Athletics: Then and now
News
TIPPING OFF ANOTHER SEASON OF HOOPS IN HARRISONBURG
This year’s women’s team is eyeying a Sun Belt Conference title and postseason berth. The Dukes were impressive early in the 2024-25 campaign, notching seven wins in their first 10 games entering league play.
The women’s basketball program is among the oldest in the nation, founded in 1920. In the early days, the team played a seven-game schedule, including “home-and-home” games with the other three normal schools in Virginia.
“With a step that is steady and strong / for old Harrisonburg march along / true to the colors we bear / the purple and gold so fair.” — Student cheer, Harrisonburg Teachers College
DUKES SHOW UP FOR GAME DAY
Whether it’s a spirited Homecoming performance (above) or a choreographed halftime arrangement (below), the Marching Royal Dukes, “Virginia’s Finest,” always put on a show.
“Some of the best times I had at James Madison were when my friends and I would go to the game and cheer for our football team.” — Scott Myer (’85), member of the “Hillside Gang”
Students, faculty, staff and the local community have been cheering on the Dukes football team since their debut in 1972, when home games were played at the old Harrisonburg High School (above). The program would go on to win two national championships (2004 and 2016) at the Division I-AA and FCS levels before fully transitioning to FBS this past season.
