William & Mary Tribe football


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. Mike London is in his 1st year as the Tribe's head coach. 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 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, 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 University of Richmond in 2015. 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 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.

Series records

Opponent Match UpsRecord
Richmond 12762–60–5
VMI 8853–33–2
Delaware 4218–24
James Madison 4017–23
Virginia 366–29–1

Currently in professional football

Coaches

  1. Mark Duffner – Senior Defensive Assistant for the Cincinnati Bengals
  2. Ivan Fears – Running backs coach for the New England Patriots
  3. Sean McDermott – Head coach of the Buffalo Bills
  4. Mike Tomlin – Head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers; winner of Super Bowl XLIII; youngest head coach in NFL history to lead team to Super Bowl win
  5. Alan Williams – Defensive backs/Safeties coach for the Indianapolis Colts
  6. Joe Brady - Offensive Coordinator for the Carolina Panthers

    Players

  7. Jerome Couplin III – Safety for the LA Wildcats of the XFL.
  8. DeAndre Houston-Carson – Safety for the Chicago Bears
  9. Tre McBride - Wide receiver for the LA Wildcats of the XFL
  10. Luke Rhodes - Linebacker and long snapper for the Indianapolis Colts
  11. Bill Murray - Defensive Tackle for the New England Patriots

    Currently in the CFL

Coaches

  1. Billy Parker – Defensive Assistant for the Montreal Alouettes

    Players

  2. Adrian Tracy - Defensive end for the Montreal Alouettes
  3. Devonte Dedmon - Wide receiver for the Ottawa Redblacks

    Championships

Conference championships

The Tribe have won 12 conference championships.
† denotes co-championship.

Division championships

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

Bowl games

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

Playoffs

The Tribe have participated in the playoffs ten times, with 17 total playoff games played for a record of 7–10.

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 the school had a record of 29–7–3; the 1942 team were Southern Conference champions

    National Football League (NFL)

  6. Lou Creekmur – After playing for the Indians he went on to become of one of the most successful offensive tackles in Detroit Lions history
  7. Marv Levy – Did not attend W&M, but coached William & Mary for five years, earning two Southern Conference Coach of the Year awards and one SoCon title ; 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)

  8. Mike "Pinball" Clemons – compiled 4,778 all-purpose yards and was named a Division I-AA All-American
  9. 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