William & Mary Tribe football
| William & Mary Tribe football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1893 | ||
| Athletic director | Samantha Huge | ||
| Head coach | Jimmye Laycock 39th season, 247–192–2 (.562) | ||
| Stadium | Zable Stadium (capacity: 12,672) | ||
| Field | Cary Field | ||
| Field surface | FieldTurf Pro | ||
| Location | Williamsburg, Virginia | ||
| Conference | Colonial Athletic Association | ||
| Past conferences | Independent (1893–1906) SAIAA (1907–1910) Independent (1911–1931) Virginia Conference (1932–1935) SoCon (1936–1976) Division I Independent (1977) Division I-A Independent (1978–1981) Division I-AA Independent (1982–1992) Yankee (1993–1996) A-10 (1997–2006) | ||
| All-time record | 573–565–41 (.503) | ||
| Bowl record | 1–2 (.333) | ||
| Conference titles | 12 | ||
| Rivalries | Delaware James Madison Richmond VMI | ||
| Colors | Green, gold, and silver[1] | ||
| Fight song | "Tribe Fight Song" | ||
| Outfitter | Nike | ||
| Website | TribeAthletics.com | ||
The William & Mary Tribe are a college football team representing the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. William & Mary currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision. Jimmye Laycock is in his 38th year as the Tribe's head coach. Laycock is a W&M alumnus and played quarterback under College Football Hall of Fame coaches Marv Levy and Lou Holtz.
William & Mary's traditional rival in football is the University of Richmond. William & Mary and Richmond have met 120 times since 1898, making the rivalry (sometimes referred to as "the South's oldest rivalry") the fourth most-played in Division I college football. Only Lafayette–Lehigh, Princeton–Yale, and Harvard–Yale have played more games. The winner of this annual W&M–Richmond match-up claims the Capital Cup (previously known as the I-64 Trophy), named for the last two Virginia state capitals, Richmond and Williamsburg. In 2008, William & Mary opened the Jimmye Laycock Football Center, a state-of-the-art facility housing the Tribe locker room, football players' classroom study sessions and tape review rooms.
The College of William & Mary has transitioned through several official nicknames since its athletic program began in 1893. From 1893 to 1916, William & Mary football players were known as the Orange and White because those were the old official school colors. From 1916 to 1977, all William & Mary athletes were known as the Indians. Since 1978, they have been known as the Tribe.
History
The William & Mary Tribe football team has had sporadic success during Jimmye Laycock's tenure. Since his taking over as head coach, W&M have enjoyed occasional winning seasons. The long-time head-coach has led the Tribe to multiple playoff appearances, including the national semifinal game on two occasions. Most recently, the Tribe reached the semifinal against eventual champions Villanova in 2009, losing by a single point. The team has also appeared in three bowl games: the 1948 Dixie Bowl, 1949 Delta Bowl and 1970 Tangerine Bowl. The Tribe are 1–2 in those games, with the lone win being a 20–0 victory over Oklahoma A&M in 1949.
Rivalries
Aside from William & Mary's lengthy Capital Cup rivalry with the University of Richmond, the Tribe also hold historic rivalries with in-state opponents like James Madison University and the Virginia Military Institute, as well as out-of-state opponents like the University of Delaware. As of 2017, only the James Madison Dukes and Richmond Spiders are still football members of the Colonial Athletic Association with William & Mary. William & Mary also maintains older, less intense rivalries with the VMI Keydets from its days in the Southern Conference, and the Virginia Cavaliers as part of the unofficial Jefferson Cup, named after Thomas Jefferson who attended the College of William & Mary before founding the University of Virginia.[2]
Series records
- Records through the 2016 season.
| Opponent (Rivalry) | Match Ups | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond (Capital Cup) | 127 | 62–60–5 |
| VMI (Rivalry) | 88 | 53–33–2 |
| Delaware (Rivalry) | 42 | 18–24 |
| James Madison (Rivalry) | 40 | 17–23 |
| Virginia (Rivalry) | 36 | 6–29–1 |
Currently in the NFL
Coaches
- Mark Duffner (Class of 1975) – Linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Ivan Fears (Class of 1976) – Running backs coach for the New England Patriots
- Sean McDermott (Class of 1998) – Head coach of the Buffalo Bills
- Mike Tomlin (Class of 1995) – Head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers; winner of Super Bowl XLIII; youngest head coach in NFL history to lead team to Super Bowl win (36 years old)
- Alan Williams (Class of 1992) – Defensive backs coach for the Detroit Lions
Players
- Jerome Couplin III (Class of 2014) – Safety who is currently a free agent
- Jonathan Grimes (Class of 2012) – Running back who is currently a free agent
- DeAndre Houston-Carson (Class of 2016) – Safety for the Chicago Bears
- Sean Lissemore (Class of 2010) – Defensive tackle who is currently a free agent
- Tre McBride (Class of 2015) - Wide receiver for the New York Jets
- Luke Rhodes (Class of 2016) - Linebacker and long snapper for the Indianapolis Colts
- B. W. Webb (Class of 2013) – Cornerback for the Cleveland Browns
Championships
Conference championships
The Tribe have won 12 conference championships.
