1983 William & Mary Tribe football team

1983 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 3 Holy Cross ^		–		9	–	1	–	1
No. 17 Tennessee State		–		8	–	2	–	1
No. 7 Colgate ^		–		8	–	3	–	0
Lehigh		–		8	–	3	–	0
Lafayette		–		6	–	4	–	0
Northeastern		–		6	–	4	–	1
Southeastern Louisiana		–		6	–	5	–	0
William & Mary		–		6	–	5	–	0
Nicholls State		–		5	–	6	–	0
Bucknell		–		4	–	5	–	1
Delaware		–		4	–	7	–	0
Northwestern State		–		4	–	7	–	0
James Madison		–		3	–	8	–	0
Richmond		–		3	–	8	–	0
Western Kentucky		–		2	–	8	–	1

^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

The 1983 William & Mary Tribe football team represented the College of William & Mary as an independent during the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Jimmye Laycock in his fourth year as head coach, William & Mary finished the season with a record of 6–5.^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	at VMI	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA (rivalry)	W 28–14		^[2]
September 17	Delaware	Cary Field Williamsburg, VA (rivalry)	L 13–30
September 24	at No. 5 North Carolina	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	L 20–51	49,400	^[3]
October 1	vs. Yale	Foreman Field Norfolk, VA (Oyster Bowl)	W 26–14	20,000	^[4]
October 8	at Dartmouth	Memorial Field Hanover, NH	W 21–17	8,500	^[5]
October 15	James Madison	Cary Field Williamsburg, VA (rivalry)	W 24–21	12,100	^[6]
October 22	Rutgers	Cary Field Williamsburg, VA	L 28–35
October 29	at Virginia Tech	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	L 21–59	28,300	^[7]
November 5	at Marshall	Fairfield Stadium Huntington, WV	W 48–24
November 12	at East Carolina	Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC	L 6–40	24,731	^[8]
November 19	Richmond	Cary Field Williamsburg, VA (I-64 Bowl)	W 24–15	10,000	^[9]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^ "William & Mary Football Record Book" (PDF). William & Mary Athletics. June 1, 2021. p. 27. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
^ "W&M whips VMI". Daily Press. September 11, 1983. Retrieved February 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "4 TD passes help UNC toll over Tribe, 51–20". Suffolk News-Herald. September 25, 1983. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Denn, Charlie (October 2, 1983). "Murphy Sparks W&M over Yale". Daily Press. Newport News, Va. p. D-1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Hellen, Earle (October 9, 1983). "W&M's Late Comeback Nips Dartmouth, 21-17". Daily Press. Newport News, Va. p. D-1 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "W&M sacks Madison for third straight win". Daily Press. October 16, 1983. Retrieved October 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Tech offense makes points, buries W&M". Richmond Times-Dispatch. October 30, 1983. Retrieved January 6, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Pirates win big; Still in bowl race". Rocky Mount Telegram. November 13, 1983. Retrieved March 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Indians wind up on winning note, drop Spiders 24–15". Richmond Times-Dispatch. November 20, 1983. Retrieved November 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

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