Jimmye Laycock

[SMUPonyFan]

Here is a bio on Laylock since the DMN is listing him as a candidate

Jimmye Laycock
Head Coach
William & Mary, 1970

There is little doubt that W&M head coach Jimmye Laycock has established himself as one of the nation’s premier mentors in the 21 seasons he has watched over the College’s program. His team is run on the simple principle that hard work, discipline and preparation will lead to success.


One needs to look no further than the Tribe’s stellar 127-52-2 record (.707 winning percentage) against fellow I-AA foes to see the results of this formula. The College also boasts a 43-22 mark in league play and has had a league-high 81 student-athletes named to all-conference honors since joining the conference in 1993.


Laycock is the Tribe’s all-time winningest coach, boasting a career 140-96-2 record (.592 winning percentage). Since Laycock’s first season in 1980, he has firmly established himself as one of the brightest coaching talents in the nation. Under his guidance, the College has risen to the upper echelon of Division I-AA programs and has posted a stellar 68-34 mark (.667 winning percentage) over the last nine years. The Tribe has had 15 winning ledgers in the last 18 years and has participated in post-season play in six of the last 13 seasons.


The 1996 campaign stood as a prime example of how Laycock has perpetuated a winning tradition within W&M’s rigorous classroom standards, leading a youth-laden squad to a quarterfinal showing in the NCAA playoffs, a 10-3 overall record (7-1 in league play), the Tribe’s first Yankee Conference Championship and a school record fifth-place national finish.


One trademark of a Laycock-coached team is a prolific and intricate offensive attack. The Tribe offense averaged better than 420 yards and 26 points over the 115 games it played in the ’90s.


Prior to the 1996 campaign, the 1990 season stood as the benchmark for the Tribe program. That season, Laycock was honored by his peers as Coach of the Year in Region II and the state of Virginia for guiding the Tribe to 10 wins and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.


That 1990 squad, ranked No. 7 in the final NCAA poll, refashioned many pages in the school record book. W&M led the country in total offense by averaging almost 500 yards per game and claimed the Lambert Cup for I-AA supremacy in the East. Even the Virginia General Assembly passed a resolution commending Laycock and the team’s accomplishments. The Tribe’s 1996 squad led the conference in both total offense and defense on its way to earning its own Lambert Cup and ECAC Team of the Year honors.


Laycock has made the home turf in Zable Stadium into unfriendly territory for opponents as the Tribe has won 77.4 percent of its games (72-20-1) there in the last 18 years. W&M has turned in six undefeated home campaigns in the last 14 years, with the most recent coming in 1996.


After some lean years early in his tenure, Laycock’s teams began building respectability among all opponents. After a pair of 6-5 seasons, W&M carved out a 7-4 mark in 1985 and a national ranking of No. 16. The winning ways continued in 1986 with a 9-3 record and an eighth-place ranking. In that historic season, the Tribe advanced to the I-AA playoffs for the first time and had three players drafted by the NFL.


Although William and Mary dipped to a 5-6 slate in 1987, the Tribe recovered to post a 6-4-1 overall record in 1988. That memorable season climaxed with a trip to Japan and a 73-3 victory over the Japanese College All-Stars in the first Epson Ivy Bowl. The Tribe returned to the NCAAs in 1989 with an 8-2-1 regular season record.


Laycock has also tutored 20 players to 25 All-America honors from the William and Mary ranks and has coached six Academic All-Americans.


Former kicker Brett Sterba and wide receiver Chris Rosier are the latest W&M graduates to join the professional ranks, signing free agent contracts with the Green Bay Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. Former tight ends Mike Leach and Scot Osborne signed free agent contracts in the spring of 2000, joining free safety Darren Sharper, a second round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 1997, linebacker Jude Waddy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Steve Christie (Class of 1990) as representatives of the Green & Gold in the NFL ranks. Michael Clemons (Class of 1987) had been one of the CFL’s most explosive players since joining the Toronto Argonauts in 1989, a team he now coaches.


As a 1970 graduate of the College, Laycock played football under two gurus of the game. For three years, he learned the details under the watchful eyes of Coach Marv Levy, the legendary former head coach of the Buffalo Bills. In his last season, South Carolina head coach Lou Holtz schooled Laycock in the finer aspects of psyche and motivation. As a sophomore, Laycock was a starter in the defensive secondary, but he was soon switched to quarterback where he completed 96-of-218 passes for 1,366 yards.


