William & Mary Tribe football, 1990–99

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.

The 1990s were the second most successful years of Tribe football (behind the 1940s) in both terms of winning percentage and by the number of points William & Mary outscored their opponents. In terms of total wins, the 1990s has been the most successful decade.

Three players were drafted during this era. Most notably, Darren Sharper was selected as the 60th overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft. It is still the highest overall draft selection, in the modern football era, by any William & Mary player in the program's history. As of April 2014, Sharper is in the National Football League's top 10 all-time in career interceptions. He was a five-time Pro Bowl starter as well.

Four of the seasons in the 1990s saw William & Mary win at least nine games; two of those were 10-win seasons. The 1990 team won a Division I-AA playoff game for the school's first-ever playoff victory. In 1996, the Tribe were outright champions of the Yankee Conference. That same squad finished the year ranked #5 in the final Sports Network poll, which was a then-school record for highest finish ever.

1990

William & Mary were the 1990 Lambert Cup winners. The Lambert Cup is an award given to the best team in the East in Division I-AA. To be eligible for the Lambert Cup, a school must be located in the East or play half its schedule against eligible Lambert teams.

1990 William & Mary Tribe football
Division I-AA Quarterfinals, L 38–52, at Central Florida
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 7 (NCAA Poll)[1]
1990 record10–3
Head coach
Home stadiumZable Stadium (15,000 cap.)
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 8at The Citadel
L 31–3418,011
September 15Villanova
W 37–149,728
September 22Connecticut
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 24–711,831
September 29at No. 7 (BCS) Virginia
L 35–6340,400
October 6at Delaware
W 22–1221,378
October 13vs. VMI
W 59–4719,000
October 20Bucknell
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 45–179,821
October 27Lehigh
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 38–17
November 3Furman
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 38–2815,000
November 10at James Madison
W 31–21
November 17at Richmond
W 31–10
November 24UMass
W 38–07,027
December 1at UCF
L 38–5220,067

1991
1991 William & Mary Tribe football
ConferenceIndependent
1991 record5–6
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorJoe Bottiglieri (1st year)
Home stadiumZable Stadium (15,000 cap.)
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 7at Boston University
W 48–223,630
September 14Delaware
L 21–2813,579
September 21at Navy
W 26–2123,697
September 28James Madison
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)
L 28–2915,371
October 5at North Carolina
L 36–5944,500
October 12at VMI
W 40–267,737
October 19The Citadel
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 24–1715,621
October 26at Villanova
L 21–356,887
November 2at Lehigh
L 37–4111,083
November 16Samford
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
L 13–357,131
November 23Richmond
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)
W 49–712,216

1992

William & Mary finished the regular season with a 9–2 record, but because they chose to participate in their second-ever Epson Ivy Bowl against Nihon University in Tokyo, Japan, the Tribe were forced to forfeit their qualification to participate in the 1992 Division I-AA playoffs. The postseason bowl game, due to it being an international match and not sanctioned by the NCAA, does not count toward their win-loss records.

1992 William & Mary Tribe football
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
APNo. 13 (NCAA Poll)[2]
1992 record9–2
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorJoe Bottiglieri (2nd year)
Home stadiumZable Stadium (15,000 cap.)
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 12VMI
W 21–16
September 19Boston University
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 31–21
September 26at Harvard
W 36–165,794
October 3Brown
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 51–613,012
October 10at Penn
W 21–19
October 17Towson
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 43–1515,122
October 24at No. 24 (BCS) Virginia
L 7–3340,100
October 31at James Madison
L 14–217,400
November 7at Colgate
W 44–26
November 14Lehigh
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 26–13
November 21at Richmond
W 34–1919,377
January 23, 1993at Nihon University
W 35–1940,000
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from NCAA Poll at time of game poll released prior to the game

