William & Mary Tribe

William & Mary Tribe

The William & Mary Tribe are the athletic teams for the College of William & Mary. The name Tribe now refers to the unity and comradery that William & Mary student-athletes share when competing in the classroom and on the field. William & Mary has transitioned through several official nicknames since its athletic program began in 1893. From 1893 to 1909, William & Mary football players were known as the Orange and White because those were the old official school colors. From 1910 to 1916, the team colors changed to orange and black, leading to a change in nickname to "The Orange and Black." From 1916 to the mid-1980s, William & Mary athletic teams were referred to as the Indians. And, most recently, from 1978 to the present day they have been known as the Tribe.

During the 2006-07 school year, then-College President Gene Nichol chose to remove the two tribal feathers from William & Mary's logo due to NCAA regulations. On April 6, 2010, it was revealed that a griffin would become the new mascot.

William & Mary has won two team national championships (both in men's tennis), the AIAW championships in women's golf, the NAIA championships in women's gymnastics, thirteen USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships, and many individual national championships. The College has more conference championships than any other school in the Colonial Athletic Association. As of the end of the 2004-05 academic year, the Tribe had won 84 conference championships. Dating back to the athletic program's beginning, there have been over 142 conference titles in all.