Capital Cup

{{Infobox sports rivalry

| wide = yes

| name = Capital Cup

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| team1 = Richmond Spiders

| team1logo =

| team2 = William & Mary Tribe

| team2logo =

| sport =

| firstmeeting = November 19, 1898
Richmond, 15–0

| mostrecent = November 23, 2024
Richmond, 27–0

| nextmeeting = November 22, 2025

| total = 135

| series = Richmond, 66–64–5 ({{winning percentage|66|64|5}}){{efn|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).}}

| largestvictory = Richmond, 48–0 (1907, 1916)

| longeststreak = William & Mary, 15 (1939–1954)

| longestunbeatenstreak =

| currentstreak = Richmond, 2 (2023–present)

| currentunbeatenstreak =

| trophy = Capital Cup (current)
I-64 Trophy (former)

| trophy series =

| stadiums = E. Claiborne Robins Stadium
(Richmond)
Zable Stadium
(William & Mary)

}}

{{OSM Location map

| coord = {{coord|37.4223|-77.092}}

| nolabels = 1

| zoom = 8

| width = 295

| height = 250

| caption = Locations of Richmond and William & Mary

| mark1 = Blue pog.svg

| label1 = Richmond

| mark-title1 = Richmond

| mark-coord1 = {{coord|37.575|-77.539}}

| mark-description1 = Location:

| label-pos1 = top

| label-color1 = black

| mark2 = Green pog.svg

| label2 = William & Mary

| mark-title2 = William & Mary

| mark-coord2 = {{coord|37.271|-76.707}}

| mark-description2 = Location:

| label-pos2 = left

| label-color2 = black

}}

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.

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 2024 match-up has been played 135 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.[http://www.thecollegianur.com/2008/11/22/ur-defeats-william-mary-23-20/ The Collegian – UR defeats W&M 23–20] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106004834/http://www.thecollegianur.com/2008/11/22/ur-defeats-william-mary-23-20/ |date=January 6, 2009}}. Retrieved on November 28, 2008. The game had until recently been dubbed the I-64 Bowl, from 1984 though 2008. Beginning in 2009, however, the game was officially renamed the Capital Cup, for which a new trophy was created. 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. 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.

The November 21, 2009, game marked the 119th meeting between the schools.[https://archive.today/20110715183715/http://richmondspiders.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/112208aaa.html RichmondSpiders.com]. "...Saturday in the 118th meeting between long-time rivals at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg." Retrieved on November 28, 2008. The Richmond win placed the all-time record at 59–55–5, remaining in favor of William & Mary.{{efn|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.}} 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,{{Cite web |date=October 27, 2020 |title=CAA Football Announces Spring 2021 Conference Schedule |url=https://richmondspiders.com/news/2020/10/27/caa-football-announces-spring-2021-conference-schedule.aspx |access-date=October 27, 2020 |website=richmondspiders.com |publisher=University of Richmond Athletics}} although the second meeting ended up being canceled due to COVID-19 related protocols.{{Cite web |date=April 9, 2021 |title=Football Game At William & Mary Cancelled, JMU Game Scheduled For April 17 |url=https://richmondspiders.com/news/2021/4/9/football-game-at-william-mary-cancelled-jmu-game-scheduled-for-april-17.aspx |access-date=July 14, 2022 |website=richmondspiders.com |publisher=University of Richmond Athletics}}

On May 14, 2024, Richmond announced they were moving to the Patriot League as a football only member beginning in the 2025 season.{{Cite web |last=O'Connor |first=John |date=2024-05-14 |title=Richmond Spiders see 'great fit,' shift from CAA Football to Patriot League |url=https://richmond.com/sports/college/schools/university-richmond/university-of-richmond-caa-football/article_4c855fce-11ee-11ef-b5dd-ffb426178beb.html |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Richmond Times-Dispatch}} The two teams scheduled a non–conference game for 2025, and further announced an extension of the series through the 2030 season.{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Kevin |date=2025-04-16 |title=Richmond, William & Mary extend football series through 2030 |url=https://fbschedules.com/richmond-william-mary-extend-football-series-through-2030/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=FBSchedules.com |language=en-US}} On April 25, 2025, William & Mary announced that were moving to the Patriot League as an associate member for football beginning in the 2026 season, while 20 of their 22 sports teams will remain in the CAA.{{Cite web |date=2025-04-16 |title=William & Mary Football to Join Patriot League |url=https://tribeathletics.com/news/2025/4/25/william-mary-football-to-join-patriot-league.aspx |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=William & Mary Athletics |language=en}}

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.[http://www.1122productions.com/rivalries/r.html College Football Rivalries Q-R]. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.[http://www.richmondspiders.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/111109aaa.html Richmond, William & Mary Rename Football Rivalry As Capital Cup] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616235914/http://www.richmondspiders.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/111109aaa.html |date=June 16, 2011 }}. Retrieved on November 11, 2009.[http://richmondspiders.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/111108aag.html Richmond Spiders Athletic Site]{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. "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. 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.

