Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Texas State on January 24, 2026 , Win , 82, to, 57
MBB
Final
James Madison
82
vs Texas State
57
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Bourne Dialogue – Advancing the Momentum
12/8/2023 9:15:00 AM | Football, Administration
JMU Nation,
Something special is happening at James Madison University, and I've run out of words to describe what this Fall has been like for the Dukes. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff are amazing, and every time I turn around it seems that we're celebrating another accomplishment.
I hesitate to make a list for fear of missing something, but consider the following:
I'm blown away by that list of accomplishments, yet at the same time, I will never underestimate what can be achieved at James Madison University. There's only one JMU, and others are beginning to see what we've already known around here for years. This is a special place.
We know what is possible at JMU, and that's why I was confident that we would find the right coach to advance our momentum with the JMU football program. It was certainly tough to lose a coach the caliber of Curt Cignetti. He led us through a critical five-year stretch in our program's history and delivered a 53-9 record as we transitioned from FCS powerhouse to an FBS top-25 program. No one has transitioned like JMU football, and I will be forever grateful for Curt's impact at JMU.
While it's tough to lose a coach like Curt, I was confident that we would be able to attract the right fit to lead JMU into an extremely bright future and we've found that right fit in Bob Chesney. As we embark on our first FBS season after reclassification in 2024, I wholeheartedly believe that JMU is positioned as one of the best Group of Five programs in the country and that a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff can be an annual goal for JMU football.
As our 2023 successes unfolded on the national stage, I knew that a coaching transition would be a possibility. It's the price of success at a program like JMU but also a mark of good things happening here to have an attractive coach.
As we built our profile for the JMU football head coach and researched candidates, Bob Chesney was among the first names on the list. We conducted a thorough search and vetted profiles for over five dozen candidates, but no matter how many coaches we evaluated, Bob stayed right at the top of the list.
When we interviewed Bob, it was the most organized, professional and detail-oriented interview I've ever conducted. It was obvious that he loved being a football coach and he had a plan for how to do it successfully. It's extremely difficult to maintain a culture of winning while also emphasizing doing it the right way and equally valuing growth off the field compared to success on it. It's what sets JMU apart and Bob fits that mold of how we approach our football program at JMU.
I'm eager for JMU Nation to meet Bob, his wife Andrea and their three children. He has an engaging personality and will feel right at home with the spirit and passion of the JMU community. The Chesneys value being part of the local community and are excited to be joining us in Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley.
Hiring is often not about finding the best coach; it's about finding the right fit. In this case, JMU has hired the best coach AND the right fit. We have incredible momentum with JMU football, and Bob is poised to hit the ground running to elevate our success even higher.
As we chart the future of JMU football, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't remind you that accomplishments require resources. Let's capture our momentum and invest in our future. Gifts to the Duke Club are the best way to ensure that we can maximize scholarships, support staff and our facility infrastructure to reach new heights. Season tickets for 2024 are right around the corner, expected to launch in early 2024. Additionally, gifts to the Montpelier Collective allow JMU student-athletes to benefit from the new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) environment in college athletics.
Coach Chesney is fast at work hiring a staff, recruiting and navigating the transfer portal. Meanwhile, I'm extremely grateful for the steadying presence of Acting Head Coach Damien Wroblewski and his commitment to lead our program into its first bowl game. Wrobo is beloved by our student-athletes, and I can't imagine anyone better to support them during this critical time. While so much has happened behind the scenes in JMU Athletics, he's been on the front lines with our players and ensuring they are ready to close this unprecedented season with an exclamation point.
I'm looking forward to formally introducing everyone to the Chesney family next week and can't wait to celebrate our season with JMU Nation in Fort Worth in a few weeks!
Go Dukes!
Jeff Bourne
JMU Director of Athletics
Something special is happening at James Madison University, and I've run out of words to describe what this Fall has been like for the Dukes. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff are amazing, and every time I turn around it seems that we're celebrating another accomplishment.
I hesitate to make a list for fear of missing something, but consider the following:
- An AP nationally ranked football program for much of the season, going 11-1 and shattering the record for most wins by a reclassifying school (9), winning the Sun Belt East and earning the program's first invitation to a bowl game with the upcoming Dec. 23 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
- Earning NCAA at-large berths in men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball, one of only two schools in the country (Pitt) to accomplish such a feat.
- The only school in the country to make the NCAA tournament for men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball while also qualifying for a football bowl game.
