William & Mary Tribe football, 1893–1899

The William & Mary Orange and White football[1] teams represented The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Now known as the William & Mary Tribe, the athletic program began in 1893. As of 2009, William & Mary is one of only 20 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) schools to have played 1,000 (or more) games in college football history. Outside of the Ivy League schools, W&M is one of 13 to have played 1,000.

Contents: 1893 - 1894 - 1895 - 1896 - 1897 - 1898 - 1899 - Decade totals - Notes

1893

1893 William & Mary Orange and White football
Conference Independent
1893 record 2–1
Head coach None
Seasons
« None 1894 »

In the fall of 1893, Charles L. Hepburn brought together the first official football team at William & Mary—the college's first organized athletic team. The 1893 team played three games, starting with the first contest in school history against a YMCA team from nearby Norfolk, Virginia.

Date Opponent Site Result
1893 at Norfolk YMCA Norfolk, Virginia L 4–16  
1893 Old Dominion Club Football Norfolk, Virginia W 14–4  
1893 vs. Capital City A.C. Richmond, Virginia W 8–4  

1894

In William & Mary's only game of the 1894 season, Hampden-Sydney beat the Orange and White (Tribe) for their football program's first ever win.

1894 William & Mary Orange and White football
Conference Independent
1894 record 0–1
Head coach John W. Wright (1st year)
Seasons
« 1893 1895 »
Date Opponent Site Result
1894 Hampden-Sydney L 0–28  

1895

No team was fielded for the 1895 college football season.

1896

1896 William & Mary Orange and White football
Conference Independent
1896 record 0–2
Head coach Richard "Bill" Armstrong (1st year)
Seasons
« 1895 1897 »
Date Opponent Site Result
1896 Randolph-Macon L 0–10  
1896 Randolph-Macon L 0–4  

1897

1897 William & Mary Orange and White football
Conference Independent
1897 record 0–1
Head coach W. J. King (1st year)
Seasons
« 1896 1898 »
Date Opponent Site Result
November 6 at George Washington Washington, D.C. L 0–26  

1898

1898 William & Mary Orange and White football
Conference Independent
1898 record 1–1
Head coach W. J. King (2nd year)
Seasons
« 1897 1899 »

The 1898 season was significant because it marked the first meeting between William & Mary and the University of Richmond, which later became known as the I-64 Bowl (so named for the highway between the two nearby schools). The Richmond-W&M rivalry is the fourth-longest played college football rivalry and, through the 2009 match-up, the schools have played each other 119 times. The Richmond Spiders football team won the inaugural contest 15–0.

Date Opponent Site Result
1898 Randolph-Macon W 5–0  
November 19 at Richmond Richmond, Virginia (I-64 Bowl) L 0–15  

1899

1899 William & Mary Orange and White football
Conference Independent
1899 record 2–3
Head coach William H. Burke (1st year)
Seasons
« 1898 1900 »
Date Opponent Site Result
October 21 at Richmond Richmond, Virginia (I-64 Bowl) L 0–14  
1899 Hampden-Sydney L 5–10  
November 11 Portsmouth A.C. L 0–6  
1899 Hampton A.C. W 41–0  
1899 vs. Baltimore CC Newport News, Virginia W 6–5  

Decade totals

†Of the Orange and White's decade total of 83 points, 41 came from one game alone (a 41–0 win over Hampton AC in 1899).

Notes

  1. ^ 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 they have been known as the Tribe.
Venues
Bowls & rivalries
Culture & lore
People
  • Head coaches
Seasons