Jason Olford poses for a picture with his son, Jamal, a freshman defensive back for the James Madison University football team. Photo courtesy Jason Olford
By David Wolman
Last Saturday’s weather forecast for Eugene, Ore., called for a reprieve from the rain and partly cloudy skies with a high temperature of 50 degrees. But Jason Olford was still preparing for the worst.
Olford planned to have his rain gear in his rental car, rain or shine, as he arrives at Autzen Stadium where watched his son Jamal, a 2025 Wylie East graduate and freshman defensive back for James Madison, play the Oregon Ducks in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
“I’ll have my storm gear ready to go,” said Jason, head track and field coach at Wylie East and former defensive back for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars. “I’ll be changing into the rain gear once I get into the stadium, if needed.”
Saturday’s game will be the fifth one of Jamal’s this season that he will attend. The last game that he watched was on Tuesday, Oct. 28, when Jason made the four-hour drive to San Marcos to watch James Madison cruise to a 52-20 win over Texas State. Of course, Jason’s travels were longer and required a flight and a rental car. But he wouldn’t trade the experience of watching his son and the James Madison Dukes play in their biggest game in school history for anything else.
James Madison was one of 12 teams chosen to compete in the College Football Playoff. The Dukes earned the right to play as the No. 12 seed in the CFP after defeating Troy 31-14 in the Sun Belt Conference championship on Dec. 5. James Madison came into Saturday’s matchup with a 12-1 record, with its lone setback being a 28-14 loss to Louisville on Sept. 5.
Although James Madison lost 51-34, Olford said it’s been fun watching James Madison’s rise to a nationally-ranked program.
“It’s been an exciting year,” Jason said. “I knew that they would be a good team. Coach (Bob) Chesney is one of the best in college football. I knew they would go out and represent well.”
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