Capital Cup

Last updated

Richmond–William & Mary football rivalry
First meetingNovember 19, 1898
Richmond, 15–0
Latest meetingNovember 18, 2023
Richmond, 27–26
Next meetingNovember 23, 2024
TrophyCapital Cup (current)
I-64 Trophy (former)
Statistics
Meetings total134
All-time seriesRichmond, 65–64–5 (.504) [lower-alpha 1]
Largest victoryRichmond, 48–0 (1907, 1916)
Longest win streakWilliam & Mary, 15 (1939–1954)
Current win streakRichmond, 1 (2023–present)

Coined as the "Oldest Rivalry in the South", the Capital Cup is one of the longest-running college football rivalries in the United States. Contested yearly between the University of Richmond Spiders and College of William & Mary Tribe, only three rivalries in NCAA Division I have more games played: Lafayette–Lehigh, Princeton–Yale, and Harvard–Yale.

Contents

History

The Capital Cup is one of the oldest collegiate American football rivalries, played between the University of Richmond Spiders and the College of William & Mary Tribe. The yearly contest is the fourth-most-played game in Division I college football, and through the 2023 match-up has been played 134 times. Though starting six years later than what is more commonly called the South's Oldest Rivalry between Virginia and North Carolina, this rivalry between Richmond and William & Mary was more often played twice per year in its early days instead of just once. In 1905, it was played three times. Played nearly continuously since 1898, there have only been four years that the game did not occur: 1900, 1902, 1943, and 2020. [1] [2] The game had until recently been dubbed the I-64 Bowl, from 1984 though 2008. [1] Beginning in 2009, however, the game was officially renamed the Capital Cup, for which a new trophy was created. [3] The Capital Cup name was chosen to honor the entire 119-game history of the rivalry between the two schools and the status of the two cities as two of the historic capitals of the Commonwealth of Virginia. [3] The match-up is typically played as the final regular season game for both teams, but for many years used to be played on Thanksgiving Day. [1]

The November 21, 2009, game marked the 119th meeting between the schools. [4] The Richmond win placed the all-time record at 59–55–5, remaining in favor of William & Mary. [lower-alpha 2] The Richmond Spiders won this inaugural Capital Cup by a final score of 13–10, simultaneously giving Richmond a share of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Football Conference season championship. Placekicker Andrew Howard converted a game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired. Then, in 2010, William & Mary clinched a share of the conference with the Capital Cup win. The Tribe had to beat Richmond and have Villanova upset Delaware in order to share the championship with Delaware, and both of those results occurred.

With CAA Football not playing in fall 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spiders and Tribe did not meet during a calendar year for the first time since 1943. Instead, the two teams were scheduled to meet twice in the spring of 2021 as part of a pared-down schedule of conference games, [5] although the second meeting ended up being canceled due to COVID-19 related protocols. [6]

Trophy

The I-64 Trophy was the trophy that went to the winner of the annual William & Mary versus Richmond football game from 1984 through 2008. [1] [3] [7] Both Division I schools participate in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). The name for the trophy came from Interstate 64, which connects the schools through the short distance between Richmond and Williamsburg. The I-64 Trophy was replaced in 2009 with the Capital Cup, which honors the entire history of the rivalry between the two schools and the status of the two cities as the last two capitals of the Commonwealth of Virginia. [3]

Game results

Richmond victoriesWilliam & Mary victoriesTie games

Game MVPs

A Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award was established 2009, coinciding with the rivalry's renaming to Capital Cup. [8]

SeasonMVPTeamPositionNotes
2009 Eric Ward Richmond Quarterback Completed 24 of 36 passes (66.7%) for 221 yards
2010 Mike Callahan William & Mary QuarterbackCompleted 17 of 22 passes (77.2%) for a career-high 331 yards and two touchdowns
2011 Jonathan Grimes William & Mary Running back Attempted a then school-record 39 rushes for 205 yards and one touchdown
2012 Kendall Gaskins Richmond Fullback Rushed for 73 yards and one touchdown and caught one 7-yard touchdown pass
2013 Seth Fisher Richmond FullbackRushed for a career-high 131 yards and two touchdowns
2014 Michael Strauss Richmond QuarterbackCompleted 29 of 40 passes (72.5%) for 291 yards and two touchdowns
2015 Jacobi Green Richmond Running backAttempted 36 rushes for 217 yards and one touchdown and caught one pass for 8 yards
2016 Kendell Anderson William & Mary Running backAttempted school-record 42 rushes for 219 yards and two touchdowns
2017 Xavier Goodall Richmond Running backAttempted 23 rushes for career-high 180 yards and two touchdowns
2018 Dale Matthews, Jr. Richmond Linebacker Converted a 4th-and-4 on a fake punt; recorded an interception near the red zone
2019 Isaiah Jones William & Mary LinebackerRecorded nine tackles (four TFLs), two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery
2020 Game played on March 6, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic which delayed the 2020 CAA Football season; no game MVP was awarded. [9]
2021 Tyler Dressler Richmond LinebackerRecorded 11 tackles (0.5 TFLs) and two quarterback hurries
2022 Darius Wilson William & Mary QuarterbackCompleted 9 of 13 passes (69.2%) for 227 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 42 yards and two touchdowns on six carries
2023 Kyle Wickersham Richmond QuarterbackCompleted 14 of 21 passes (66.7%) for 152 yards and one touchdown while rushing for a team-high 72 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries

See also

Notes

  1. During the early twentieth century, William & Mary and Richmond would occasionally play two or even three times per season since there were so few teams in the area. Thus it is not a mistake if the W-L column has identical years in them (the teams may have split the season 1–1, for example).
  2. The 2008 game was the first in the history of the rivalry to be decided in overtime. Richmond would go on to win the 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship by defeating the Montana Grizzlies 24–7. It was the first team national championship for Richmond in any sport.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 College Football Rivalries Q-R. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.
  2. The Collegian – UR defeats W&M 23–20 Archived January 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved on November 28, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Richmond, William & Mary Rename Football Rivalry As Capital Cup Archived June 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved on November 11, 2009.
  4. RichmondSpiders.com [ permanent dead link ]. "...Saturday in the 118th meeting between long-time rivals at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg." Retrieved on November 28, 2008.
  5. "CAA Football Announces Spring 2021 Conference Schedule". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  6. "Football Game At William & Mary Cancelled, JMU Game Scheduled For April 17". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. April 9, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  7. Richmond Spiders Athletic Site [ permanent dead link ]. "Up Next: The Spiders bring the 2008 regular-season to a close next Saturday with the I-64 Trophy on the line at William & Mary." Retrieved on November 28, 2008.
  8. All-time results Archived June 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . University of Richmond Spiders football. Retrieved on November 12, 2009.
  9. "Football Claims Capital Cup Win Over William & Mary". RichmondSpiders.com. March 6, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.