James Madison Dukes
Encyclopedia
The James Madison University Dukes is the name given the athletics teams of James Madison University
. The name "Dukes" is derived from Samuel Page Duke
, the university's second president. JMU is a charter member of the Colonial Athletic Association
, which sponsors sports at the NCAA Division I level. In football, JMU participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of Division I, formerly known as Division I-AA. The university mascot, Duke Dog
, is frequently seen at all sporting events, and the school colors are royal purple and gold. JMU has won two NCAA national championships, tied for third most among Virginia
colleges and universities.
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 during the late 1940s, and a comprehensive program for men began evolving in the late 1960s when the university became fully coeducational.
until 1984. Madison moved from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division I-AA in 1980 and would join the Yankee Conference
in 1993. The football team's popularity grew with the addition of Mickey Matthews
in 1999, who in 2004 led JMU to their first National Championship
. 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.
Notable Dukes include Charles Haley
, the only player to win five Super Bowl
rings and inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame
; Scott Norwood
, the Buffalo Bills
' all-time leading scorer; and Gary Clark
, a pro bowl
wide receiver
for the Washington Redskins
.
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 presently play in the James Madison University Convocation Center, capacity 7612. The Dukes have competed in the NCAA Tournament
four times, most recently in the 1994 season. 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 2008-2009 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.
eight times, most recently in the 2010-11 season. They have gone to the WNIT
four times, most recently in the 2008-09 season. 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 2007-2008 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
. Current senior player and team captain, Dawn Evans, was an Associated Press All-American honorable mention in 2009 after finishing the season as the nation's third leading scorer, and has been named to the preseason watch list for the Division I Player of the Year Award by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). She 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. As of 2010, the women's basketball team had compiled an all-time record of 779-447-5.
team's head coach is Joe "Spanky" McFarland, who assumed the head coach position in 1997. 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 Veteran Memorial Stadium, 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 nine times, most recently in 2011
. 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, NC. The Dukes also won the CAA Championship in 2011 defeating Old Dominion University
qualifying the team for the 2011 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
.
team, currently coached by Antoinette Lucas, has enjoyed great success, winning the national championship
in 1994 over North Carolina
in double overtime. The team has made the NCAA tournament nine times since the tournament started in 1981, most recently in the 2008 season.
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.
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. 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, golf, tennis and gymnastics. 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.
James Madison University
James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
. The name "Dukes" is derived from Samuel Page Duke
Samuel Page Duke
Samuel Page Duke was the second President of James Madison University, serving from 1919 to 1949. It is from his name and bulldog that the University draws its nickname and mascot.-References:...
, the university's second president. JMU is a charter member of the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
, which sponsors sports at the NCAA Division I level. In football, JMU participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of Division I, formerly known as Division I-AA. The university mascot, Duke Dog
Duke Dog
The Duke Dog is the official mascot for the James Madison University Dukes. 'Dukes' was made the official nickname in 1947, and was named after the University's president from 1919-1949, Samuel Page Duke. However, the bulldog was not chosen to represent the Dukes until the 1972-1973 school...
, is frequently seen at all sporting events, and the school colors are royal purple and gold. JMU has won two NCAA national championships, tied for third most among Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
colleges and universities.
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 during the late 1940s, and a comprehensive program for men began evolving in the late 1960s when the university became fully coeducational.
Current varsity sports programs
- Men's
- BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- Soccer
- TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- Baseball
- Women's
- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- Cross countryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- Field HockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- Indoor track and field
- LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
- Outdoor track and field
- Soccer
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
& divingDivingDiving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one... - TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- Basketball
Football
The Dukes played their first season in 1972 and were coached by Challace McMillinChallace McMillin
-References:...
until 1984. Madison moved from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division I-AA in 1980 and would join the Yankee Conference
Yankee Conference
The Yankee Conference was a collegiate sports conference in the eastern United States. It once sponsored competition in many sports, but eventually became a football-only league...
in 1993. The football team's popularity grew with the addition of Mickey Matthews
Mickey Matthews
Michael Chester "Mickey" Matthews, is the head football coach at James Madison University , and has served in that role since 1999. Under Matthews's leadership, James Madison achieved a Division 1-AA national football championship in 2004...
in 1999, who in 2004 led JMU to their first National Championship
2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season
-NCAA Division I-AA Playoff bracket:* Denotes host institution-References:* http://www.ncaa.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ncaa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/FB-FCS-2004* http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/football_champs_records/2004/d1aa/confstat.htm...
. 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
2010 Virginia Tech Hokies football team
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...
in what was one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
Notable Dukes include Charles Haley
Charles Haley
Charles Lewis Haley is a former American football linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys . He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL Draft out of James Madison University...
, the only player to win five Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
rings and inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
; Scott Norwood
Scott Norwood
Scott Allan Norwood is a former American football placekicker in the NFL who played for the Buffalo Bills. Norwood was an integral part of its offense during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and kicked in Buffalo's first two Super Bowl appearances...
, the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
' all-time leading scorer; and Gary Clark
Gary Clark
Gary C. Clark is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins , Phoenix Cardinals and Miami Dolphins .-Early life:...
, a pro bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
.
Men's basketball
The men's basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team at JMU was founded in 1945. On March 25, 2008 it was announced that Matt Brady
Matt Brady
Matt Brady is an American college basketball coach and the current men's basketball coach at James Madison University. He was introduced at a press conference on March 26, 2008. Brady was formerly the head coach at Marist College, departing with a 73–50 record in four years. He took the Red Foxes...
