Richmond Spiders football
Football team for the University of Richmond
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 as an associate member of the Patriot League that competes in 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]
7th season, 59â41 (.590)
| Richmond Spiders football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| |||
| First season | 1881; 145 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | John Hardt | ||
| Head coach | Russ Huesman 7th season, 59â41 (.590) | ||
| Location | Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | ||
| Stadium | Robins Stadium (capacity: 8,217) | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Patriot League | ||
| Colors | Blue and red[1] | ||
| All-time record | 601â676â53 (.472) | ||
| Bowl record | 1â1 (.500) | ||
| NCAA Division I FCS championships | |||
| 2008 | |||
| Conference championships | |||
| Virginia: 1932, 1933, 1934 SoCon: 1968, 1969, 1971, 1975 Yankee: 1987 A-10: 1998, 2000, 2005 CAA: 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2023, 2024 | |||
| Consensus All-Americans | 1 | ||
| Rivalries | William & Mary (rivalry) James Madison (rivalry) VMI (rivalry) | ||
| Uniform outfitter | Adidas | ||
| 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 24â7 to win the first team NCAA national title for the University of Richmond in any sport.
Rivals
Richmond's traditional rival in many sports is the College of William & Mary. Richmond and William & Mary have met 136 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 LafayetteâLehigh, PrincetonâYale, and HarvardâYale have played more games. The winner of the annual W&MâRichmond 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
- 1881â1900: Independent
- 1900â1920: Eastern Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association (EVIAA)
- 1911â1921: South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SAIAA) â participated simultaneously as a member of both organizations
- 1922â1926: Independent
- 1927â1935: Virginia Conference
- 1936â1975: Southern Conference
- 1976â1977: NCAA Division I independent
- 1978â1981: NCAA Division I-A independent
- 1982â1985: NCAA Division I-AA independent
- 1986â1996: Yankee Conference
- 1997â2006: Atlantic 10 Conference
- 2007â2024: CAA / CAA Football
- 2025âfuture: Patriot League[4]
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)
- Jeff Nixon, DB- 1976 (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
Brian Brown| WR (Dallas cowboys)
Championships
Conference championships
Richmond has won seventeen conference championships, four outright and thirteen shared. According to their record books, they do not claim the Virginia Conference championships.[5]
| Season | Conference | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Virginia Conference | 4â2â2 | 3â0â2 |
| 1933â | 5â4 | 2â1 | |
| 1934â | 8â1 | 2â1 | |
| 1968 | Southern Conference | 8â3 | 6â0 |
| 1969â | 6â4 | 5â1 | |
| 1971 | 5â6 | 5â1 | |
| 1975 | 5â6 | 5â1 | |
| 1987â | Yankee Conference | 7â5 | 6â1 |
| 1998 | Atlantic 10 Conference | 9â3 | 7â1 |
| 2000â | 10â3 | 7â1 | |
| 2005â | 9â4 | 7â1 | |
| 2007â | Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference | 11â3 | 7â1 |
| 2009â | 11â2 | 7â1 | |
| 2012â | 8â3 | 6â2 | |
| 2015â | 10â4 | 6â2 | |
| 2023â | 9â4 | 7â1 | |
| 2024â | 10â3 | 8â0 |
â denotes co-champions
National championships
Richmond has won one national championship.
| Year | Coach | Selectors | Record | Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Mike London | Division I FCS Playoffs | 13â3 | Won NCAA Division I Football Championship Game (24â7 over Montana) |
Playoffs
The Spiders have appeared in the Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs 14 times. Their combined record is 17â13. They were FCS National Champions in 2008.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | First Round Quarterfinals | Boston University Rhode Island | W 35â33 L 17â23 |
| 1987 | First Round | Appalachian State | L 3â20 |
| 1998 | First Round | Lehigh | L 23â24 |
| 2000 | First Round Quarterfinals | Youngstown State Montana | W 10â3 L 20â34 |
| 2005 | First Round Quarterfinals | Hampton Furman | W 38â10 L 20â24 |
| 2007 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Eastern Kentucky Wofford Appalachian State | W 31â14 W 21â10 L 35â55 |
| 2008 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game | Eastern Kentucky Appalachian State Northern Iowa Montana | W 38â10 W 33â13 W 21â20 W 24â7 |
| 2009 | First Round Quarterfinals | Elon Appalachian State | W 16â13 L 31â35 |
| 2014 | First Round Second Round | Morgan State Coastal Carolina | W 46â24 L 15â36 |
| 2015 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | William & Mary Illinois State North Dakota State | W 48â13 W 39â27 L 7â33 |
| 2016 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals | North Carolina A&T North Dakota Eastern Washington | W 39â10 W 27â24 L 0â38 |
| 2022 | First Round Second Round | Davidson Sacramento State | W 41â0 L 31â38 |
| 2023 | First Round Second Round | North Carolina Central Albany | W 49â27 L 13â41 |
| 2024 | First Round | Lehigh | L 16â20 |
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 1â1.
| Year | Coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Frank Jones | Tangerine Bowl | Ohio | W 49â42 |
| 1971 | Frank Jones | Tangerine Bowl | Toledo | L 3â28 |
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of December 23, 2025[6]
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| at Howard | Morgan State | at VMI | VMI | at Virginia | |
| at NC State | at Louisville | at Virginia | at Pittsburgh | ||
| Furman | at Norfolk State | ||||
| at Furman |
