William & Mary Tribe football , 2000 – 09 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 ( which was renamed the Capital Cup starting in the 2009 season ) . 2000 . The Tribe finished the season with a 5 – 6 overall record ( 4 – 4 in the A - 10 ) . William & Mary lost three of their first four games , the lone win being a non - conference victory over VMI . The most impressive win of the season came on November 11 , when they defeated Villanova 48 – 41 in their home stadium . 2001 . The Tribe were A - 10 Conference Co - Champions and qualified for the NCAA Division I - AA playoffs . The lost the opening round to the # 8 Appalachian State Mountaineers , however , by a score of 27 – 40 . 2002 . The Tribe finished the season with a 6 – 5 overall record ( 5 – 4 in the A - 10 ) . After losing the season ' s first two games , William & Mary reeled off five straight victories , with the most impressive being a 30 – 13 win over # 15 - ranked Northeastern . They would stumble toward the end of the season , however , as they dropped three of their last four , including the I - 64 Bowl against rival Richmond . 2003 . William & Mary only played 10 games compared to the regular 11 - game season due to a cancellation of the Maine contest , which had been scheduled for September 27 . The presidents of the Atlantic 10 Football Conference awarded the University of Maine a victory and the College of William & Mary a no - contest as a result of the cancellation of their game . The decision of the presidents , based upon the recommendation of the league ' s directors of athletics , was unprecedented in Atlantic 10 Football Conference history . Factored into the decision were Maine ' s efforts to play the game and the understanding of the unique circumstances facing William & Mary in the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel . However , the NCAA does not recognize the win in their official records . 2006 . The 2006 season was the final year of William & Mary ' s football membership in the A - 10 Conference , as the newly formed Colonial Athletic Association football conference formed and was set to begin competition in 2007 . 2007 . The 2007 season was the CAA ' s first year as a Football Conference . The teams in the newly - formed CAA Football Conference came largely from the Atlantic 10 Conference , as well as a mix of other conferences . 2008 . The William & Mary Tribe football team represented the College of William & Mary in National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) college football during the 2009 season . William & Mary competed as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association ( CAA ) under head football coach Jimmye Laycock and played their home games at Zable Stadium . The 2008 campaign came on the heels of a 4 – 7 record in 2007 . William & Mary finished the season ranked # 20 according to the final Sports Network FCS Poll . The 2008 season was also the final one for redshirt senior cornerback and punt returner Derek Cox . Cox , an All - Conference player , would later be selected in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 9th pick in the 3rd round ( 73rd overall ) , making him the second - highest player ever drafted out of William & Mary ( Darren Sharper , 60th overall pick in the 2nd round , 1997 ) .