James Madison Dukes football The James Madison Dukes football team , founded in 1972 , plays at Bridgeforth Stadium . Originally called JMU Stadium , it was renamed for William E . Bridgeforth in 1990 . The JMU football team was rarely the centerpiece of JMU sports until the hiring of Mickey Matthews in 1999 . Since then , JMU has gained recognition as one of the top programs in NCAA Division I FCS football . 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 . History . Just five years after ( then ) Madison College had become a coeducational institution , the Dukes fielded their first football team . Football was the brainchild of Dr . Ronald Carrier , Madison ' s president at the time , who was attempting to change the psychology of the campus away from an all - women ' s teachers colleges . The first game took place on October 7 , 1972 against Shepherd College ' s junior varsity team at Harrisonburg High School . The team consisted of a few dozen walk - ons and was coached by 30 year - old Challace McMillin . In 1975 , the Dukes had their first – and , to date , only – undefeated season and won the Virginia College Athletic Association title . Two players , Madison Hall of Fame quarterback Les Branich and offensive guard Jeff Adams , played on both the Dukes ' only winless season in 1972 and its only undefeated season in 1975 . For the 1980 season , Madison made the jump from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division I - AA where they played as an Independent through 1992 . After twelve seasons the Dukes would join the Yankee Conference , which would become the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1997 , then finally the Colonial Athletic Association in 2007 . Under Mickey Matthews . The Dukes made the NCAA playoffs in current head coach Mickey Matthews ' first year with the team and in 2004 , the Dukes won the Division I - AA ( now FCS ) National Championship behind quarterback Justin Rascati and running back Raymond Hines . They were the first and only team to win three games on the road to advance to the National Championship Game . They returned to the playoffs in 2006 but suffered an early exit to the hands of Youngstown State University . The Dukes went to the playoffs again in 2007 , traveling to Appalachian State in the first round . While down 27 - 28 , JMU lost the game with a fumble on the ASU 8 - yard line in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter . In 2008 , they posted a 10 - 1 season record ( the lone loss coming in the season opener to FBS team Duke ) and received the top seed in the playoffs behind sensational quarterback Rodney Landers . After defeating Wofford and Villanova ( for the second time that season ) , they were defeated by the Montana Grizzlies in the semi - final round after Landers went down with an ankle injury . A $ 62 million dollar stadium expansion to Bridgeforth was completed in 2011 , adding an upper deck , club seating and 17 private suites . Bridgeforth ' s official seating capacity is approximately 25 , 000 , and is designed so it may be expanded to seat over 40 , 000 . On September 11 , 2010 , JMU defeated the FBS # 13 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies 21 - 16 at Lane Stadium in front of over 66 , 000 fans . James Madison was only the second FCS team to beat a nationally ranked team . Appalachian State defeated # 5 ranked Michigan in 2007 . Matthews gained his 100th career victory on October 6 , 2012 in a 13 - 10 win over the Towson Tigers . All - time records . James Madison ' s all time record stands at 256 wins , 194 losses , and 4 ties in 41 seasons ( as of October 29 , 2012 ) .