1949 William & Mary Indians football team

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 1949

| team = William & Mary Indians

| sport = football

| image =

| image_size =

| conference = Southern Conference

| short_conf = SoCon

| record = 6–4

| conf_record = 4–2

| head_coach = Rube McCray

| hc_year = 6th

| captain = George Hughes

| captain2 = Jack Cloud

| stadium = Cary Field

}}

The 1949 William & Mary Indians football team represented the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia during the 1949 college football season. The 1940s was the most successful decade in William & Mary football history. The Indians amassed more wins than any other decade (and this includes a non-existent 1943 season due to World War II), had the largest positive-point differential, won two conference championships and qualified for back-to-back bowl games in 1947 and 1948. There were 24 National Football League (NFL) Draft selections, which is the most all-time for William & Mary in a single decade. Additionally, the 1940s was the only decade in which William & Mary was an Associated Press nationally ranked team as a major college football team.

Schedule

{{CFB schedule

| rankyear = 1949

| poll = AP

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 17

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| away = y

| opponent = Houston

| site_stadium = Public School Stadium

| site_cityst = Houston, TX

| score = 14–13

| attend = 20,000

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/corpus-christi-caller-times-indians-nose/137398636/|work=Corpus Christi Caller-Times|title=Indians nose out Houston U, 14–13|date=September 18, 1949|accessdate=December 25, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = September 24

| w/l = l

| nonconf = y

| away = y

| opponent = Pittsburgh

| site_stadium = Pitt Stadium

| site_cityst = Pittsburgh, PA

| score = 7–13

| attend = 21,506

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-pitt-whips-tribe/137398747/|work=Richmond Times-Dispatch|title=Pitt whips Tribe, 13–7|date=September 25, 1949|accessdate=December 25, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 1

| w/l = w

| opponent = VPI

| site_stadium = Cary Field

| site_cityst = Williamsburg, VA

| score = 39–13

| attend = 10,000

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-indians-roll-over-gobble/137398876/|work=Greensboro Daily News|title=Indians roll over Gobblers|date=October 2, 1949|accessdate=December 25, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 8

| w/l = w

| homecoming = y

| opponent = VMI

| site_stadium = Cary Field

| site_cityst = Williamsburg, VA

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 54–6

| attend = 10,000

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91787484/william-mary-drubs-keydets-in-homecomi/|work=Daily Press|title=William & Mary drubs Keydets in homecoming tilt, 54–6|date=October 9, 1949|accessdate=January 3, 2022|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 15

| w/l = l

| nonconf = y

| away = y

| opponent = Michigan State

| opprank = 19

| site_stadium = Macklin Stadium

| site_cityst = East Lansing, MI

| score = 13–42

| attend = 32,655

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-herald-spartans-trim-william/137398960/|work=The Times Herald|title=Spartans trim William & Mary|date=October 16, 1949|accessdate=December 25, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 22

| w/l = l

| away = y

| opponent = Wake Forest

| site_stadium = Groves Stadium

| site_cityst = Wake Forest, NC

| score = 28–55

| attend = 12,000

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/asheville-citizen-times-deacons-drub-wil/137399054/|work=Asheville Citizen-Times|title=Deacons drub William and Mary, 55–28|date=October 23, 1949|accessdate=December 25, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = October 29

| w/l = w

| away = y

| opponent = Richmond

| site_stadium = City Stadium

| site_cityst = Richmond, VA

| gamename = rivalry

| score = 34–0

| attend = 10,000

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112720932/wl-victorious/|work=The Daily News Leader|title=W&L victorious|date=October 30, 1949|accessdate=November 7, 2022|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 5

| w/l = l

| opponent = North Carolina

| site_stadium = Cary Field

| site_cityst = Williamsburg, VA

| score = 14–20

| attend = 21,000

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-north-carolina-comes-f/137358377/|work=The Baltimore Sun|title=North Carolina comes from behind to beat WIlliam and Mary, 20–14|date=November 6, 1949|accessdate=December 25, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 19

| w/l = w

| nonconf = y

| away = y

| opponent = Arkansas

| site_stadium = War Memorial Stadium

| site_cityst = Little Rock, AR

| score = 20–0

| attend = 16,000

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tyler-courier-times-razorbacks-lose/137399138/|work=The Tyler Courier-Times|title=Razorbacks lose to William and Mary, 20–0|date=November 20, 1949|accessdate=December 25, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}

|{{CFB schedule entry

| date = November 26

| w/l = w

| opponent = NC State

| site_stadium = Cary Field

| site_cityst = Williamsburg, VA

| score = 33–7

| attend = 8,000

| source = {{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-lex-paces-indians/137399254/|work=The Charlotte Observer|title=Lex paces Indians to 33–7 victory over N.C. State|date=November 27, 1949|accessdate=December 25, 2023|via=Newspapers.com}}

}}