William & Mary Tribe football, 1970–79

The William & Mary Indians / Tribe football[a] teams represented the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Now known as the William & Mary Tribe, the program was established in 1893. Their long-time football rival is the University of Richmond. Their annual meeting is dubbed the I-64 Bowl (renamed the Capital Cup starting in the 2009 season), so named for the highway connecting the two nearby schools.

The 1970s was a time of transition for the William & Mary football program. Aside from switching head coaches after the 1971 season, the Indians would also eventually switch athletic conferences and create a new nickname. Prior to the 1977 season, William & Mary left the Southern Conference after having been a member since 1936. Then, effective as of the 1978 season, the NCAA decided to split their Division I status for schools into two sub-groups: Division I-A and Division I-AA. It was also this year that William & Mary switched their long-standing nickname, the Indians, to a more politically correct Tribe.

Though the overall decade winning percentage was below .500 (49–61–1), the era started off on a strong note. Future College Football Hall of Famer Lou Holtz, in his second year as head coach, guided the Indians to be the 1970 Southern Conference Champions and make an appearance in the school's third (and final) major bowl game. Though the Indians would lose the Tangerine Bowl, 12–40, they later took solace in knowing that they lost to a Toledo Rockets team who were in their second of three straight undefeated seasons (Toledo went into the contest ranked 15th by the Associated Press and would finish #12 in the final AP Poll).

William & Mary had seven NFL Draft selections, and they were also able to split the decade's I-64 Bowl series with Richmond 5–5.

1970

1970 William & Mary Indians football
Southern Conference Champions
Tangerine Bowl, L 12–40, vs. #15 Toledo
Conference Southern Conference
1970 record 5–7 (3–1 SoCon)
Head coach Lou Holtz (2nd year)
Defensive coordinator Bobby Ross (1st year)
Home stadium Cary Field
1970 Southern Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
William & Mary $   3 1         5 7  
The Citadel   4 2         5 6  
Furman   3 2         8 3  
East Carolina   2 2         3 8  
Richmond   3 3         4 6  
Davidson   2 4         2 8  
VMI   1 4         1 10  
  • $ Conference champion

1971

1971 William & Mary Indians football
Conference Southern Conference
1971 record 5–6 (3–1 SoCon)
Head coach Lou Holtz (3rd year)
Home stadium Cary Field
1971 Southern Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Richmond $ 5 1 0     5 6 0
William & Mary 4 1 0     5 6 0
The Citadel 4 2 0     8 3 0
East Carolina 3 2 0     4 6 1
Furman 2 3 0     5 5 1
VMI 1 4 0     1 10 0
Davidson 0 6 0     1 9 0
  • $ Conference champion
Date Opponent Site Result
September 11 at The Citadel Johnson Hagood StadiumCharleston, South Carolina W 35–28  
September 18 at East Carolina Ficklen StadiumGreenville, North Carolina W 28–10  
September 25 Davidson* Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 40–14  
October 2 at Tulane* Tulane StadiumNew Orleans, Louisiana W 14–3  
October 9 West Virginia* Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 23–28  
October 16 at Virginia Tech* Lane StadiumBlacksburg, Virginia L 30–41  
October 23 VMI Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry) W 12–7  
October 30 at North Carolina* Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, North Carolina L 35–36  
November 6 at Wake Forest* Groves StadiumWinston-Salem, North Carolina L 29–36  
November 13 at Temple* Temple StadiumPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania L 13–17  
November 20 Richmond Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl) L 19–21  
*Non-conference game.