1993
1993 William & Mary Tribe football
Yankee Conference Mid-Atlantic Division Champions
Division I-AA First Round, L 28–34, at McNeese State
ConferenceYankee Conference
DivisionMid Atlantic
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 10[3]
1993 record9–3 (7–1 Yankee)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorZbig Kepa (1st year)
Defensive coordinatorJoe Bottiglieri (3rd year)
Home stadiumZable Stadium (15,000 cap.)
1993 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
New England
No. 6 Boston University x$^ 8 –0 –0  12 –1 –0
No. 25 UMass 6 –2 –0  9 –2 –0
Connecticut 5 –3 –0  6 –5 –0
New Hampshire 4 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Rhode Island 2 –6 –0  4 –7 –0
Maine 0 –8 –0  0 –11 –0
Mid-Atlantic
No. 10 William & Mary x^ 7 –1 –0  9 –3 –0
No. 18 Delaware ^ 6 –2 –0  9 –4 –0
James Madison 4 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
Richmond 3 –5 –0  5 –6 –0
Northeastern 2 –6 –0  2 –9 –0
Villanova 1 –7 –0  3 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 4New Hampshire
W 27–146,641
September 11at Delaware
L 35–4213,612
September 18at Tulane
L 0–1020,517
September 25Harvard
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 45–1714,314
October 2vs. VMI
W 49–614,000
October 16at Northeastern
W 53–64,200
October 23Villanova
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 51–1717,616
October 30James Madison
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)
W 31–2611,698
November 6at Maine
W 47–233,400
November 13at UMass
W 45–283,222
November 20Richmond
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)
W 31–1712,110
November 27at McNeese State
L 28–3417,167

1994
1994 William & Mary Tribe football
ConferenceYankee Conference
DivisionMid Atlantic
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 19[4]
1994 record8–3 (6–2 Yankee)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorZbig Kepa (2nd year)
Defensive coordinatorJoe Bottiglieri (4th year)
Home stadiumZable Stadium (15,000 cap.)
1994 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
New England
No. 12 New Hampshire x$^ 8 –0 –0  10 –2 –0
No. 9 Boston University ^ 6 –2 –0  9 –3 –0
Connecticut 4 –4 –0  4 –7 –0
UMass 4 –4 –0  5 –6 –0
Rhode Island 2 –6 –0  2 –9 –0
Maine 2 –6 –0  3 –8 –0
Mid-Atlantic
No. 13 James Madison x^ 6 –2 –0  10 –3 –0
No. 19 William & Mary x 6 –2 –0  8 –3 –0
Delaware 5 –3 –0  7 –3 –1
Villanova 2 –6 –0  5 –6 –0
Northeastern 2 –6 –0  2 –9 –0
Richmond 1 –7 –0  3 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 3at Rhode Island
W 38–173,383
September 10Delaware
W 31–712,136
September 17at Furman
W 28–2611,244
September 24VMI
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)
W 45–714,014
October 1at Virginia
L 3–3738,300
October 8Northeastern
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 17–127,894
October 15UMass
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
L 14–239,042
October 22at James Madison
L 7–3312,500
October 29at Villanova
W 53–28
November 5Maine
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 17–014,687
November 19at Richmond
W 21–2010,683

