James Madison Dukes | |
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University | James Madison University |
Conference | Sun Belt (primary) MAC (field hockey) AAC (women's lacrosse) |
NCAA | Division I (FBS) |
Athletic director | Jeff Bourne |
Location | Harrisonburg, Virginia |
Varsity teams | 19 |
Football stadium | Bridgeforth Stadium |
Basketball arena | Atlantic Union Bank Center |
Baseball stadium | Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park |
Soccer stadium | Sentara Park |
Mascot | Duke Dog |
Nickname | Dukes |
Fight song | JMU Fight Song |
Colors | Purple and gold[1] |
Website | jmusports |
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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 (SBC), 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.[2] JMU was a charter member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), (now known as the Coastal Athletic Association). The Dukes officially left the CAA and joined the SBC in 2022, participating in Division I FBS football and other sports sponsored by the conference.[3]
The university mascot, Duke Dog, is frequently seen at many sporting events, and the school colors are royal purple and gold. JMU has won five NCAA national championships, third-most among Virginia colleges and universities, trailing only Virginia (31) and Old Dominion (28).
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 when it admitted its first men in the late 1940s, and a comprehensive program for men began evolving in the late 1960s when the university became fully coeducational.[4]