1972

See also: 1972 Tobacco Bowl game recap
1972 William & Mary Indians football
Conference Southern Conference
1972 record 5–6 (4–2 SoCon)
Head coach Jim Root (1st year)
Defensive coordinator Lou Tepper (1st year)
Home stadium Cary Field
1972 Southern Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
East Carolina $ 6 0 0     9 2 0
Richmond 5 1 0     6 4 0
William & Mary 4 2 0     5 6 0
The Citadel 4 3 0     5 6 0
Davidson 2 3 1     3 7 1
VMI 1 5 0     2 9 0
Furman 1 6 0     2 9 0
Appalachian State 0 3 1     5 5 1
  • $ Conference champion
Date Opponent Site Result
September 9 Furman Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 31–7  
September 16 at Navy* Navy-Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, Maryland L 9–13  
September 23 at Villanova* Villanova StadiumVillanova, Pennsylvania L 17–20  
September 30 The Citadel Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 31–12  
October 7 at West Virginia* Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, West Virginia L 34–49  
October 14 Vanderbilt* Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 17–21  
October 21 at VMI Alumni Memorial FieldLexington, Virginia (Rivalry) W 31–3  
October 28 vs. Virginia Tech* City StadiumRichmond, Virginia (Tobacco Bowl) W 17–16  
November 4 at Davidson Richardson StadiumDavidson, North Carolina W 56–9  
November 11 East Carolina Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 15–21  
November 18 at Richmond City StadiumRichmond, Virginia (I-64 Bowl) L 3–20  
*Non-conference game.

1973

1973 William & Mary Indians football
Conference Southern Conference
1973 record 6–5 (3–2 SoCon)
Head coach Jim Root (2nd year)
Defensive coordinator Lou Tepper (2nd year)
Home stadium Cary Field
1973 Southern Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
East Carolina $ 7 0 0     9 2 0
Richmond 5 1 0     8 2 0
William & Mary 3 2 0     6 5 0
Furman 3 3 0     7 4 0
Appalachian State 2 2 0     3 7 1
VMI 2 4 0     2 9 0
Davidson 1 6 0     2 8 0
The Citadel 1 6 0     3 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Date Opponent Site Result
September 8 at Virginia Tech* Lane StadiumBlacksburg, Virginia W 31–24  
September 15 at North Carolina* Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, North Carolina L 27–34  
September 22 at Wake Forest* Groves StadiumWinston-Salem, North Carolina W 15–14  
September 29 at The Citadel Johnson Hagood StadiumCharleston, South Carolina W 24–12  
October 6 Villanova* Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 33–21  
October 13 at Vanderbilt* Dudley FieldNashville, Tennessee L 7–20  
October 20 Davidson Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 51–35  
October 27 VMI Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry) W 45–14  
November 3 at East Carolina Ficklen StadiumGreenville, North Carolina L 3–34  
November 10 Colgate* Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 42–49  
November 17 Richmond Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl) L 0–31  
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from Associated Press.

1974

1974 William & Mary Indians football
Conference Southern Conference
1974 record 4–7 (2–3 SoCon)
Head coach Jim Root (3rd year)
Defensive coordinator Lou Tepper (3rd year)
Home stadium Cary Field
1974 Southern Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
VMI $   5 1         7 4  
Appalachian State   4 1         6 5  
East Carolina   3 3         7 4  
Richmond   3 3         6 4  
The Citadel   3 4         4 7  
William & Mary   2 3         4 7  
Furman   2 4         5 6  
Davidson   0 3         2 7  
  • $ Conference champion
Date Opponent Site Result
September 7 at Mississippi State* Scott FieldStarkville, Mississippi L 7–49  
September 14 at Wake Forest* Groves StadiumWinston-Salem, North Carolina W 17–6  
September 21 at Virginia* Scott StadiumCharlottesville, Virginia L 28–38  
September 28 at Furman Greenville, South Carolina L 0–10  
October 5 The Citadel Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 16–12  
October 12 at Boston College* Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, Massachusetts L 16–31  
October 19 Rutgers* Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 28–15  
October 26 at VMI Alumni Memorial FieldLexington, Virginia (Rivalry) L 20–31  
November 9 Virginia Tech* Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 15–34  
November 16 East Carolina Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 10–31  
November 23 at Richmond City StadiumRichmond, Virginia (I-64 Bowl) W 54–12  
*Non-conference game.