Game results

{{sports rivalry series table

| series_summary = yes

| format = compact | cols = 2

| team1 = Richmond

| team1style = {{NCAA color cell|Richmond Spiders}}

| team2 = William & Mary

| team2style = {{NCAA color cell|William & Mary Tribe}}

| October 11, 1905 | Richmond | Tie | 0 | Tie | 0

| November 18, 1916 | Williamsburg | Tie | 0 | Tie | 0

| November 24, 1927 | Richmond | Tie | 0 | Tie | 0

| November 27, 1935 | Richmond | Tie | 6 | Tie | 6

| November 24, 1955 | Richmond | Tie | 6 | Tie | 6

| {{tooltip|December 5, 2015|FCS Second Round}} | Richmond | Richmond | 48 | William & Mary | 13

}}

Game MVPs

A Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award was established 2009, coinciding with the rivalry's renaming to Capital Cup.[http://www.richmondspiders.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/thecapitalcup.html All-time results] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616235923/http://www.richmondspiders.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/thecapitalcup.html |date=June 16, 2011 }}. University of Richmond Spiders football. Retrieved on November 12, 2009.

class="wikitable sortable" border="1" width="100%" style="font-size:90%;"
Season ! MVP ! Team ! Position ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
align=center \| 2009 \| {{sortname\|Eric\|Ward\|Eric Ward (quarterback)}} \| Richmond \| Quarterback \| align=left \| Completed 24 of 36 passes (66.7%) for 221 yards
align=center \| 2010 \| {{sortname\|Mike\|Callahan\|nolink=1}} \| William & Mary \| Quarterback \| align=left \| Completed 17 of 22 passes (77.2%) for a career-high 331 yards and two touchdowns
align=center \| 2011 \| {{sortname\|Jonathan\|Grimes}} \| William & Mary \| Running back \| align=left \| Attempted a then school-record 39 rushes for 205 yards and one touchdown
align=center \| 2012 \| {{sortname\|Kendall\|Gaskins}} \| Richmond \| Fullback \| align=left \| Rushed for 73 yards and one touchdown and caught one 7-yard touchdown pass
align=center \| 2013 \| {{sortname\|Seth\|Fisher\|nolink=1}} \| Richmond \| Fullback \| align=left \| Rushed for a career-high 131 yards and two touchdowns
align=center \| 2014 \| {{sortname\|Michael\|Strauss\|nolink=1}} \| Richmond \| Quarterback \| align=left \| Completed 29 of 40 passes (72.5%) for 291 yards and two touchdowns
align=center \| 2015 \| {{sortname\|Jacobi\|Green\|nolink=1}} \| Richmond \| Running back \| align=left \| Attempted 36 rushes for 217 yards and one touchdown and caught one pass for 8 yards
align=center \| 2016 \| {{sortname\|Kendell\|Anderson\|nolink=1}} \| William & Mary \| Running back \| align=left \| Attempted school-record 42 rushes for 219 yards and two touchdowns
align=center \| 2017 \| {{sortname\|Xavier\|Goodall\|nolink=1}} \| Richmond \| Running back \| align=left \| Attempted 23 rushes for career-high 180 yards and two touchdowns
align=center \| 2018 \| {{sortname\|Dale\|Matthews, Jr.\|nolink=1}} \| Richmond \| Linebacker \| align=left \| Converted a 4th-and-4 on a fake punt; recorded an interception near the red zone
align=center \| 2019 \| {{sortname\|Isaiah\|Jones\|nolink=1}} \| William & Mary \| Linebacker \| align=left \| Recorded nine tackles (four TFLs), two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery
align=center \| 2020 \| colspan="4" \|Game played on March 6, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic which delayed the 2020 CAA Football season; no game MVP was awarded.{{Cite web \|date=March 6, 2021 \|title=Football Claims Capital Cup Win Over William & Mary \|url=https://richmondspiders.com/news/2021/3/6/football-claims-capital-cup-win-over-william-mary-21-14.aspx \|access-date=April 28, 2021 \|website=RichmondSpiders.com}}
align=center \| 2021 \| {{sortname\|Tyler\|Dressler\|nolink=1}} \| Richmond \| Linebacker \| align=left \| Recorded 11 tackles (0.5 TFLs) and two quarterback hurries
align=center \| 2022 \| {{sortname\|Darius\|Wilson\|nolink=1}} \| William & Mary \| Quarterback \| align=left \| Completed 9 of 13 passes (69.2%) for 227 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 42 yards and two touchdowns on six carries
align=center \| 2023 \| {{sortname\|Kyle\|Wickersham\|nolink=1}} \| Richmond \| Quarterback \| align=left \| Completed 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
align=center \| 2024 \| colspan="4" \|No MVP named{{efn\|Per July 9, 2025 email correspondence with Richmond's Associate Director of Athletics Public Relations, Christian Gravius: "[An MVP] was not named for 2024. Don't have a great answer as to why. I've considered touching base with Rob Turner from W&M and naming one retroactively. I will let you know if I do. Best, Christian."}}

