About two weeks after William & Mary football coach Jimmye Laycock announced his impending retirement, the university’s athletics department is already putting a plan in motion to find his successor.
Laycock, a William & Mary graduate, is retiring at the end of the season after 39 years as coach of the Tribe football team.
In a letter to the “Tribe Faithful” Wednesday afternoon, Director of Athletics Samantha K. Huge outlined the process of finding a new football coach, which includes consultation with an informal group of advisers.
Finalists for the position will also meet with President Katherine Rowe, Huge wrote in the letter.
While Laycock’s retirement announcement and following press conference were well-publicized, Huge said the search for his successor will not be conducted “in the public domain.”
“Therefore, this will be the only communication related to the search until the new coach is in place,” Huge wrote, adding that attracting “exceptional” candidates requires protecting their privacy.
William & Mary football is currently in preseason, and the new coach will be announced after the upcoming season ends.
“Though his legacy will live on in perpetuity through the lives of the young men he coached, we owe it to Coach, his staff and the student-athletes to keep our focus on this season,” Huge said.
The advisory group includes several William & Mary football alumni, including Joe Montgomery ’74, Kevin Rogers ’74, Todd Stottlemyer ’85, Shawn Knight ’94, Kendrick Ashton ’98 and Mike Leach ’00.
The advisers will use their knowledge from experiences as students, Tribe football players and post-graduation professionals to assist in the search, Huge said.
Citizens who would like to share their thoughts on the search for a new football coach can email tribefbcoach@wm.edu.
William & Mary football coach search by Sarah Fearing on Scribd