- Men's basketball starting the season under the national spotlight with two big wins and earning the program's first AP ranking, now up to No. 18 in the poll (8-0) and continuing to garner attention.
- Women's basketball starting 7-3, including an ACC win over Wake Forest.
- Cross country placing second in the Sun Belt Conference.
- Field hockey preparing to transition to a great new conference opportunity in the Mid-American Conference.
- Great Fall showings for our golf, swimming & diving and tennis programs, with swimming & diving starting its first season as a Sun Belt sport.
- ESPN's College GameDay making its third visit to the Quad and JMU Nation unleashing the show's largest crowd in its history with 26,000 people delivering a special 30th anniversary edition of the program.
- Earning the Sun Belt's top departmental academic award for the second year in a row.
- Selling out of football season tickets for the first time and setting facility records for both single-game and season average attendance at Bridgeforth Stadium.
- Earning eight national television slots for JMU football games this fall and soon to be nine with the Armed Forces Bowl on ABC.
- Conducting JMU's first philanthropy effort centered around sport-specific giving with the Diggin'Dukes program collecting nearly a half million dollars in one day.
I'm blown away by that list of accomplishments, yet at the same time, I will never underestimate what can be achieved at James Madison University. There's only one JMU, and others are beginning to see what we've already known around here for years. This is a special place.
We know what is possible at JMU, and that's why I was confident that we would find the right coach to advance our momentum with the JMU football program. It was certainly tough to lose a coach the caliber of Curt Cignetti. He led us through a critical five-year stretch in our program's history and delivered a 53-9 record as we transitioned from FCS powerhouse to an FBS top-25 program. No one has transitioned like JMU football, and I will be forever grateful for Curt's impact at JMU.
While it's tough to lose a coach like Curt, I was confident that we would be able to attract the right fit to lead JMU into an extremely bright future and we've found that right fit in Bob Chesney. As we embark on our first FBS season after reclassification in 2024, I wholeheartedly believe that JMU is positioned as one of the best Group of Five programs in the country and that a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff can be an annual goal for JMU football.
As our 2023 successes unfolded on the national stage, I knew that a coaching transition would be a possibility. It's the price of success at a program like JMU but also a mark of good things happening here to have an attractive coach.
As we built our profile for the JMU football head coach and researched candidates, Bob Chesney was among the first names on the list. We conducted a thorough search and vetted profiles for over five dozen candidates, but no matter how many coaches we evaluated, Bob stayed right at the top of the list.
When we interviewed Bob, it was the most organized, professional and detail-oriented interview I've ever conducted. It was obvious that he loved being a football coach and he had a plan for how to do it successfully. It's extremely difficult to maintain a culture of winning while also emphasizing doing it the right way and equally valuing growth off the field compared to success on it. It's what sets JMU apart and Bob fits that mold of how we approach our football program at JMU.
I'm eager for JMU Nation to meet Bob, his wife Andrea and their three children. He has an engaging personality and will feel right at home with the spirit and passion of the JMU community. The Chesneys value being part of the local community and are excited to be joining us in Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley.
Hiring is often not about finding the best coach; it's about finding the right fit. In this case, JMU has hired the best coach AND the right fit. We have incredible momentum with JMU football, and Bob is poised to hit the ground running to elevate our success even higher.
As we chart the future of JMU football, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't remind you that accomplishments require resources. Let's capture our momentum and invest in our future. Gifts to the Duke Club are the best way to ensure that we can maximize scholarships, support staff and our facility infrastructure to reach new heights. Season tickets for 2024 are right around the corner, expected to launch in early 2024. Additionally, gifts to the Montpelier Collective allow JMU student-athletes to benefit from the new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) environment in college athletics.
Coach Chesney is fast at work hiring a staff, recruiting and navigating the transfer portal. Meanwhile, I'm extremely grateful for the steadying presence of Acting Head Coach Damien Wroblewski and his commitment to lead our program into its first bowl game. Wrobo is beloved by our student-athletes, and I can't imagine anyone better to support them during this critical time. While so much has happened behind the scenes in JMU Athletics, he's been on the front lines with our players and ensuring they are ready to close this unprecedented season with an exclamation point.
I'm looking forward to formally introducing everyone to the Chesney family next week and can't wait to celebrate our season with JMU Nation in Fort Worth in a few weeks!
Go Dukes!
Jeff Bourne
JMU Director of Athletics
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