Mickey Matthews Michael Chester " Mickey " Matthews , ( born November 8 , 1953 in Andrews , Texas ) is the head football coach at James Madison University ( JMU ) , and has served in that role since 1999 . Under Matthews ' s leadership , James Madison achieved a Division 1 - AA national football championship in 2004 . His overall record as a head coach at JMU is 103 – 63 . Early career . Matthews started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Lamar Consolidated High School , in Texas , working with offensive backs . During the 1978 season , he joined Kansas State University , as an assistant coach . During the 1980 – 1981 seasons , he served as a defensive coordinator of his alma mater West Texas State . From 1982 – 1985 , he became an assistant coach at UTEP . In the following 1986 season , he worked at the University of Houston as a defensive backs coach . In the 1987 season , he held that same position , only at Texas Christian University . During the 1988 and 1989 seasons , he coached at Southwest Texas State . From 1990 – 1995 , he served as the assistant head coach at Marshall University . From 1996 – 1998 he coached Defensive Backs & Linebackers at the University of Georgia , which won two bowl games under his tenure . While at Georgia he coached Champ Bailey , the nation ' s top defender and Washington ' s first - round choice in the 1999 NFL draft . Matthews left Georgia in January 1999 to become Defensive Coordinator at Baylor University but resigned two months later to take the Head Coaching position at James Madison University . Career at James Madison . Since 1999 , Matthews has been the head coach at James Madison University . The team had gone 3 – 8 in the year before , but Matthews turned them around that season and led them to an 8 – 4 record , an Atlantic 10 title , and the school ' s first postseason appearance since 1995 . Matthews won the Eddie Robinson Award that year , annually given to the top head coach in the Football Championship Subdivision of Division 1 football . Five years later , after failing to make the postseason four years in a row , Matthews finally led the Dukes to the playoffs again . They became the first team to ever win three straight road games and win the National Championship , defeating the University of Montana Grizzlies 31 – 21 . The Dukes would make the playoffs again in 2006 and 2007 . On February 25 , 2008 , amidst rumors of leaving JMU to help start the football program at The University of South Alabama , Coach Matthews signed an extension with JMU to coach through the 2012 season . On September 27 , 2008 , JMU beat University of Maine 24 – 10 , earning Matthews his 68th career win at JMU to become the school ' s all - time winningest coach . On November 22 , 2008 , the Matthews led Dukes defeated Towson University to finish conference play undefeated , winning the CAA outright and qualifying for their third straight FCS playoff appearance . On January 7 , 2010 , Matthews signed a one year extension to his contract which now extends through the 2013 season . During the 2012 season , Matthews gained his 100th career win in a hard fought , 13 - 10 victory against conference foe Towson . 2010 Virginia Tech victory . On September 10 , 2010 Matthews led the Dukes upset then # 13 Virginia Tech , 21 - 16 in front of 66 , 233 at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg . James Madison became the second FCS team in college football history to knock off a ranked FBS opponent , the other being Appalachian State over then # 5 Michigan in 2007 . Later that season the Hokies went onto win the ACC Championship , Orange Bowl and finished ranked # 15 , making the JMU upset even more remarkable . After the game , Matthews referred to the victory as " the biggest win in my professional career " .