Completed Event: Volleyball at Florida Gulf Coast on August 31, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 3 , (17-25, 27-25, 23-25, 26-24, 11-15)
VB
Final
James Madison
2
at Florida Gulf Coast
(17-25, 27-25, 23-25, 26-24, 11-15)
3
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
History of Duke Dog
The Duke Dog mascot as we know him today first appeared in the 1982-83 basketball season. There had been an earlier version of the Duke Dog mascot. A wild-eyed – and totally unconvincing – mascot first appeared in the 1972-73 basketball season but failed to generate any support for continued existence.
The current mascot, extremely popular with fans young and old, was the brainchild of Dr. Ray V. Sonner, the vice president for university relations who was behind the bulldog mascot and the Duke Dog cartoon. Sonner commissioned a professionally-made mascot outfit to be worn by student volunteers.
Eight-foot-tall Duke Dog, complete with crown and cape, entertains crowds at major JMU sports events, as well as making public appearances through the state.
Duke Dog debuted on Nov. 28, 1982, when the Dukes played Virginia Military Institute in the first game played in the new JMU Convocation Center .
Even though students were on Thanksgiving break, the Convocation Center was packed for the VMI game and a capacity crowd erupted when Duke Dog made his first appearance. Duke Dog brought the same magic as the bulldogs Duke III and Duke IV in producing a win in his first appearance. JMU won 58-33.
In the 2004 football season, Duke Dog competed with 11 other college mascots in Capital One's College Mascot of the Year competition. Duke Dog gathered far more votes than any of the other mascots in the popular voting but, because of judges' ratings, the championship went to Monte, the grizzly bear mascot of the University of Montana – the team JMU defeated in the Division I-AA national title game.
The results of the Capital One contest drew considerable criticism from JMU fans. Capital One has since announced that the 2005 contest will be awarded solely on the results of the popular vote.
Duke Dog Tryouts
Do you think you have the spirit of a Duke Dog? Contact the Head Coach of JMU Cheerleading at cheer@jmu.edu for information about the tryout process.
It is expected that your time on the squad comes in second only to being a successful student at James Madison University. To be considered for Duke Dog, potential squad members must first meet the requirements listed below:
- Be a current, full-time student enrolled at James Madison University by the tryout date.
- Cumulative GPA of a 2.0 or higher. While on the spirit squad, it is expected that the student maintains a 2.0 grade point average per semester to remain an active squad member.
- Height of 5’10” or above.
- Commit to at least 15 hours per week for squad related commitments. Time commitments may change based on sport season and appearance demands.
Requests For Duke Dog and Spirit Program Appearances
The Duke Dog and Spirit Program members you are requesting are student-athletes at James Madison University. They carry a full-time academic course load along with practices and athletic performances which will lead to some constraints on their availability. Although we will do our best to accommodate as many appearance requests as possible, not all requests can be fulfilled regardless of when you submit your request.
- Upon completion of the appearance request form, you may receive an email for a message entitled Duke Dog and Spirit Squad Appearance Request Submission. This email confirms that we have received your request and provides details on what you requested and when you can expect to hear from us. Completion of the appearance request form does not confirm that the request can be fulfilled.
- Requests are processed on a rolling basis – first come, first served. If your request is accepted by the Head Cheerleading Coach, you must pay the invoiced fee by the deadline listed in the confirmation email.
- Any adjustment to appearance details (time change, location, date, etc.) WILL require a forfeiture of your original request and a re-submission and re-processing of your request form.
Spirit Program Elements
You have the option to request Mascot, Spirit, or Both Mascot and Spirit. These program elements are defined as follows:
- Mascot: Duke Dog only
- This appearance includes an additional member of the Spirit Program who will be required to escort the mascot.
