By Adam Sulanke

Imagine the crowd roaring, the band playing, the color rush of gold and purple streamers flying through the air. This is what it’s like when the James Madison Dukes score a touchdown, and it has been like this since 1972.

The Dukes’ Bridgeforth Stadium during a game. Photo credit: Renee from Flickr.

The Dukes, who have competed in the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) since 1972, decided this year to make a change. As a winning program in the conference, they thought it was time to step up their competition. They have recently been a powerhouse in the FCS, winning their second championship in 2016 and just falling short in 2017 and 2019. The Dukes won their first Division I-AA championship (now FCS) in 2004 under head coach Mickey Matthews. Their last championship was in 2016, defeating Youngstown State 28-14, under coach Mike Houston. 

JMU recently had been a part of the Colonial Athletic Association with 13 other teams. On November 6, 2021, the Dukes announced they would be joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2023, joining 15 other members, including Coastal Carolina, Old Dominion, and Marshall. This will be the highest level of competition the Dukes have entered. Not only are the Dukes moving to the Sun Belt in football, but they will also compete in that conference in all 18 of their varsity sports. 

Over the last few years, JMU has built up an incredible reputation throughout their sports program. The women’s lacrosse team took the Division I national championship in 2018 and have been ranked highly since then. The softball team, led by Boydton, Virginia native Oddici Alexander, lost in the semi-finals of the College World Series in 2021, and the men’s soccer team lost in the quarterfinals in 2018. Competing highly for the last few years has brought JMU home 28 conference titles since 2015. This change has affected not only the sports teams but also the students and faculty on campus. The main impetus behind the move, the football program, has brought the school even closer together.

Josh Drayer, a native of Chesterfield and sophomore at JMU, says, “I absolutely love the program and how it is evolving into something the whole school and community can rally behind and support.” The team has always been recognized, but Drayer says, “this change has given JMU a different level of support and national attention.”

The Dukes were having a series of troubles with the CAA, so they decided to push forward in the process. Instead of waiting until 2023, they pushed to join in 2022. The NCAA told them that they would not be able to compete for any conference championships or any other type of playoff game if they jumped ahead in the process. Which means that they can be ranked highly in all sports but can’t compete in any sort of playoff game. For example, the football team was at one point ranked 25th but not eligible to compete in a bowl game.

JMU Duke Dog. Photo credit: Bill Dickinson on Flickr.

The Dukes have started off the 2022 football season unlike anyone expected under current head coach Curt Cignetti. As of right now, they have gone 5-2.  Some of their competition has been Middle Tennessee, Norfolk State, Texas State, Arkansas State, and their most significant win was against Appalachian State on September 10. That game was incredible. Appalachian State is an almost top-25 competitor every year, and this year they took down the number 5 team in the country, Texas A&M.  At one point in the second quarter, Appalachian State was up on the Dukes 28-3. As a JMU fan, I had no hope and turned the game off. The Dukes started out hot, scoring twice, bringing the score to 28-17, and then they just kept driving. They managed to hold Appalachian State to 0 points in the second half and won the game 32-28. This has helped bring the Dukes national recognition. 

After week 5, for the first time ever JMU was ranked in the AP Top 25. JMU is making an incredible journey, and I’m excited to see how they build and develop.