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, named for the last two Virginia state capitals, Richmond and Williamsburg, claims the Capital Cup (previously known as the I-64 Trophy). 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. And, most recently, from 1978 to the present day they have been known as the Tribe.
The William & Mary Tribe football team has had unparallelled success during Jimmye Laycock's tenure. Since his taking over as head coach, W&M have enjoyed winning seasons nearly every year. 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.
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
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
