Madison Dukes football
| James Madison Dukes football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| First season | 1972; 54 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Matt Roan | ||
| Head coach | Billy Napier 1st season, 0–0 (–) | ||
| Location | Harrisonburg, Virginia | ||
| Stadium | Bridgeforth Stadium (capacity: 24,877) | ||
| Field | Zane Showker Field | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FBS | ||
| Conference | Sun Belt | ||
| Division | East | ||
| Colors | Purple and gold | ||
| All-time record | 389–226–4 (.632) | ||
| CFP record | 0–1 (.000) | ||
| Bowl record | 1–1 (.500) | ||
| NCAA Division I FCS championships | |||
| 2004, 2016 | |||
| College Football Playoff appearances | |||
| 2025 | |||
| Conference championships | |||
| VCAA: 1975 A-10: 1999, 2004 CAA: 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 SBC: 2025 | |||
| Conference division championships | |||
| Yankee Mid-Atlantic: 1994 A-10 South: 2006 CAA South: 2020 SBC East: 2022, 2023, 2025 | |||
| Rivalries | Old Dominion (rivalry) Liberty (rivalry) Delaware (rivalry) Richmond (rivalry) William and Mary (rivalry) | ||
| 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 Billy Napier.
The JMU football team has been the centerpiece of JMU sports since the early 2000s. 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. In 2021, JMU accepted an invitation to move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and joined the Sun Belt Conference prior to the 2023 football season.
Notable Dukes include Chris Loftus, 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; Scott Norwood, of the Buffalo Bills; Gary Clark, an All-Pro wide receiver for the Washington Redskins; 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.