HARRISONBURG, Va. — James Madison University athletic director Jeff Bourne has announced that he plans to retire in the coming months.

In a release this morning, the school said that Bourne told the Board of Visitors that he intends to step down in spring of next year.

He was a major player in guiding the Dukes into the top tier of football competition by joining the Sun Belt Conference last year.

Under his tenure, James Madison football won two F-C-S national titles in 2004 and 2016.

Bourne has headed the J-M-U athletic department since 1999, and is currently the seventh-longest-serving athletic director across all Division I schools.