William & Mary Tribe football, 1980–89

The William & Mary Tribe football teams represented the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The program was established in 1893 and serves as William & Mary's oldest athletic team. Their long-time football rival is the University of Richmond and their annual meeting is dubbed the I-64 Bowl (later renamed the Capital Cup starting in the 2009 season), so named for the highway connecting the two nearby schools.

Jimmye Laycock, a former William & Mary Tribe starting quarterback from 1967 to 1969, became the new head coach in 1980. He had previously worked as position and assistant coaches at various school for the 10 years prior to his first head coaching job, coincidentally at his alma mater. Laycock went 2–9 in 1980, his first season of what would eventually become the longest tenured and all-time winningest coach in school history. As of 2012, Laycock is still the head coach and is in his 35th consecutive year at William & Mary.

Of the era's 10 seasons, three stand out as particularly noteworthy. In 1986, the Tribe finished with a then-school record nine wins (9–3) and an appearance in the Division I-AA playoffs. Though they would lose their first round game at home to Delaware, the season was a successful one.

Then, in 1988, William & Mary was selected as the inaugural American college football team to participate in the Epson Ivy Bowl, a special football game to be played against a team of all-stars from Japan. The Tribe traveled to Yokohama and easily won, 73–3. The game itself was started to try to spread the sport's popularity to other parts of the world.

In 1989, for the second time in four years, the Tribe qualified for the playoffs. The result was the same—a first round loss, this time to the Furman Paladins—but William & Mary still finished the season with an 8–3–1 record. Jimmye Laycock ended his first decade with a winning record (57–53–2).

1980

1980 William & Mary Tribe football
Conference	Independent
1980 record	2–9
Head coach	Jimmye Laycock (1st year)
Offensive coordinator	Ralph Friedgen (1st year)
Home stadium	Cary Field

1980 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#2 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
#5 Florida State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
#8 Penn State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
#9 Notre Dame		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
#18 Miami		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Navy		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Boston College		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
UNLV		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Tulane		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–				5	–	4	–	1
North Texas		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Villanova		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
West Virginia		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
Louisville		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Richmond		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Temple		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Army		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Memphis		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				1	–	9	–	1
Rankings from AP Poll

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 6	at NC State	Carter-Finley Stadium • Raleigh, North Carolina	L 0–42
September 13	VMI	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	L 10–13
September 20	at Virginia Tech	Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, Virginia	L 3–7
September 27	at Navy	Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, Maryland	L 6–45
October 4	Wake Forest	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	L 7–27
October 11	Dartmouth	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 17–14
October 18	at Rutgers	Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, New Jersey	W 21–18
October 25	Delaware	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	L 3–7
November 1	at East Carolina	Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, North Carolina	L 23–31
November 8	at Harvard	Harvard Stadium • Allston, Massachusetts	L 13–24
November 22	at Richmond	City Stadium • Richmond, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)	L 14–26

1981

1981 William & Mary Tribe football
Conference	Independent
1981 record	5–6
Head coach	Jimmye Laycock (2nd year)
Home stadium	Cary Field

1981 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#3 Penn State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
#4 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
#8 Miami		–		–				9	–	2	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
#17 West Virginia		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Colgate		–		–				7	–	3	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–				7	–	4	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Florida State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Tulane		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
UNLV		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
Temple		–		–				5	–	5	–	0
Boston College		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Louisville		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Richmond		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Army		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
North Texas		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				1	–	10	–	0
Memphis		–		–				1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 5	at Temple	Temple Stadium • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	L 0–42
September 12	Miami (OH)	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	L 14–33
September 19	at Virginia Tech	Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, Virginia	L 3–47
October 3	at VMI	Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, Virginia (Rivalry)	L 14–31
October 10	at Dartmouth	Memorial Field • Hanover, New Hampshire	W 12–7
October 17	Marshall	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 38–7
October 24	at Navy	Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, Maryland	L 0–27
October 31	James Madison	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 31–19
November 7	Harvard	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	L 14–23
November 14	at East Carolina	Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, North Carolina	W 31–21
November 21	Richmond	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)	W 35–21

