William & Mary Tribe football
2023 William & Mary Tribe football team
First season1893
Athletic directorBrian Mann
Head coachMike London
4th season, 27–16 (.628)
StadiumZable Stadium
(capacity: 12,672)
FieldCary Field
Field surfaceFieldTurf Pro
LocationWilliamsburg, Virginia
ConferenceCAA Football
Past conferencesIndependent (1893–1915)
SAIAA (1916–1921)
Independent (1922–1931)
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)
Bowl record1–2 (.333)
Conference titles18
RivalriesDelaware (rivalry)
Richmond (rivalry)
VMI (rivalry)
James Madison (dormant)
Old Dominion (dormant)
ColorsGreen, gold, and silver[1]
     
Fight song"Tribe Fight Song"
OutfitterUnder Armour
WebsiteTribeAthletics.com

The William & Mary Tribe are a college football team representing the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. William & Mary competes in CAA Football, a single-sport NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision conference operated by the Tribe's primary athletic home of the Coastal Athletic Association. They are currently coached by Mike London. He succeeds Jimmye Laycock, who was the head coach of the Tribe for 39 years.

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, 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 had sustained success during Jimmye Laycock's tenure. Since his taking over as head coach, W&M enjoyed over 25 winning seasons and 10 playoff appearances, the 23rd most appearances of any FCS program. The long-time head-coach led the Tribe to multiple playoff appearances, including the national semifinal game on two occasions. Most recently, the Tribe lost in a quarterfinal matchup against Montana State University in 2022. In 2009 the Tribe also 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 2022, the Richmond Spiders and Delaware Blue Hens 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] The Tribe holds non-conference rivalries against the Old Dominion Monarchs and the James Madison Dukes of the Sun Belt Conference, both competing in CAA Football before joining the FBS in 2014 and 2022, respectively.

Series records

  • Records through November 19, 2022
Opponent (Rivalry)Match UpsRecord
Richmond (Capital Cup)12864–64–5
VMI (Rivalry)8853–33–2
Delaware (Rivalry)4319–25
James Madison (Rivalry)4117–27
Virginia (Rivalry)366–32–1

Currently in the NFL

Current as of the 2023 football season.

Coaches

  1. Joe Brady (Class of 2012) – Interim Offensive Coordinator for the Buffalo Bills
  2. David Corley Jr. (Class of 2003) – assistant quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers
  3. Mark Duffner (Class of 1975) – senior defensive assistant for the Cincinnati Bengals
  4. Sean McDermott (Class of 1998) – head coach of the Buffalo Bills
  5. Robert Livingston (Class of 2009) – secondary coach for the Cincinnati Bengals
  6. Kevin Rogers (Class of 1974) – senior offensive assistant for the Cleveland Browns
  7. Mike Tomlin (Class of 1995) – head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers; second youngest head coach in NFL history to win the Super Bowl (36 years old; Super Bowl XLIII)

Scouts

  1. Andrew Caskin (Class of 2018) – Pro scout for the Arizona Cardinals

Players

  1. DeAndre Houston-Carson (Class of 2016) – Free agent who last played as a safety for the Baltimore Ravens
  2. Bill Murray (Class of 2020) – Defensive Tackle for the New England Patriots
  3. Luke Rhodes (Class of 2016) – linebacker and long snapper for the Indianapolis Colts; two-time All-Pro selection (2020, 2021)
  4. Colby Sorsdal (Class of 2023) – offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions
  5. Andrew Trainer (Class of 2022) – offensive tackle for the Los Angeles Chargers

Currently in other football leagues

Coaches

  1. Billy Parker (Class of 2004) – analyst for the Vegas Vipers

Players

  1. Adrian Tracy (Class of 2010) – defensive end for the Toronto Argonauts
  2. Devonte Dedmon (Class of 2019) – wide receiver and kick returner for the Ottawa Redblacks; John Agro Special Teams Award recipient (2021)

Championships

Conference championships

The Tribe have won 18 conference championships, with eight won outright.

