HARRISONBURG VA: (JMU ATHLETICS) – James Madison Athletics mourns the passing of former Director of Athletics Don Lemish, who passed away on January 19, 2026 at the age of 82. His 35-year career in higher education included 12 years at JMU, six as Vice President for University Advancement (1987-1993) and six as AD (1993-1999).
Lemish served as AD under JMU Presidents Dr. Ronald Carrier and Dr. Linwood Rose at a time when the institution sponsored 27 sports at the varsity level and competed in the Colonial Athletic Association and at the I-AA football subdivision.
The highlight of Lemish’s six years at the helm was the department’s first NCAA national championship with the 1994 field hockey title. That achievement propelled the Dukes to their best LEARFIELD Director’s Cup finish in program history at No. 38. In both 1994-95 and 1995-96 JMU was the nation’s top Division I-AA program in an all-sports competition sponsored by Sears and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
In addition to field hockey, JMU captured the Overall US Intercollegiate Archery national title in 1995. Across the board, James Madison was particularly strong in both men’s and women’s soccer as well as lacrosse (13 combined NCAA appearances in those three sports) during Lemish’s six years. JMU also enjoyed success in men’s and women’s basketball, with a NCAA appearance (1994) and multiple regular-season titles in men’s hoops as well as a NCAA bid in women’s hoops in 1996.
JMU posted an overall winning percentage across all sports ranging between .520 and .615 in Lemish’s six years. The Dukes captured 16 CAA championships, 12 regular season titles and earned 48 NCAA appearances. The department boasted 57 All-Americans, four Academic All-Americans, 12 CAA Players of the Year and 12 CAA Coaches of the Year.
Lemish also worked at Longwood, East Carolina, UAB and Ball State during his 35-year administrative career. He served on the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce for nine years, including serving as the organization’s president in 1997. He later served as commissioner of both the Rockingham County Baseball League (2010-2011) and Valley Baseball League (2012-2017).
