The South's oldest football rivalry is thriving. As Richmond and William and Mary prepare for their 125th meeting, we asked Bob Black, the voice of the Spiders, for his picks for the top five games he's seen firsthand. Here are his picks:
Nov. 17, 1984: UR 33, WM 31
My first W&M game. Richmond led 30-17 late but had to recover an onside kick to secure their first I-AA playoff berth. The Spider defense withstood an onslaught from the Tribe’s great quarterback, Stan Yagiello.
Nov. 19, 1988: UR 24, WM 19
The Spiders trailed in the third quarter when coach Dal Shealy surprised the 14,907 fans at cold, wet UR Stadium by inserting WR Curtis Jefferson at QB. On his second play, he ran an 84-yard TD and later threw a 60-yard TD pass to Marvin Hargrove. The Spiders shocked the Tribe.
Nov. 18, 2000: UR 21, WM 18
Playoff and personal implications. D’Arcy Wills hit Ryan Tolhurst with a late TD pass, and the Spider defense hung on. When the clock hit all zeroes, my Hall of Fame broadcast partner, the late Ray Tate, screamed with unbridled joy, “SPIDUHS WIN! SPIDUHS WIN IN WILLIAMSBURG!” It was our first win at W&M since 1973.
Nov. 22, 2008: UR 23, WM 20 (OT)
The Spiders led 20-0 at halftime, then withstood a furious Tribe rally. Josh Vaughan rushed for 134 yards; the defense forced seven turnovers; and Sherman Logan blocked a field goal in OT. We needed the win to advance to the playoffs, which, of course, started the run to the national championship.
Nov. 21, 2009: UR 13, WM 10
Andrew Howard drilled a 48-yard field goal as time expired to lift No. 4 Richmond past No. 5 W&M before a crowd of 17,527. It was the eighth time in QB Eric Ward’s Hall of Fame career that he engineered a winning or tying drive in the fourth quarter. He went 4-0 versus the Tribe.