1995
1995 William & Mary Tribe football
ConferenceYankee Conference
DivisionMid Atlantic
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 19[5]
1995 record7–4 (5–3 Yankee)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorZbig Kepa (3rd year)
Defensive coordinatorJoe Bottiglieri (5th year)
Home stadiumZable Stadium (15,000 cap.)
1995 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L T  W L T
New England
Rhode Island x 6 –2 –0  7 –4 –0
No. 23 Connecticut 5 –3 –0  8 –3 –0
New Hampshire 4 –4 –0  6 –5 –0
UMass 3 –5 –0  6 –5 –0
Boston University 1 –7 –0  3 –8 –0
Maine 1 –7 –0  3 –8 –0
Mid-Atlantic
No. 7 Delaware x$^ 8 –0 –0  11 –2 –0
No. 13 James Madison ^ 6 –2 –0  8 –4 –0
No. 19 William & Mary 5 –3 –0  7 –4 –0
No. 20 Richmond 5 –3 –0  7 –3 –1
Northeastern 2 –6 –0  4 –7 –0
Villanova 2 –6 –0  3 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 2at No. 17 (I-A) Virginia
L 16–4038,300
September 9No. 7 James Madison
L 17–2413,871
September 16at Northeastern
W 32–02,400
September 23at New Hampshire
W 39–04,266
September 30at VMI
W 27–77,896
October 7Rhode Island
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 23–147,230
October 14No. 22 Penn
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 48–348,535
October 21at UMass
L 9–205,011
October 28Villanova
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 18–1513,925
November 4at No. 5 Delaware
L 20–2318,439
November 11No. 16 Richmond
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)
W 27–712,779
  • Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll at time of game poll released prior to the game

1996
1996 William & Mary Tribe football
Yankee Conference Champions
Lambert Cup Winner
Division I-AA Quarterfinals, L 35–38, at #3 Northern Iowa
ConferenceYankee Conference
DivisionMid Atlantic
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 5[6]
1996 record10–3 (7–1 Yankee)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorZbig Kepa (4th year)
Defensive coordinatorRuss Huesman (1st year)
Home stadiumZable Stadium (15,000 cap.)
1996 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
New England
No. 18 New Hampshire x  6 –2     8 –3  
Maine  5 –3     7 –4  
UMass  4 –4     6 –5  
Connecticut  3 –5     4 –6  
Rhode Island  2 –6     4 –6  
Boston University  0 –8     1 –10  
Mid-Atlantic
No. 7 William & Mary x$^  7 –1     10 –3  
No. 14 Villanova ^  6 –2     8 –4  
No. 11 Delaware ^  6 –2     8 –4  
No. 23 James Madison  5 –3     7 –4  
Northeastern  3 –5     6 –5  
Richmond  1 –7     2 –9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
August 29at UCF
L 33–3918,013
September 7at No. 22 Rhode Island
W 23–162,131
September 14VMI
W 40–219,614
September 21at Bucknell
W 47–04,429
October 5No. 20 New Hampshire
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 31–77,256
October 12at No. 17 James Madison
L 21–2610,500
October 19at No. 9 Villanova
W 30–214,733
October 26Northeastern
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 21–1411,373
November 2No. 6 Delaware
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)
W 10–7 OT8,177
November 9UMass
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 30–66,867
November 16at Richmond
W 28–1311,204
November 30No. 8 Jackson State
W 45–64,057
December 7at No. 3 Northern Iowa
L 35–3810,796
  • Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll at time of game poll released prior to the game

1997
1997 William & Mary Tribe football
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
1997 record7–4 (4–4 A-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorZbig Kepa (5th year)
Defensive coordinatorRuss Huesman (2nd year)
Home stadiumZable Stadium (13,279 cap.)
1997 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
New England
New Hampshire x  5 –3     5 –6  
Connecticut  4 –4     7 –4  
Maine  4 –4     5 –6  
Rhode Island  2 –6     2 –9  
Boston University  1 –7     1 –10  
UMass  1 –7     2 –9  
Mid-Atlantic
No. 1 Villanova x$^  8 –0     12 –1  
No. 3 Delaware ^  7 –1     12 –2  
No. 20 Northeastern  5 –3     8 –3  
Richmond  4 –4     6 –5  
William & Mary  4 –4     7 –4  
James Madison  3 –5     5 –6  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
August 30Hampton
W 31–610,667
September 6at No. 23 Georgia Southern
W 29–2810,329
September 13at VMI
W 41–127,267
September 20at New Hampshire
L 22–243,274
September 27Boston University
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 20–178,574
October 4at Northeastern
L 12–333,112
October 11James Madison
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)
W 38–258,529
October 18at Connecticut
W 38–178,396
October 25No. 1 Villanova
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
L 13–2010,559
November 1at No. 3 Delaware
L 0–1418,707
November 15Richmond
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia (I-64 Bowl)
W 10–78,201
  • Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll at time of game poll released prior to the game

