The William & Mary Tribe football program has represented the College of William & Mary in intercollegiatecollege football competition since 1893. The team has competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I since its formation in 1973. From 1956 to 1972 William & Mary competed in the NCAA University Division. William & Mary fielded its first intercollegiate football team during the 1893 season.[1] Between 1896 and 1908 the team's nickname was "Orange and White," derived from the school's former colors (William & Mary now uses green and gold). Since white uniforms dirtied too quickly, they became known as the "Orange and Black" from 1910 through 1916. Between 1917 and 1977 they were known as the Indians, and throughout this period a man dressing up as a Native American would ride around on a pony along the sidelines during games. This practice was discontinued when the outcry of stereotyping Native Americans as well as the use of a live animal became controversial. Since the 1978 season William & Mary has adopted the nickname "Tribe."[2]
Through the 2024 season, there have been 31 different head coaches in school history.[3] Among them, three have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: Bill Fincher (1974),[4]Bill Ingram (1973),[5] and Lou Holtz (2008).[6] Another coach—Marv Levy—was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.[7] The all-time winningest coach in terms of total wins is Jimmye Laycock.[3] Over a 39-year tenure (1980–2018) he amassed 249 wins, which is over five times more than the next closest head coach, Rube McCray, who had 45.[3] The coach with the highest win percentage is Carl M. Voyles: he amassed a 78.2 winning percentage between 1939 and 1942, going 29–7–3 overall.[8]
Despite having over 500 wins in its history, William & Mary football has never won a national championship. The Tribe have been to the FCS/I-AA playoffs 11 times through 2024 but have never reached the national championship game; twice they have reached the semi-finals. William & Mary has won bowl games, however. They defeated Oklahoma A&M in the 1949 Delta Bowl, 20–0, and also won two Epson Ivy Bowls in the 1990s.[9][10][11] Seven different coaches have coached the Tribe to conference titles. Thomas Dowler, in his lone season at the helm, guided William & Mary to the Virginia Conference championship in 1935.[12] Unsurprisingly, Jimmye Laycock has the most all-time titles with five, plus a divisional championship which was won in 1993.
List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records[A 5], postseason records, championships and selected awards[A 6]
^Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played.[13]
^A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
^Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since.[14]
^When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.[15]
^William & Mary did not have a head coach for the 1893 and 1901–1902 seasons.
^William & Mary did not field teams for the 1895 and 1943 seasons.
^The Epson Ivy Bowl is not recognized by the NCAA as an official game and therefore does not count towards official win–loss records. Thus, the two Epson Ivy Bowl wins would have increased Jimmye Laycock's postseason win count by two, but instead they are discounted.
^DeLassus, David; Noel, Tex (2012). "1935 Season Results". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
^National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records(PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived(PDF) from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
^Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
