The Norfolk Division of William & Mary sports program initiated from football and basketball competitions against local high school teams.

[1] In 1941, their football program dissolved because of a $10,000 debt, poor attendance, and a ruling that did not allow freshman players on a branch campus.

Despite the Monarchs' dominance during their CAA tenure, the William and Mary Tribe regathered a series of wins after ODU moved to Conference USA in 2013.

After ODU re-established its football program in 2009, Old Dominion and William & Mary competed as separate schools for the first time on September 18, 2010.

[10] Old Dominion competed for three matches with the Tribe before leaving the CAA to join Conference USA (FBS) in 2014 as an FCS independent.