1975

1975 William & Mary Indians football
Conference Southern Conference
1975 record 2–9 (2–3 SoCon)
Head coach Jim Root (4th year)
Defensive coordinator Lou Tepper (4th year)
Home stadium Cary Field
1975 Southern Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
Richmond $ 5 1 0     5 6 0
East Carolina 4 2 0     8 3 0
Appalachian State 3 2 0     8 3 0
The Citadel 4 3 0     6 5 0
William & Mary 2 3 0     2 9 0
Furman 2 4 0     5 5 1
VMI 2 4 0     3 8 0
Davidson 0 3 0     1 8 0
  • $ Conference champion
Date Opponent Site Result
September 6 at North Carolina* Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, North Carolina L 7–33  
September 20 at East Carolina Ficklen StadiumGreenville, North Carolina L 0–20  
September 27 at Pittsburgh* Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, Pennsylvania L 0–47  
October 4 at The Citadel Johnson Hagood StadiumCharleston, South Carolina L 6–21  
October 11 Ohio* Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 8–22  
October 18 at Rutgers* Rutgers StadiumPiscataway Township, New Jersey L 0–24  
October 25 Furman Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 6–21  
November 1 vs. Virginia Tech* Foreman FieldNorfolk, Virginia (Oyster Bowl) L 7–24  
November 8 at VMI Alumni Memorial FieldLexington, Virginia (Rivalry) W 13–7  
November 15 Colgate* Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 17–21  
November 22 Richmond Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl) W 31–21  
*Non-conference game.

1976

1976 William & Mary Indians football
Conference Southern Conference
1976 record 7–4 (3–1 SoCon)
Head coach Jim Root (5th year)
Home stadium Cary Field
1976 Southern Conference football standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
East Carolina $ 4 1 0     9 2 0
William & Mary 3 2 0     7 4 0
Appalachian State 2 2 1     6 4 1
Furman 2 2 1     6 4 1
VMI 2 3 0     5 5 0
The Citadel 1 4 0     6 5 0
  • $ Conference champion
Date Opponent Site Result
September 11 VMI Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry) W 34–20  
September 18 at Virginia* Scott StadiumCharlottesville, Virginia W 14–0  
September 25 East Carolina* Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 19–20  
October 2 at Virginia Tech* Lane StadiumBlacksburg, Virginia W 27–15  
October 9 Delaware*dagger Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry) L 13–15  
October 16 at Navy* Navy-Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, Maryland W 21–13  
October 23 at Ohio* Peden StadiumAthens, Ohio W 20–0  
October 30 at Furman Greenville, South Carolina L 7–23  
November 6 Appalachian State Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 23–22  
November 13 The Citadel Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 22–0  
November 20 at Richmond* City StadiumRichmond, Virginia (I-64 Bowl) L 10–21  
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming.