1982

1982 William & Mary Tribe football
Conference	Independent
1982 record	3–8
Head coach	Jimmye Laycock (3rd year)
Home stadium	Cary Field

1982 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#1 Penn State		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
#13 Florida State		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
#10 Pittsburgh		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
#19 West Virginia		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Boston College		–		–				8	–	3	–	1
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–				7	–	3	–	1
East Carolina		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Miami		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Navy		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Louisville		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Army		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Temple		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Tulane		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
North Texas		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Memphis		–		–				1	–	10	–	0
Richmond		–		–				0	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 11	at Miami (OH)	Miami Field • Oxford, Ohio	L 17–35
September 18	VMI	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 24–12
September 25	at Virginia Tech	Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, Virginia	L 3–47
October 2	at Rutgers	Rutgers Stadium • Piscataway, New Jersey	L 17–27
October 9	Dartmouth	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 24–16
October 16	at Navy	Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, Maryland	L 3–39
October 23	at James Madison	JMU Stadium • Harrisonburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	L 18–24
October 30	at Delaware	Delaware Stadium • Newark, Delaware (Rivalry)	L 21–62
November 6	Brown	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	L 22–23
November 13	East Carolina	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	L 27–31
November 20	at Richmond	City Stadium • Richmond, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)	W 28–17

1983

1983 William & Mary Tribe football
Conference	Independent
1983 record	6–5
Head coach	Jimmye Laycock (4th year)
Home stadium	Cary Field

1983 Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#1 Miami		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				9	–	2	–	0
#19 Boston College		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
#16 West Virginia		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
#20 East Carolina		–		–				8	–	3	–	0
#18 Pittsburgh		–		–				8	–	3	–	1
Penn State		–		–				8	–	4	–	1
Southern Miss		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Memphis		–		–				6	–	4	–	1
Florida State		–		–				8	–	4	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				7	–	5	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Southwestern Louisiana		–		–				4	–	6	–	0
Temple		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Tulane		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Louisville		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Navy		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				3	–	8	–	0
Army		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 10	at VMI	Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 28–14
September 17	Delaware	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	L 13–30
September 24	at [[{{{school}}}|North Carolina]]	Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, North Carolina	L 20–51
October 1	vs. [[{{{school}}}|Yale]]	Foreman Field • Norfolk, Virginia (Oyster Bowl)	W 26–14
October 8	at Dartmouth	Memorial Field • Hanover, New Hampshire	W 21–17
October 15	James Madison	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 24–21
October 22	Rutgers	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	L 28–35
October 29	at Virginia Tech	Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, Virginia	L 21–59
November 5	at Marshall	Fairfield Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia	W 48–24
November 12	at East Carolina	Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, North Carolina	L 6–40
November 19	Richmond	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)	W 24–15

1984

1984 William & Mary Tribe football
Conference	Independent
1984 record	6–5
Head coach	Jimmye Laycock (5th year)
Home stadium	Cary Field

1984 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
[[{{{school}}}|Tennessee State]]			–					11	–	0	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Georgia Southern]]			–					8	–	3	–	0
Holy Cross			–					8	–	3	–	0
Richmond ^			–					8	–	4	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Eastern Washington]]			–					7	–	2	–	1
Delaware			–					7	–	4	–	0
James Madison			–					6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary			–					6	–	5	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Bucknell]]			–					5	–	5	–	0
Colgate			–					5	–	5	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Lafayette]]			–					5	–	5	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Lehigh]]			–					5	–	6	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Western Kentucky]]			–					2	–	9	–	0
^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA I-AA Poll

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 8	VMI	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 24–13
September 15	at Delaware	Delaware Stadium • Newark, Delaware (Rivalry)	W 23–21
September 22	at #7 Penn State	Beaver Stadium • University Park, Pennsylvania	L 18–56
September 29	at James Madison	JMU Stadium • Harrisonburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 20–10
October 6	Temple	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	L 14–28
October 13	[[{{{school}}}|Boston University]]	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 24–3
October 20	at Virginia Tech	Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, Virginia	L 14–38
October 27	at Wake Forest	Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, Virginia	L 21–34
November 3	[[{{{school}}}|Lehigh]]	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 24–10
November 10	at Colgate	Andy Kerr Stadium • Hamilton, New York	W 48–39
November 17	at Richmond	University of Richmond Stadium • Richmond, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)	L 31–33
#Rankings from Associated Press.