class="wikitable sortable" border="1" width="100%" style="font-size:90%;"

Season

! MVP

! Team

! Position

! class="unsortable" | Notes

align=center

| 2009

| {{sortname|Eric|Ward|Eric Ward (quarterback)}}

| Richmond

| Quarterback

| align=left | Completed 24 of 36 passes (66.7%) for 221 yards

align=center

| 2010

| {{sortname|Mike|Callahan|nolink=1}}

| William & Mary

| Quarterback

| align=left | Completed 17 of 22 passes (77.2%) for a career-high 331 yards and two touchdowns

align=center

| 2011

| {{sortname|Jonathan|Grimes}}

| William & Mary

| Running back

| align=left | Attempted a then school-record 39 rushes for 205 yards and one touchdown

align=center

| 2012

| {{sortname|Kendall|Gaskins}}

| Richmond

| Fullback

| align=left | Rushed for 73 yards and one touchdown and caught one 7-yard touchdown pass

align=center

| 2013

| {{sortname|Seth|Fisher|nolink=1}}

| Richmond

| Fullback

| align=left | Rushed for a career-high 131 yards and two touchdowns

align=center

| 2014

| {{sortname|Michael|Strauss|nolink=1}}

| Richmond

| Quarterback

| align=left | Completed 29 of 40 passes (72.5%) for 291 yards and two touchdowns

align=center

| 2015

| {{sortname|Jacobi|Green|nolink=1}}

| Richmond

| Running back

| align=left | Attempted 36 rushes for 217 yards and one touchdown and caught one pass for 8 yards

align=center

| 2016

| {{sortname|Kendell|Anderson|nolink=1}}

| William & Mary

| Running back

| align=left | Attempted school-record 42 rushes for 219 yards and two touchdowns

align=center

| 2017

| {{sortname|Xavier|Goodall|nolink=1}}

| Richmond

| Running back

| align=left | Attempted 23 rushes for career-high 180 yards and two touchdowns

align=center

| 2018

| {{sortname|Dale|Matthews, Jr.|nolink=1}}

| Richmond

| Linebacker

| align=left | Converted a 4th-and-4 on a fake punt; recorded an interception near the red zone

align=center

| 2019

| {{sortname|Isaiah|Jones|nolink=1}}

| William & Mary

| Linebacker

| align=left | Recorded nine tackles (four TFLs), two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery

align=center

| 2020

| colspan="4" |Game played on March 6, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic which delayed the 2020 CAA Football season; no game MVP was awarded.{{Cite web |date=March 6, 2021 |title=Football Claims Capital Cup Win Over William & Mary |url=https://richmondspiders.com/news/2021/3/6/football-claims-capital-cup-win-over-william-mary-21-14.aspx |access-date=April 28, 2021 |website=RichmondSpiders.com}}

align=center

| 2021

| {{sortname|Tyler|Dressler|nolink=1}}

| Richmond

| Linebacker

| align=left | Recorded 11 tackles (0.5 TFLs) and two quarterback hurries

align=center

| 2022

| {{sortname|Darius|Wilson|nolink=1}}

| William & Mary

| Quarterback

| align=left | Completed 9 of 13 passes (69.2%) for 227 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 42 yards and two touchdowns on six carries

align=center

| 2023

| {{sortname|Kyle|Wickersham|nolink=1}}

| Richmond

| Quarterback

| align=left | Completed 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

align=center

| 2024

| colspan="4" |No MVP named{{efn|Per July 9, 2025 email correspondence with Richmond's Associate Director of Athletics Public Relations, Christian Gravius: "[An MVP] was not named for 2024. Don't have a great answer as to why. I've considered touching base with Rob Turner from W&M and naming one retroactively. I will let you know if I do. Best, Christian."}}

== See also ==

Notes

References

Category:College football rivalries in the United States

Category:Richmond Spiders football

Category:William & Mary Tribe football

Category:College football in Virginia

Category:Awards established in 1898

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1898

Category:College sports in Virginia

Category:Sports rivalries in Virginia