The William & Mary Orange and White football[a] 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.
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.
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), then eventually as the Capital Cup. The Richmond–W&M rivalry is the fourth-longest played college football rivalry and, through the 2011 match-up, the schools have played each other 121 times. The Richmond Spiders football team won the inaugural contest 15–0.
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).[1] Since white uniforms dirtied too quickly, they became known as the "Orange and Black" from 1910 through 1916.[1] 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.[1] This practice was discontinued when the outcry of stereotyping Native Americans as well as the use of a live animal became controversial.[1] Since the 1978 season William & Mary has adopted the nickname "Tribe."[1]