Laycock’s first full-time coaching position came at The Citadel as offensive backfield coach under Bobby Ross, who went on to coach the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and Detroit Lions. In 1975, Memphis State tabbed Laycock as its quarterbacks coach and he helped the Tigers to consecutive 7-4 records.


In 1977, Laycock traveled to Clemson to serve as offensive coordinator for three years. Under his tutelage, the Tigers went 8-3-1, 11-1 and 8-4. Clemson played in bowl games each year, defeating Ohio State 17-15 in the 1978 Gator Bowl. At that time, Laycock coached two-time All-ACC performer Steve Fuller, the Tiger quarterback who later played in the NFL, and Dwight Clark, an All-Pro receiver for the 49ers.


A native Virginian, Laycock played football, basketball and baseball at Loudoun Valley H.S, where he won 12 letters and has since had his number retired.


An avid golfer, Laycock can be found on the local links as well as jogging along Williamsburg’s popular running routes.
Laycock’s 20-year-old daughter, Melanie, is entering her third year at the University of Virginia. Laycock is married to Deidre Connelly, a sports psychology consultant at the College. They have three children: Michael (12), Mary Louise (9) and James (7).

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Go Red, Go Blue, Go Mustangs, S M U

[Mac]

Do we really want a guy that has coached at William & Mary? I think we need to keep looking for a big name coach that can steal recruits from Texas, A&M, TCU, Tech, and any other school in Texas. We need to be able to take guys away from other schools. Dallas is a great city and SMU is a wonderful school. It shouldn't be that hard.

[Boston Pony]

We need a coach that can convince our players that they can win, that can convince HS players that SMU can win and that can actually do what he says. W&M is a very good D-IAA program and has been for a long time. In fact all of the coaches that we have talked to have been proven winners.

At this point, the 'big' names do not need to take a risk at SMU. They can chose to go to a Kansas, Cal, and ND. The hotshot coordinators can take the Vandy or other top spots that will open at the end of the season. We will be looking at proven winners at D-IAA (not .500), Experienced OC/DC and the occasional HC who has been out of coaching for awhile. Whomever it is will need to be a great salesman.

[Mac]

I agree that we need a saleman but I don't think that a Division I-AA coach will do much for us. I think you need to set your sights a little higher.

If you were a big name coach why would you go to Vanderbilt, Kansas, or Cal. The only reason I can see is that those conferences are a lot better than the WAC. Vanderbilt doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell at ever getting to the SEC championship. Either does Kansas at getting to the Big 12 or Cal getting to the PAC 10. It ain't going to happen. If SMU can get a good coach they can easily turn it around and win the WAC. If they win the WAC, build up fan base, and get better recruits then they might be able to jump into a better conference a few years down the road. SMU has all the tools: money, faciliies, great school, and a great city. There is no reason that TCU should steal players from SMU. Fort Worth is a cowtown and the campus is awful looking.

I think it is a waste of time to get some guy who coached division I-AA ball for 20 years. We need some publicity. Look what Bobby Knight has done for Texas Tech.

[ponystudent]

I agree with Mac.

Win in the WAC, help take the team to a better conference, increase your worth. It worked for Pat Hill at Fresno until they started losing again.

[MrMustang1965]

FYI: William & Mary (8-3) is in the first round of playoffs in Div. I-AA against Appalachian State (8-3) this Saturday at noon. The winner of that game will play the winner of Florida A&M/Georgia Southern game on Dec. 8.

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!"

[MrMustang1965]

Here's a link to the William & Mary 'Tribe' Football web site.

<A HREF="http://www.tribeathletics.com/sports/m-footbl/wima-m-footbl-body.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.tribeathletics.com/sports/m-footbl/wima-m-footbl-body.html</A>



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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!"

[Mac]

MrMustang...my whole point is that who the hell cares. How many people are actually going to watch the D I-AA playoffs instead of watching the Big 12 championship game or Tenn. vs. Florida. The reason we don't want a D I-AA coach is that they aren't nationally recognized. Do you think some kid in Lufkin, Tyler, Midland, or any other small town in Texas is going to know who the hell the coach was at William & Mary? But, I guarantee that one of those kids knows the names Spurrier, Stoops, and Holtz. Even though these guys are relatives of the actual big names it should still bring recognition and national media. That is all I am trying to say.

[rogershealy]

I cant believe we might get a coach from William and Mary. We need a big name. Why does no one see that?

[MrMustang1965]

Mac: I am not in support of getting a coach from a Div. I-AA school. I'm just putting information out there for folks to read to make up their own minds, that's all. Thanks.

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"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!"

[jettison]

I say no to William. But bringing in Mary might be a college football revolution.