| Year | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933† | John Kellison | Virginia Conference | 6–5 | 2–1 |
| 1934† | John Kellison | Virginia Conference | 2–6 | 2–1 |
| 1935 | Thomas Dowler | Virginia Conference | 3–4–3 | 1–1–1 |
| 1942 | Carl M. Voyles | Southern Conference | 9–1–1 | 4–0 |
| 1947 | Rube McCray | Southern Conference | 9–2 | 7–1 |
| 1966† | Marv Levy | Southern Conference | 5–4–1 | 4–1–1 |
| 1970 | Lou Holtz | Southern Conference | 5–7 | 3–1 |
| 1996 | Jimmye Laycock | Yankee Conference | 10–3 | 7–1 |
| 2001† | Jimmye Laycock | Atlantic 10 Conference | 8–4 | 7–2 |
| 2004† | Jimmye Laycock | Atlantic 10 Conference | 11–3 | 7–1 |
| 2010† | Jimmye Laycock | Colonial Athletic Association | 8–4 | 6–2 |
| 2015† | Jimmye Laycock | Colonial Athletic Association | 9–4 | 6–2 |
† denotes co-championship.
Division championships
The Tribe have one division title, won during their time in the Yankee Conference.
| Year | Coach | Conference | Division | Conference record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Jimmye Laycock | Yankee Conference | Mid-Atlantic Division | 7–1 |
Bowl games
William & Mary have participated in three bowl games. The Tribe have a record of 1–2.
| Date | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1948 | Dixie Bowl | Arkansas | L 19–21 |
| January 1, 1949 | Delta Bowl | Oklahoma A&M | W 20–0 |
| December 28, 1970 | Tangerine Bowl | Toledo | L 12–40 |
Playoffs
The Tribe have participated in the playoffs ten times, with 17 total playoff games played for a record of 7–10.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | First Round | Delaware | L 17–51 |
| 1989 | First Round | Furman | L 10–24 |
| 1990 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Massachusetts Central Florida |
W 38–0 L 38–52 |
| 1993 | First Round | McNeese State | L 28–34 |
| 1996 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Jackson State Northern Iowa |
W 45–6 L 35–38 |
| 2001 | First Round | Appalachian State | L 27–40 |
| 2004 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Hampton Delaware James Madison |
W 42–35 W 44–38 L 34–48 |
| 2009 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals |
Weber State Southern Illinois Villanova |
W 38–0 W 24–3 L 13–14 |
| 2010 | Second Round | Georgia Southern | L 15–31 |
| 2015 | First Round Second Round |
Duquesne Richmond |
W 52–49 L 13–48 |
Halls of Fame inductees
College Football
- Jack Cloud – Set a school scoring record of 102 points in 1947 and once scored five touchdowns in a single game
- Bill Fincher – Did not attend W&M, but coached the Indians in 1921
- Lou Holtz – Did not attend W&M, but coached the Indians from 1969–1971 and led the team to the 1970 Tangerine Bowl
- Bill Ingram – Did not attend W&M, but Ingram began his coaching career at William & Mary where, in 1922, he managed a 6–3–0 record
- Buster Ramsey – In his four years (1939–1942) the school had a record of 29–7–3; the 1942 team were Southern Conference champions, beating out Duke and North Carolina for the title
National Football League (NFL)
- Lou Creekmur – After playing for the Indians he went on to become of one of the most successful offensive tackles in Detroit Lions history
- Marv Levy – Did not attend W&M, but coached William & Mary for five years (1964–68), earning two Southern Conference Coach of the Year awards and one SoCon title (1966); the 27–16 win over Navy in 1967 is considered by the NCAA to be one of the Top 10 greatest college football upsets in history
Canadian Football League (CFL)
- Mike "Pinball" Clemons – compiled 4,778 all-purpose yards and was named a Division I-AA All-American
- Ralph Sazio – was a mainstay of the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats as a player, assistant coach, head coach, general manager and team president
References
Notes
- ^ "William & Mary University Colors – Brand Guidelines". Retrieved November 5, 2022.
- ^ TribeAthletics.com: All-time Game Results. Accessed October 31, 2013.
Sources
- "2009 Media Guide". Tribe Athletics. The College of William & Mary. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
- "William and Mary Head Coach Jimmye Laycock". Tribe Athletics. The College of William & Mary. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
- "Tribe Football in the Pros". Tribe Athletics. The College of William & Mary. 2009. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
- "FCS Preseason Rankings". The Sports Network. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
