'Every graphic I see reminds me of that:' How James Madison became college footbal…
James MadisonThe program behind them is already moving up again, to the American Conference A coach from a small private school in North Carolina walked into Bridgeforth Stadium eight years ago and beat James Madison on its own turf.
The Dukes were ranked No. 2 in the FCS and had won 19 straight at home. Elon , a program JMU had beaten 63-14 two years earlier, forced a fumble and won 27-24 on a 15-yard touchdown pass 77 seconds remaining.
For JMU athletic director Jeff Bourne, the loss doubled as a job interview. "I got to watch how well prepared they were.
And it's like they knew what we were doing before we did," Bourne said. Ten weeks later, Elon's coach was James Madison's coach.
KEY POINTS
- 'Every graphic I see reminds me of that:' How James Madison became college football's new cradle of coaches.
- Curt Cignetti, Bob Chesney and Billy Napier are a combined 17-0, a third of college football's remaining unbeaten.
- Fast forward to today, the seventh full week of the 2026 season.
- Nine FBS teams remain unbeaten, the fewest through seven weeks since 2009, and three are led by men who have coached James Madison.