| William & Mary Tribe | |
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| University | The College of William & Mary |
|---|---|
| Conference | Colonial Athletic Association |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Terry Driscoll |
| Location | Williamsburg, VA |
| Varsity teams | 23 |
| Football stadium | Zable Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Kaplan Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Plumeri Park |
| Other arenas | McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center |
| Mascot | (mascot in transition) |
| Nickname | Tribe |
| Fight song | Tribe Fight Song |
| Colors | Green and Gold
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| Homepage | Tribe Athletics |
The William & Mary Tribe are the athletic teams for the College of William & Mary. The name Tribe refers to the unity and comradery that William & Mary student-athletes share when competing in the classroom and on the field. 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.
Currently, there is no official mascot for the Tribe. During the 2006-07 school year, then-College President Gene Nichol chose to remove the two tribal feathers from William & Mary’s logo due to NCAA regulations. The College executives then decided to start anew and replace the old mascot. At the time, the Tribe mascot was an amorphous green blob named Colonel Ebirt. "Ebirt" is Tribe spelled backwards, and the process for a new mascot is still ongoing.
William & Mary has won two team national championships (both in men’s tennis) and many individual national championships. The College has more conference championships than any other school in the Colonial Athletic Association. As of the end of the 2004-05 academic year, the Tribe had won 84 conference championships. Dating back to the athletic program’s beginning, there have been over 142 conference titles in all.
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Baseball
The baseball team made the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship in 1983 and 2001.
Football
The football team has won seven conference championships. While a member of the Southern Conference, W&M won in 1942, 1947 and 1970. After joining the Yankee Conference, the Tribe won in 1993. After the Yankee Conference's merger with the A-10 Conference, the Tribe won in 1996 and were co-champions in 2001 and 2004. The 2004 season saw William & Mary reach the Division I-AA national semi-finals before finally falling to rival James Madison University.
In 2008, the Tribe played Richmond, at home, on the very last game of the season. Both teams entered the game needing a win to secure a playoff spot, while the loser would not reach the postseason. William & Mary trailed by 14 points going into the 4th quarter but made a huge comeback (largely due to Derek Cox) to send the game into overtime. After failing to convert a field goal themselves, the Tribe would go on to lose the game by a field goal. William & Mary missed the playoffs because of it. Richmond, however, would go on an improbable run to win the NCAA Division I Football Championship by defeating the University of Montana 24–7.
In 2009, the Tribe played their academic rivals, the Virginia Cavaliers (UVA), in a season opening match-up for both schools in Charlottesville. The Tribe upset Virginia 26–14. It was the first win over UVA for the Tribe since 1986. The Tribe finished the year 11-3, after a run to the national semifinals that ended with a 14-13 loss to CAA rival and eventual champion Villanova.
Men's Basketball
Traditionally, the Tribe has not been a storied basketball program. Their only postseason berth ever was the 1983 National Invitation Tournament after winning the regular season conference title. They have appeared in six conference tournament finals; while in the Southern Conference they lost the tournament final in 1958, 1961, 1965, and 1975, and while in the ECAC South (precursor to the Colonial Athletic Association) they lost the 1983 final to James Madison University, 41-38. Their most recent conference tournament final appearance came in the 2008 CAA final when W&M dropped a 68-59 decision to George Mason University while playing live on ESPN.
Cross Country / Track & Field
The College of William & Mary’s most dominant sports are its men’s and women’s cross country and track & field teams.
Men
Entering the 2008 season, the men's cross country team has qualified for twelve straight NCAA Division I championships. Alumnus Brian Hyde represented the United States in the 1996 Olympics.
Total conference championships:
- Cross County - 31
- Track & Field - 27
Women
Total conference championships:
- Cross County - 16
- Track & Field - 9
Soccer
Men
The Tribe men’s soccer team has produced two First Team All-Americans and twelve NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently in 2002. The most famous alumnus from this program is TV pundit Jon Stewart. He played from 1981-1983 and scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over UConn in the 1983 ECAC Tournament Championship to give William & Mary their second ever conference tournament championship crown. Stewart ended his career with 10 goals and 12 assists while playing as a defender.
Women
Just behind national powerhouses North Carolina and UConn for most women’s soccer NCAA Tournament appearances all-time (26 appearances apiece) are the William & Mary Tribe (23). As of 2009, they are on an NCAA-record 28-year consecutive winning seasons streak, dating back to 1982. Twice have players been selected at the NSCAA National Player of the Year (1987, 1995), and three times the team has made it all the way to the Tournament’s Elite 8 (1987, 1994, 1997).
Other sports
In addition to the sports listed above, the College of William & Mary also fields Division I teams for men and women in gymnastics, swimming and diving, golf and tennis. Exclusive to women are field hockey, lacrosse and volleyball.
National championships
William & Mary has won two national championships, both of which are men’s tennis in the NCAA.[1] The Tribe won back-to-back national championships in 1947 and 1948.[2]
Rivalries
William & Mary’s most heated rivalries are with James Madison (JMU), Delaware (UD), and Old Dominion (ODU). In recent years, the William & Mary-George Mason basketball series has attracted much attention after Mason’s improbable run in the 2006 NCAA Championship, coupled with W&M’s conference tournament championship appearance in 2008. Additionally, every year William & Mary squares off against the Richmond Spiders in what is termed the "Oldest Football Rivalry in the South." The Tribe first visited Richmond in 1898, losing 15-0. However, William & Mary holds the all-time series edge 59-54-5. The winner of this annual contest wins the Capital Cup.
In addition, William & Mary football maintains a lighthearted contest with their academic rival UVA unofficially coined "The Jefferson Cup." The Tribe stunned UVA on September 5, 2009 with a 26-14 victory on the season opener at Charlottesville. The Tribe last took home the Jefferson Cup in 1986 with a less dramatic 41-37 victory over The Cavaliers.
Notable alumni
Notable graduates from the athletic programs include Jon Stewart, Adin Brown, Mike Leach, Buster Ramsey, Darren Sharper, Mike Tomlin, Bill Chambers, J. D. Gibbs, Steve Christie, Wade Barrett and Derek Cox.
Fight songs
In addition to the most common Fight Song, the "William and Mary Victory March" (composed in the 1930s by Rolf Kennard) is occasionally heard before games. There is a long-running superstition that playing the Victory March during a game will lead to a bad result.
See also
References
- ^ "How many NCAA Division I championships has your school won?". NCAA. http://www.ncaa.org/champadmin/champs_listing1.html. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
- ^ "About William & Mary athletics". The College of William & Mary. http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/1121/. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
External links
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