1985

1985 William & Mary Tribe football
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	#16 (NCAA Poll)
1985 record	7–4
Head coach	Jimmye Laycock (6th year)
Home stadium	Cary Field

1985 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#9 [[{{{school}}}|Georgia Southern]] ^			–					13	–	2	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Eastern Washington]] ^			–					9	–	3	–	0
Richmond			–					8	–	3	–	0
Colgate			–					7	–	3	–	1
Delaware			–					7	–	4	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Tennessee State]]			–					7	–	4	–	0
#16 William & Mary			–					7	–	4	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Lafayette]]			–					6	–	5	–	0
James Madison			–					5	–	6	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Lehigh]]			–					5	–	6	–	0
Holy Cross			–					4	–	6	–	1
[[{{{school}}}|Western Kentucky]]			–					4	–	7	–	0
[[{{{school}}}|Bucknell]]			–					3	–	7	–	0
^ – Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA I-AA Poll

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 7	at Wake Forest	Groves Stadium • Winston-Salem, North Carolina	L 23–30
September 14	[[{{{school}}}|Norfolk State]]	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 28–15
September 21	Delaware	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 17–16
September 28	James Madison	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 31–14
October 5	at Harvard	Harvard Stadium • Allston, Massachusetts	W 21–14
October 12	at Virginia Tech	Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, Virginia	L 10–40
October 19	at Temple	Temple Stadium • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	L 16–45
October 26	at VMI	Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, Virginia (Rivalry)	L 38–39
November 2	at [[{{{school}}}|Lehigh]]	Taylor Stadium • Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	W 31–29
November 9	at [[{{{school}}}|Princeton]]	Palmer Stadium • Princeton, New Jersey	W 33–28
November 16	Richmond	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)	W 28–17

1986

1986 William & Mary Tribe football
Division I-AA First Round, L 17–51, vs. Delaware
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	#8 (NCAA Poll)
1986 record	9–3
Head coach	Jimmye Laycock (7th year)
Home stadium	Cary Field

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 13	Colgate	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 42–21
September 20	VMI	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 37–22
September 27	at [[{{{school}}}|Bucknell]]	Memorial Stadium • Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	W 30–13
October 4	Harvard	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 24–0
October 11	at [[{{{school}}}|Lehigh]]	Taylor Stadium • Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	W 44–34
October 18	at Delaware	Delaware Stadium • Newark, Delaware (Rivalry)	W 24–18
October 25	at James Madison	JMU Stadium • Harrisonburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	L 33–42
November 1	at [[{{{school}}}|Virginia]]	Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, Virginia	W 41–37
November 8	[[{{{school}}}|Princeton]]	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 32–14
November 15	Holy Cross	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	L 7–31
November 22	at Richmond	University of Richmond Stadium • Richmond, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)	W 21–14
November 29	Delaware	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry; Division I-AA playoffs)	L 17–51

1987

1987 William & Mary Tribe football
Conference	Independent
1987 record	5–6
Head coach	Jimmye Laycock (8th year)
Home stadium	Cary Field

