After a weekend off, it’s time for the part three of 12 CAA Teams in 12 Days. Today it’s time for my alma mater, James Madison! Enjoy!
Name: James Madison University
Nickname: Dukes
Founded: 1908
Student Body Population: Approx. 18,000
Located: Harrisonburg, VA in the Shenandoah Valley about two hours west of Washington, DC
Colors: Purple and Gold
Mascot: Duke Dog
Fun Academic Fact: U.S. News & World Report has ranked JMU as the top public, masters-level university in the South for 14 consecutive years.
Fun General Fact: The Princeton Review ranked JMU sixteenth for the most beer usage on campus.
JAMES MADISON FOOTBALL
Head Coach: Mickey Matthews, 9th Year (64-44)
Stadium: Bridgeforth Stadium
Built in 1975, Bridgeforth Stadium has been the lifelong home to the JMU football team and has a seating capacity of 13,559. Recently, the JMU Board of Visitors approved a $10 million budget to renovate and expand the stadium. By the start of the 2011 season, the stadium will hold 24,878 people making it the largest stadium in the CAA.
RECENT SUCCESS
Up until the hiring of Coach Matthews in 1999, the JMU football team was almost non-existent. But that has completely changed as the team made the I-AA playoffs in Matthews’ first year and in 2004, won the national championship over Montana. JMU has made the playoffs in three out of the last four years making them a very recruit friendly program and a powerhouse with a lot of success in its future.
Justin Rascati scores the winning touchdown as JMU beats Montana to win the 2004 National Championship.
NOTABLE PLAYERS:
Alvin Banks, Gary Clark, Corey Davis, Nelson Garner, Charles Haley, Akeem Jordan, Scott Norwood, Ed Perry, Justin Rascati, Bryan Stinespring, Kelly Wiltshire
Filed under: FCS, JMU/CAA | Tagged: 12 CAA Teams in 12 Days, JMU Football
