From 1893 to 1909 William & Mary football players were known simply as the Orange and White; this reflected the official school colors at that time.

During the 2006–07 school year then–College President Gene Nichol removed two tribal feathers from the William & Mary athletic logo to bring the program into compliance with newly passed NCAA regulations.

[3][4][5] After a considerable amount of backlash and controversy, Samantha Huge resigned as athletic director on October 6, 2020.

[9] Then on November 5, 2020, the four men's sports that had been cut were reinstated through the 2021–22 school year, and possibly beyond after a more thorough review.

In the 1960s Joe Plumeri, future Chairman & CEO of Willis Group Holdings and owner of the Trenton Thunder, who later donated $2 million to build the team's Plumeri Park, played on the baseball team as a second baseman and outfielder.

The William & Mary scandal of 1951, which involved improper alteration of athletic recruit transcripts, brought disfavorable national attention and effectively resulted in the College downgrading football going forward as the faculty revolted and it was not invited to join the Atlantic Coast Conference when that league was established in 1953.

In the 1960s, future Willis Group Holdings Chairman & CEO Joe Plumeri played on the football team on scholarship as a halfback for Lou Holtz.

The 2004 season saw William & Mary reach the Division I-AA national semi-finals before finally falling to rival James Madison University.

William & Mary trailed by 14 points going into the 4th quarter but made a huge comeback (largely due to Derek Cox) to send the game into overtime.

In 2009, the Tribe played the Virginia Cavaliers (UVa), in a season opening match-up for both schools in Charlottesville for the first time since 1986.

The Tribe finished the year 11–3, after a run to the national semifinals that ended with a 14–13 loss to CAA rival and eventual champion Villanova.

Their only postseason berths ever were the 1983 National Invitation Tournament after winning the regular season conference title and the 2010 National Invitation Tournament after beating both Wake Forest University and the University of Maryland on the road during the regular season.

The Tribe qualified for the 2015 National Invitation Tournament after winning their first ever CAA regular season title.

Their most recent CAA tournament final appearances came in 2008 (L, 59–68 vs. George Mason), 2010 (L, 53–60 vs. Old Dominion), 2014 (L, 74–75 vs. Delaware), and 2015 (L, 61–72 vs. Northeastern).

The College of William & Mary's most dominant sports are its men's and women's cross country and track & field teams.

The cross country teams previously hosted their home meets on the grounds of the Eastern State Hospital.

In November 2009, the Tribe placed fifth at the 2009 NCAA Division I cross country championships in Terre Haute, Indiana.

[13] William & Mary hosted the NCAA cross country championships at Eastern State Hospital in 1970.

The majority of the Tribe's success in men's soccer was overseen by Al Albert during an illustrious 33-year career as head coach.

When counting all-time women's soccer NCAA Tournament appearances, just behind national powerhouses North Carolina (with 30) and UConn (with 28) are the William & Mary Tribe (24).

As of the end of 2011, they were on an NCAA-record 30-year consecutive winning seasons streak (tied with North Carolina), dating back to 1982, capturing ten conference tournament crowns in that span.

The women's team, on the other hand, has never qualified for the national championship meet or won an individual event.

Both the men's and women's golf teams host their home tournaments at the River Course at the Kingsmill Resort.

The men's team won two NCAA championships in 1947 (10–4 vs. Rice) and 1948 (6–5 vs. San Francisco); they were led by coach Sharvey G. Umbeck to both titles.

They have won eight CAA championships (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 2001) and made one appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2001 losing in the first round to Duke University.

[28] Notable graduates from the athletic programs include Jon Stewart, Adin Brown, Sean McDermott, Mike Leach, Buster Ramsey, Darren Sharper, Mike Tomlin, Bill Chambers, J. D. Gibbs, Steve Christie, Wade Barrett, Jill Ellis, and Derek Cox.