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 5	at [[{{{school}}}|East Tennessee State]]	Memorial Center • Johnson City, Tennessee	L 25–49
September 12	at Navy	Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium • Annapolis, Maryland	W 27–17
September 19	at Colgate	Andy Kerr Stadium • Hamilton, New York	L 7–19
October 3	[[{{{school}}}|Lehigh]]	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 28–27
October 10	at [[{{{school}}}|Yale]]	Yale Bowl • New Haven, Connecticut	L 34–40
October 17	Delaware	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	L 14–38
October 24	James Madison	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	L 22–28
October 31	vs. VMI	Foreman Field • Norfolk, Virginia (Rivalry / Oyster Bowl)	W 17–6
November 7	[[{{{school}}}|Bucknell]]	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 31–6
November 14	at Holy Cross	Fitton Field • Worcester, Massachusetts	L 7–40
November 21	Richmond	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)	W 20–7

1988

William & Mary became the first university to compete in the Epson Ivy Bowl in Yokohama, defeating a football team composed of Japanese all-stars, 73–3. The game occurred on January 8, 1989, but does not count toward official win-loss records. In order to participate in the game, however, the Tribe were forced to abstain from the Division I-AA playoffs that they had qualified for.

1988 William & Mary Tribe football
Epson Ivy Bowl, W 73–3, at Japan All-Stars
Conference	Independent
1988 record	6–4–1
Head coach	Jimmye Laycock (9th year)
Home stadium	Cary Field

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 3	at [[{{{school}}}|Virginia]]	Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, Virginia	L 23–31
September 10	VMI	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 30–7
September 17	[[{{{school}}}|Lehigh]]	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 14–6
September 24	at James Madison	JMU Stadium • Harrisonburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 10–3
October 8	at Delaware	Delaware Stadium • Newark, Delaware (Rivalry)	L 35–38
October 15	[[{{{school}}}|New Hampshire]]	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 33–31
October 22	Villanova	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	T 14–14
October 29	at #18 Georgia	Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia	L 24–59
November 5	[[{{{school}}}|Wofford]]	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 30–14
November 12	Colgate	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 28–3
November 19	at Richmond	University of Richmond Stadium • Richmond, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)	L 19–24
January 8, 1989	at Japan All-Stars	Yokohama Stadium • Yokohama, Japan (Epson Ivy Bowl)	W 73–3
#Rankings from Associated Press.

1989

1989 William & Mary Tribe football
Division I-AA First Round, L 10–24, at Furman
Conference	Independent
Ranking
AP	#10 (NCAA Poll)
1989 record	8–3–1
Head coach	Jimmye Laycock (10th year)
Home stadium	Cary Field

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 9	Colgate	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 17–13
September 16	at VMI	Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 24–17
September 23	at [[{{{school}}}|Princeton]]	Palmer Stadium • Princeton, New Jersey	T 31–31
September 30	at Virginia	Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, Virginia	L 12–24
October 7	Delaware	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 27–24
October 14	vs. [[{{{school}}}|Boston University]]	Foreman Field • Norfolk, Virginia (Oyster Bowl)	W 13–10
October 21	at Villanova	Villanova Stadium • Villanova, Pennsylvania	L 17–20
October 28	at [[{{{school}}}|Lehigh]]	Goodman Stadium • Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	W 55–39
November 4	[[{{{school}}}|East Tennessee State]]	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia	W 34–28
November 11	James Madison	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)	W 24–21
November 18	Richmond	Cary Field • Williamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)	W 22–10
November 25	at Furman	Paladin Stadium • Greenville, South Carolina (Division I-AA playoffs)	L 10–24

Decade totals

• Final record: 57–53–2
• Points scored: 2,439
• Points against: 2,817
• +/- point differential: –378

NFL Draft selections

= NFL Hall of Fame

= Canadian Football Hall of Fame

= College Football Hall of Fame

#	Year	Round	Pick	Overall	Name	Team	Position
1	1982	3	28	83	John Cannon	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Defensive end
2	1985	10	9	261	Mark Kelso	Philadelphia Eagles	Defensive back
3	1987	7	25	193	Archie Harris	Chicago Bears	Tackle
4	1987	8	23	218	Mike "Pinball" Clemons	Kansas City Chiefs	Running back
5	1987	9	9	232	Ken Lambiotte	Philadelphia Eagles	Quarterback