Year Coach Conference Overall record Conference record
1907†James E. BarryEVIAA6–32–0–1
1909†George E. O'HearnEVIAA6–42–1
1927J. Wilder TaskerVirginia4–5–12–0–1
1929Branch BocockVirginia8–25–0
1930Branch BocockVirginia7–2–15–0
1933†John KellisonVirginia6–52–1
1934†John KellisonVirginia2–62–1
1935Thomas DowlerVirginia3–4–31–1–1
1942Carl M. VoylesSoCon9–1–14–0
1947Rube McCraySoCon9–27–1
1966†Marv LevySoCon5–4–14–1–1
1970Lou HoltzSoCon5–73–1
1996Jimmye LaycockYankee10–37–1
2001†Jimmye LaycockAtlantic 108–47–2
2004†Jimmye LaycockAtlantic 1011–37–1
2010†Jimmye LaycockCAA8–46–2
2015†Jimmye LaycockCAA9–46–2
2022†Mike LondonCAA10–17–1

† Co-championship

Division championships

The Tribe have one division title, won during their time in the Yankee Conference.

Year Coach Conference Division Conference record
1993Jimmye LaycockYankee ConferenceMid-Atlantic Division7–1

Bowl games

William & Mary have participated in three bowl games. The Tribe have a record of 1–2.

Date Bowl Opponent Result
January 1, 1948Dixie BowlArkansasL 19–21
January 1, 1949Delta BowlOklahoma A&MW 20–0
December 28, 1970Tangerine BowlToledoL 12–40

Playoffs

The Tribe have participated in the playoffs 11 times, with 18 total playoff games played for a record of 8–11.

Year Round Opponent Result
1986First RoundDelawareL 17–51
1989First RoundFurmanL 10–24
1990First Round
Quarterfinals		Massachusetts
Central Florida		W 38–0
L 38–52
1993First RoundMcNeese StateL 28–34
1996First Round
Quarterfinals		Jackson State
Northern Iowa		W 45–6
L 35–38
2001First RoundAppalachian StateL 27–40
2004First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Hampton
Delaware
James Madison		W 42–35
W 44–38
L 34–48
2009First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		Weber State
Southern Illinois
Villanova		W 38–0
W 24–3
L 13–14
2010Second RoundGeorgia SouthernL 15–31
2015First Round
Second Round		Duquesne
Richmond		W 52–49
L 13–48
2022Second Round
Quarterfinals		Gardner–Webb
Montana State		W 54–14
L 7–55

Halls of Fame inductees

College Football

  1. Jack Cloud – Set a school scoring record of 102 points in 1947 and once scored five touchdowns in a single game
  2. Bill Fincher – Did not attend W&M, but coached the Indians in 1921
  3. Lou Holtz – Did not attend W&M, but coached the Indians from 1969–1971 and led the team to the 1970 Tangerine Bowl
  4. Bill Ingram – Did not attend W&M, but Ingram began his coaching career at William & Mary, where in 1922 he managed a 6–3 record
  5. Buster Ramsey – In his four years (1939–1942) the school had a record of 29–7–3; the 1942 team were Southern Conference champions

National Football League (NFL)

  1. Lou Creekmur – After playing for the Indians he went on to become of one of the most successful offensive tackles in Detroit Lions history
  2. Marv Levy – Did not attend W&M, but coached William & Mary for five years (1964–1968), 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 upsets in college football history

Canadian Football League (CFL)

  1. Mike "Pinball" Clemons – compiled 4,778 all-purpose yards and was named a Division I-AA All-American
  2. 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

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of June 22, 2023.[3]

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031
Wofford VMI at Furman at VMI at Old Dominion VMI at VMI
at Charleston Southern at Coastal Carolina at Virginia Colgate
at Virginia at Wofford Charleston Southern at Virginia
Furman

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "William & Mary University Colors – Brand Guidelines". Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  2. ↑ TribeAthletics.com: All-time Game Results Archived July 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed October 31, 2013.
  3. ↑ "William & Mary Tribe Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

Sources

  1. "2009 Media Guide". Tribe Athletics. The College of William & Mary. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  2. "William and Mary Head Coach Jimmye Laycock". Tribe Athletics. The College of William & Mary. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  3. "Tribe Football in the Pros". Tribe Athletics. The College of William & Mary. 2009. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  4. "FCS Preseason Rankings". The Sports Network. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
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