1977

1977 William & Mary Indians football
Conference Independent
1977 record 6–5
Head coach Jim Root (6th year)
Home stadium Cary Field
1977 Division I Independents football records
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#1 Notre Dame           11 1 0
#5 Penn State           11 1 0
Colgate           10 1 0
#16 San Diego State           10 1 0
Tennessee State           8 1 1
#14 Florida State           10 2 0
North Texas           10 1 0*
#8 Pittsburgh           9 2 1
East Carolina           8 3 0
Rutgers           8 3 0
Army           7 4 0
Louisville           7 4 1
Boston College           6 5 0
Cincinnati           5 4 2
Georgia Tech           6 5 0
Memphis           6 5 0
Northwestern State           6 5 0
Syracuse           6 5 0
William & Mary           6 5 0
Southern Miss           6 5 0
Temple           5 5 1
Hawaii           5 6 0
Navy           5 6 0
West Virginia           5 6 0
South Carolina           5 7 0
Utah State           4 7 0
Villanova           4 7 0
Illinois State           3 7 1
Virginia Tech           3 7 1
Indiana State           3 7 0
Miami (FL)           3 8 0
Richmond           3 8 0
Tulane           3 8 0
Air Force           2 8 1
Holy Cross           2 8 0
Northeast Louisiana           2 9 0
  • North Texas (originally 9-2-0) awarded a forfeit win after UCLA was found to be using an ineligible player.[1]
Rankings from AP Poll
Date Opponent Site Result
September 3 Norfolk State Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 27–13  
September 10 at VMI Alumni Memorial FieldLexington, Virginia (Rivalry) L 13–23  
September 17 at Pittsburgh Pitt StadiumPittsburgh, Pennsylvania L 6–28  
September 24 at Louisville Cardinal StadiumLouisville, Kentucky W 21–7  
October 1 Villanova Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 28–8  
October 8 vs. Virginia Tech City StadiumRichmond, Virginia (Tobacco Bowl) L 8–17  
October 22 at Navy Navy-Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, Maryland L 17–42  
October 29 Rutgers Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 21–22  
November 5 at The Citadel Johnson Hagood StadiumCharleston, South Carolina W 14–13  
November 12 vs. East Carolina Foreman FieldNorfolk, Virginia (Oyster Bowl) W 21–17  
November 19 Richmond Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl) W 29–13  
"12th Man Tackle"

In October 1977, William & Mary met heavily favored East Carolina in the Oyster Bowl. In the fourth quarter ECU led by three points. During the game's final seconds, William & Mary quarterback Tom Rozantz broke loose and ran for the end zone. Jim Johnson, a former head coach for the ECU football team, who was described by The Virginian Pilot as "a portly 65-year-old gentleman in a raincoat," ran from the sidelines and threw a block tackle on Rozantz before he could score the winning touchdown. The unusual turn of events silenced the screaming William & Mary fans, and the officials gathered to discuss their course of action. After deliberation, the play was ruled a touchdown and William & Mary went on to win, 21–17.[2][3]

1978

1978 William & Mary Tribe football
Conference Independent
1978 record 5–5–1
Head coach Jim Root (7th year)
Home stadium Cary Field
1978 Division I-A independents football records
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#4 Penn State           11 1 0
North Texas           9 2 0
East Carolina           9 3 0
Navy           9 3 0
#7 Notre Dame           9 3 0
Rutgers           9 3 0
Florida State           8 3 0
Temple           7 3 1
Pittsburgh           8 4 0
Holy Cross           7 4 0
Louisville           7 4 0
UNLV           7 4 0
Southern Miss           7 4 0
Northeast Louisiana           6 4 1
Georgia Tech           7 5 0
Hawaii           6 5 0
Miami           6 5 0
South Carolina           5 5 1
William & Mary           5 5 1
Cincinnati           5 6 0
Northwestern State           5 6 0
Villanova           5 6 0
Army           4 6 1
Memphis State           4 7 0
Tulane           4 7 0
Virginia Tech           4 7 0
Air Force           3 8 0
Colgate           3 8 0
Richmond           3 8 0
Syracuse           3 8 0
Illinois State           2 9 0
West Virginia           2 9 0
Boston College           0 11 0
Rankings from AP Poll
Date Opponent Site Result
September 9 VMI Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry) W 10–3  
September 16 at Connecticut Memorial StadiumStorrs, Connecticut W 27–3  
September 23 at Villanova Villanova StadiumVillanova, Pennsylvania W 21–17  
September 30 at Virginia Tech Lane StadiumBlacksburg, Virginia L 19–22  
October 7 Temple Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia T 22–22  
October 14 James Madison Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry) W 32–7  
October 21 at #17 Navy Navy-Marine Corps Memorial StadiumAnnapolis, Maryland L 0–9  
October 28 at Louisville Cardinal StadiumLouisville, Kentucky L 21–33  
November 4 The Citadel Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 12–8  
November 11 at East Carolina Ficklen StadiumGreenville, North Carolina L 3–20  
November 18 at Richmond City StadiumRichmond, Virginia (I-64 Bowl) L 3–17  
#Rankings from Associated Press.