- Spirit: Members of the James Madison University Cheerleading team
- Mascot & Spirit: Both Duke Dog and members of the James Madison University Cheerleading team
Event Types & Requesting Entity
The requesting entity and event type dictate the pricing structure of each appearance. The requesting entities are defined as follows:
- University Department: Any appearance for a James Madison University department that takes place on campus.
- Registered Student Organization: Any appearance for an actively recognized student organization at James Madison University. Examples of recognized student organizations include but are not limited to sports clubs, sororities and fraternities, clubs and organizations (associated with University Recreation (UREC), Center for Multicultural Student Services (CMSS), Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL), and Student Leadership and Involvement).
- Corporate/External: Any appearance for a business or association.
- Wedding/Special Event: Any appearance for a wedding, party, or private gathering.
- Non-Profit Organization: Any appearance for a verified 501-c3 organization.
- Game Day Tailgate/Suite Visit: Any appearance for a tailgate or suite at one of our JMU Football home games.
Pricing Structure
If your request is accepted by the Head Cheerleading Coach, you will receive a confirmation email with an invoiced fee based on request type and entity. All payments must be processed electronically via our ticketing provider prior to the date of your event. *please note that there is a $5 convenience fee added to all transactions through our ticketing provider.
| Requesting Entity | Mascot | Spirit | Mascot & Spirit | Duration |
| University Department | Free | Free | Free | 60 minutes |
| Registered Student Organization | $150 | $150 | $250 | 60 minutes |
| Corporate/External | $500 | $500 | $750 | 60 minutes |
| Wedding/Special Event | $500 | $500 | $750 | 60 minutes |
| Non-Profit Organization | $150 | $150 | $250 | 60 minutes |
| Game Day Tailgate | $150 | $150 | $250 | 15 minutes |
Appearance Expectations
Appearance Expectations from Duke Dog and Spirit Program
- The student-athletes will call the designated contact at least 15 minutes prior to the expected performance time to confirm any last-minute details.
- The student-athletes will arrive dressed in their approved uniforms at the requested performance time.
- Participants of the mascot squad are the only person(s) allowed to wear the Duke Dog suit. The Duke Dog suit will not be rented or loaned to the public under any circumstances.
- The mascot cannot be required to be inside the Duke Dog suit for longer than a maximum of one hour at a time before taking a break. If the event takes place outdoors, please allow extra breaks during the allotted event time.
Appearance Expectations from You and Your Guests
If your event is outdoors and there is inclement weather such as lightning, extreme heat/cold, rain, tornados, etc., you must provide an alternative space for the student-athletes to appear in. If that is not possible, we reserve the right to cancel your appearance, and no refund will be provided.
- You are responsible for ensuring the environment our student-athletes appear in is safe and appropriate. Duke Dog and Sprit Program reserves the right to walk away from any appearance that is deemed unsafe or harmful. Under no circumstances should they be placed in a compromising situation by you and/your guests. This includes:
- Exposure to foul or inappropriate language
- Yelling at the student-athletes
- Touching or grabbing the student-athletes
- Offering of alcoholic beverages or illegal substances to the student-athletes
- We ask that you provide a private room/area away from guests where the student-athletes can safely store their belongings and take breaks when needed.
- If alcohol is being served while Duke Dog and/or Spirit are at your event, team members must be stationed away from the area where it is being served. Please instruct your guests that no pictures or videos will be taken if they are holding alcohol in their hands.
- If you or your guests are inappropriate in any way, the student-athletes will leave immediately, and no refund will be provided. This includes tailgate appearances.
- Duke Dog is a trademarked character of James Madison University. When the Spirit Squad is at appearances and events, photographs may be taken and used for personal use only. No company, organization, or individuals are allowed to use photographs of Duke Dog and Spirit Squad members taken during the event, or any James Madison University trademarks for commercial or political advertisements or endorsements. Unless the intent adheres to the James Madison University Trademark Management Policy and Guidelines, using photos of Duke Dog and/or the Spirit Squad to promote profit or to generate revenue from the event is impermissible.
