Richmond Spiders football
The Richmond Spiders are a college football team representing the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond was the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision champion for the 2008 season. Richmond competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision. Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head coach Russ Huesman was named head coach of the Spiders, on December 14, 2016, replacing Danny Rocco who had departed to become head coach at the University of Delaware a day earlier.[2]
| Richmond Spiders football | |
|---|---|
| First season | 1881 |
| Athletic director | John Hardt |
| Head coach | Russ Huesman 6th season, 33–29 (.532) |
| Stadium | Robins Stadium (capacity: 8,217) |
| Field surface | FieldTurf |
| Location | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Conference | Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) |
| All-time record | 574–666–53 (.464) |
| Bowl record | 1–1 (.500) |
| Claimed national titles | 1 (2008) |
| Conference titles | 13 |
| Rivalries | William & Mary (rivalry) James Madison (rivalry) VMI (rivalry) |
| Consensus All-Americans | 1 (1969) |
| Colors | Blue and red[1] |
| Uniform outfitter | Nike |
| Website | RichmondSpiders.com |
In 2008, No. 7 Richmond beat Eastern Kentucky, Appalachian State, and Northern Iowa to advance to the NCAA Division I Football Championship against Montana. In the FCS National Championship Game on December 19, 2008, they defeated Montana 24–7 to win the first team NCAA national title for the University of Richmond in any sport.
Richmond's traditional rival in many sports is the College of William & Mary. Richmond and William & Mary have met 133 times since 1898, making the rivalry (sometimes referred to as "the South's oldest rivalry") the fourth most-played in Division I college football. Only Lafayette–Lehigh, Princeton–Yale, and Harvard–Yale have played more games. The winner of the annual W&M–Richmond match-up claims the Capital Cup (formerly the I-64 Trophy), which reflects the historical significance of the cities of Williamsburg and Richmond as the last two capitals of the Commonwealth of Virginia.[3]
Conference affiliations
- 1881–1900: Independent
- 1900–1920: Eastern Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association (EVIAA)
- 1911–1921: South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SAIAA) – participated simultaneously as a member of both organizations
- 1922–1926: Independent
- 1927–1935: Virginia Conference
- 1936–1975: Southern Conference
- 1976–1977: NCAA Division I independent
- 1978–1981: NCAA Division I-A independent
- 1982–1985: NCAA Division I-AA independent
- 1986–1996: Yankee Conference
- 1997–2006: Atlantic 10 Conference
- 2007–present: Colonial Athletic Association
All-Americans
- Walker Gillette, SE- 1969 Consensus 1st Team (FWAA-1st; NEA-1st; TSN-1st; Time-1st)
- Walker Gillette, WR- 1969 (AP-1st)
- Barty Smith, RB- 1973 (AP-3rd)
Richmond Spiders in the NFL Draft
Undrafted players and non-NFL draftees
- Rick Sowieta, LB, Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Rough Riders
- Carmen Cavalli, Oakland Raiders draft pick (1960)
- Reggie Evans, RB
- Bruce Gossett, K
- Matt Joyce, G/T
- Paris Lenon, LB
- Matt Snider, FB
- Brendan Toibin, K
- Stacy Tutt, FB
- Josh Vaughan, RB
- Danny Desriveaux, Montreal Alouettes
- Eric Ward, QB, Edmonton Eskimos (2011)
- Winston October, DB/KR, Montreal Alouettes, WR/KR, Washington Redskins and Edmonton Eskimos
- Ben Edwards, WR/KR, New York Giants
- Seth Williams, CFL player
- Martin Parker, DT
- Kerry Wynn, DE
- Kendall Gaskins, RB
- Mike Burkhead, QB
- Jacob Ruby, OL, Edmonton Eskimos
- Kyle Lauletta, QB, New York Giants
- Winston Craig, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
- David Jones, DB
Playoffs
The Spiders have appeared in the Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs 12 times. Their combined record is 16–11. They were FCS National Champions in 2008.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | First Round Quarterfinals | Boston University Rhode Island | W 35–33 L 17–23 |
| 1987 | First Round | Appalachian State | L 3–20 |
| 1998 | First Round | Lehigh | L 23–24 |
| 2000 | First Round Quarterfinals | Youngstown State Montana | W 10–3 L 20–34 |
| 2005 | First Round Quarterfinals | Hampton Furman | W 38–10 L 20–24 |
| 2007 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Eastern Kentucky Wofford Appalachian State | W 31–14 W 21–10 L 35–55 |
| 2008 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game | Eastern Kentucky Appalachian State Northern Iowa Montana | W 38–10 W 33–13 W 21–20 W 24–7 |
| 2009 | First Round Quarterfinals | Elon Appalachian State | W 16–13 L 31–35 |
| 2014 | First Round Second Round | Morgan State Coastal Carolina | W 46–24 L 15–36 |
| 2015 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | William & Mary Illinois State North Dakota State | W 48–13 W 39–27 L 7–33 |
| 2016 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | North Carolina A&T North Dakota Eastern Washington | W 39–10 W 27–24 L 0–38 |
| 2022 | First Round Second Round | Davidson Sacramento State | W 41–0 L 31–38 |
Bowl games
During their time as an NCAA University Division (Major College) team, Richmond appeared in two bowl games, both times in the Tangerine Bowl against the champion of the Mid-American Conference. They have a record of 1–1.
| Year | Coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Frank Jones | Tangerine Bowl | Ohio | W 49–42 |
| 1971 | Frank Jones | Tangerine Bowl | Toledo | L 3–28 |
References
- ^ "Palettes – University of Richmond". Retrieved December 5, 2022.
- ^ "Huesman Named Head Coach Of Spiders Football". RichmondsSpiders.com. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ Richmond, William & Mary Rename Football Rivalry As Capital Cup 2011-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Official website