, former Head Coach of Marist College
Marist College
Marist College is a private liberal arts college on the east bank of the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie, New York. The site was established in 1905 by Marist Brothers, and the college was chartered in 1929...
, had accepted the position of Head Men's Basketball Coach. Brady replaced Dean Keener
Dean Keener
-References:...
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 presently play in the James Madison University Convocation Center, capacity 7612. The Dukes have competed in the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
four times, most recently in the 1994 season. They've also been selected to compete in the NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
five times, most recently at the end of the 1993 season. At the end of the 2008-2009 season, the Dukes were selected for the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament
The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2009 by College Insider.com. It now hosts 24 participating teams.-Champions:-2009:...
. 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.
Women's basketball
The women's basketball team, currently coached by Kenny Brooks, was founded in 1920 making it one of the longest-running women's basketball programs in the country. The team has made the NCAA TournamentNCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...
eight times, most recently in the 2010-11 season. They have gone to the WNIT
Women's National Invitation Tournament
The Women's National Invitation Tournament , formerly the National Women's Invitation Tournament, is a college basketball tournament with a preseason and postseason version played every year...
four times, most recently in the 2008-09 season. 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
Tamera Young
Tamera Young is an American basketball player for the Chicago Sky.-Personal:She is the daughter of Greg Young and Lynda Nichols-Brown and John Brown. She has an older brother, A.J., and two older sisters, Nikia and Valerie...
during the 2007-2008 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
2008 WNBA Draft
The 2008 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2008....
. Current senior player and team captain, Dawn Evans, was an Associated Press All-American honorable mention in 2009 after finishing the season as the nation's third leading scorer, and has been named to the preseason watch list for the Division I Player of the Year Award by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). She 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. As of 2010, the women's basketball team had compiled an all-time record of 779-447-5.
Baseball
The JMU baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team's head coach is Joe "Spanky" McFarland, who assumed the head coach position in 1997. Founded in 1970, the JMU baseball team played at Long Field at Mauck Stadium
Long Field at Mauck Stadium
Long Field at Mauck Stadium is a baseball venue located on the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA. It was home to the James Madison Dukes baseball team, a member of the Division I Colonial Athletic Association until the end of the 2009 season...
through the end of the 2009 season. In 2010 they opened play at Eagle Field at Veteran Memorial Stadium, 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 nine times, most recently in 2011
2011 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
The 2011 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament began on Friday, June 3, 2011 as part of the 2011 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 team double elimination tournament will conclude with the 2011 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska on June 29, 2011....
. Billy Sample
Billy Sample
William Amos Sample , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1978-1986. Sample played for the Texas Rangers , New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves ....
is JMU's most famous baseball alumnus, who played in 862 career major league games with the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, and Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. 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
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
categories. Kulbacki received the 2006 National Player of the Year award as a sophomore. In 2008, the Dukes won their first CAA
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
Championship defeating Towson University
Towson Tigers
The Towson Tigers, formerly Towson College Knights, are the athletics teams of Towson University. All of the major athletic teams compete in the Colonial Athletic Association with 20 Division I athletic teams The Towson Tigers, formerly Towson College Knights, are the athletics teams of Towson...
qualifying the team for the 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament was held from May 30 through June 25, 2008 and was part of the 2008 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 NCAA Division I college baseball teams were selected out of an eligible 286 teams on May 26, 2008...
hosted by North Carolina State University
NC State Wolfpack
The athletic teams of the North Carolina State University, known as the Wolfpack, compete in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports. NC State is a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference and has won eight national championships: two NCAA championships, two AIAW championships, and four titles...
in Raleigh, NC. The Dukes also won the CAA Championship in 2011 defeating Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
qualifying the team for the 2011 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
2011 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
The 2011 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament began on Friday, June 3, 2011 as part of the 2011 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 team double elimination tournament will conclude with the 2011 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska on June 29, 2011....
.
Field hockey
The field hockeyField hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
team, currently coached by Antoinette Lucas, has enjoyed great success, winning the national championship
NCAA Women's Field Hockey Championship
Twelve women's sports were added to the NCAA championship program for the 1981-82 school year. The first national championship events were staged November 21-November 22, 1981, in cross country and field hockey.-Division I:-Division II:-Division III:...
in 1994 over North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in double overtime. The team has made the NCAA tournament nine times since the tournament started in 1981, most recently in the 2008 season.
National championships and playoff appearances
| National Championships | |
| Football | 2004 |
| Field Hockey | 1994 |
| Archery | 1995, 2007, 2008, 2009 |
| Division I FCS Playoff Appearances | |
| Football | 1987, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011 |
| College World Series Appearances | |
| Baseball | 1983 |
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |
| Baseball | 1976, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1988, 1995, 2002, 2008, 2011 |
| Men's Basketball | 1981, 1982, 1983, 1994 |
| Women's Basketball | 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1995, 2007, 2010, 2011 |
| 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 |
| Men's Soccer | 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2011 |
| Women's Soccer | 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010 |
| Softball | 2009 |
Title IX compliance
On September 29, 2006, the James Madison University Board of Visitors announced that ten sports teams would be eliminated effective July 1, 2007. 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 IXTitle IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
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
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
sent a letter to President Rose and Athletic Director Jeff Bourne, asking them to reconsider the decision to eliminate all ten teams.
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. 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, golf, tennis and gymnastics. 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.