1979

1979 William & Mary Tribe football
Conference Independent
1979 record 4–7
Head coach Jim Root (8th year)
Home stadium Cary Field
1979 Division I-A independents football records
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   T     W   L   T
#6 Florida State           11 1 0
#7 Pittsburgh           11 1 0
UNLV           9 1 2
#17 Temple           10 2 0
Tulane           9 3 0
Rutgers           8 3 0
East Carolina           7 3 1
#20 Penn State           8 4 0
South Carolina           8 4 0
Navy           7 4 0
Notre Dame           7 4 0
Southern Miss           6 4 1
Syracuse           7 5 0
Colgate           5 4 1
Boston College           5 6 0
Holy Cross           5 6 0
Memphis           5 6 0
Miami           5 6 0
North Texas           5 6 0
Villanova           5 6 0
Virginia Tech           5 6 0
West Virginia           5 6 0
Georgia Tech           4 6 1
Louisville           4 6 1
Connecticut           3 6 2
William & Mary           4 7 0
Northwestern State           3 6 0
Illinois State           3 8 0
Northeast Louisiana           3 8 0
Army           2 8 1
Air Force           2 9 0
Cincinnati           2 9 0
Richmond           0 11 0
Rankings from AP Poll
Date Opponent Site Result
September 8 at VMI Alumni Memorial FieldLexington, Virginia (Rivalry) L 3–7  
September 15 Colgate Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia W 28–15  
September 22 at Virginia Tech Lane StadiumBlacksburg, Virginia L 14–35  
September 29 at Georgia Tech Grant FieldAtlanta, Georgia L 7–33  
October 6 James Madison Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry) W 33–0  
October 13 vs. Navy Foreman FieldNorfolk, Virginia (Oyster Bowl) L 7–24  
October 20 Rutgers Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 0–24  
October 27 at Delaware Delaware StadiumNewark, Delaware (Rivalry) L 0–40  
November 10 at Appalachian State Conrad StadiumBoone, North Carolina W 9–0  
November 17 Richmond Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl) W 24–10  
November 24 East Carolina Cary FieldWilliamsburg, Virginia L 14–38  

Decade totals

NFL Draft selections

= NFL Hall of Fame = Canadian Football Hall of Fame = College Football Hall of Fame
7 NFL Draft Selections 
# Year Round Pick Overall Name Team Position
1 1971 15 19 383 Andy Giles Oakland Raiders Defensive end
2 1972 14 20 358 Cambal, DennisDennis Cambal Oakland Raiders Running back
3 1972 15 25 389 Bill Davis Miami Dolphins Defensive tackle
4 1973 11 12 272 Knight, DavidDavid Knight New York Jets Wide receiver
5 1974 16 15 405 Barry Beers Kansas City Chiefs Guard
6 1975 12 12 298 Richard Pawlewicz Philadelphia Eagles Running back
7 1976 16 16 447 Craig McCurdy Detroit Lions Linebacker

Notes

  • a Between 1896 and 1909 their nickname was "Orange and White," deriving that name from the school's former colors (William & Mary now uses green and gold).[4] Since white uniforms dirtied too quickly, they became known as the "Orange and Black" from 1910 through 1916.[4] 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.[4] This practice was discontinued when the outcry of stereotyping Native Americans as well as the use of a live animal became controversial.[4] Since the 1978 season William & Mary has adopted the nickname "Tribe."[4]

References

  1. http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1977-standings.html
  2. Coach Jim tackled a lot in life, but one was most memorable, The Virginian Pilot, December 1, 2004, retrieved February 3, 2009.
  3. Pirate Alumni newsletter June 23, 2008, retrieved March 13, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "A History of W&M Mascots and Nicknames". wm.edu. The College of William & Mary. 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
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