1998
1998 William & Mary Tribe football
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 16
1998 record7–4 (4–4 A-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorZbig Kepa (6th year)
Home stadiumZable Stadium (13,279 cap.)
1998 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
New England
No. 9 Connecticut x^  6 –2     10 –3  
No. 1 UMass x^  6 –2     12 –3  
Maine  3 –5     6 –5  
New Hampshire  3 –5     4 –7  
Rhode Island  2 –6     3 –8  
Mid-Atlantic
No. 10 Richmond x$^  7 –1     9 –3  
No. 23 Delaware  4 –4     7 –4  
Villanova  4 –4     6 –5  
No. 17 William & Mary  4 –4     7 –4  
Northeastern  3 –5     5 –6  
James Madison  2 –6     3 –8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 5at Rhode Island
W 21–133,713
September 12VMI
W 49–09,598
September 19Northeastern
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 24–216,005
September 26at No. 4 Villanova
L 28–4512,008
October 3at Temple
W 45–3816,281
October 10No. 6 Delaware
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)
W 52–457,443
October 17at James Madison
W 24–1214,000
October 24New Hampshire
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
L 19–3110,553
October 31at No. 2 Hampton
W 41–3410,704
November 14No. 13 Connecticut
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
L 26–346,529
November 21at No. 8 Richmond
L 17–4218,914
  • Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll at time of game poll released prior to the game

1999
1999 William & Mary Tribe football
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
1999 record6–5 (5–3 A-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorZbig Kepa (7th year)
Home stadiumZable Stadium (13,279 cap.)
1999 Atlantic 10 Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
No. 13 James Madison +^  7 –1     8 –4  
No. 7 UMass +^  7 –1     9 –4  
No. 24 Villanova  6 –2     7 –4  
Delaware  5 –3     7 –4  
William & Mary  5 –3     6 –5  
Connecticut  3 –5     4 –7  
Maine  3 –5     4 –7  
New Hampshire  3 –5     5 –6  
Richmond  3 –5     5 –6  
Northeastern  1 –7     2 –9  
Rhode Island  1 –7     1 –10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendance
September 2at No. 11 Delaware
L 27–34 2OT22,038
September 11at No. 23 (BCS) NC State*
L 9–3842,386
September 18Furman
L 6–526,390
September 25at Northeastern
W 42–303,721
October 9No. 19 Villanova
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 45–104,923
October 16No. 13 James Madison
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia (Rivalry)
L 20–309,225
October 23at VMI
W 35–145,273
October 30Maine
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
W 37–139,358
November 6at Rhode Island
W 24–66,130
November 13No. 17 UMass
  • Zable Stadium
  • Williamsburg, Virginia
L 16–257,055
November 20at Richmond
W 34–1413,411
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from The Sports Network FCS Poll at time of game. The ranking for NC State is from the AP Poll

Decade totals
  • Final record: 78–37
  • Points scored: 3,419
  • Points against: 2,479
  • +/- point differential: +940

NFL Draft selections
= NFL Hall of Fame = Canadian Football Hall of Fame = College Football Hall of Fame
3 NFL Draft Selections 
# Year Round Pick Overall Name Team Position
1 1991 7 2 170 Tyrone Shelton Los Angeles Rams Running back
2 1992 4 28 112 Chris Hakel Washington Redskins Quarterback
3 1997 2 30 60 Darren Sharper Green Bay Packers Defensive back

References
  1. NCAA Final Poll 1990 – Division I-AA
  2. NCAA Final Poll 1992 – Division I-AA
  3. Sports Network's 1993 FCS College Football Poll
  4. Sports Network's 1994 FCS College Football Poll
  5. Sports Network's 1995 FCS College Football Poll
  6. Sports Network's 1996 FCS College Football Poll
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