BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Patriot League formally announced the addition of William & Mary as an associate member for football.
 
The Tribe will begin competition in the League for the 2026 football season, joining rival University of Richmond, which begins its first season in the League in 2025.
 
The Patriot League's membership within the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) will expand to nine teams with the addition of William & Mary. They join charter members Bucknell University, Colgate University, The College of the Holy Cross, Lafayette College and Lehigh University, along with associate members Fordham University, Georgetown University and University of Richmond. Before Richmond, Georgetown was the last football program to join the Patriot League, arriving for the 2001 season. The Patriot League never had more than eight football-playing institutions (2001-03) before the addition of William & Mary.
 
"I am pleased to welcome William & Mary as our ninth football member. This is an important day for the League," Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel said. "William & Mary's commitment to academic excellence, athletic performance and community engagement reflects a holistic approach to student-athlete development that aligns with our membership and will make them an ideal institutional partner for the League."
 
"We are so excited to accept this invitation from the Patriot League as football members," said William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe. "It is a delight to be president of a university with such a robust commitment to excellence in Division I sports. We are constantly looking at how best we can support students who compete in every one of our sports. This move is a perfect fit for our football program, and we look forward to the future."
 
"We are pleased to welcome William & Mary to the Patriot League for football beginning in 2026," Colgate University President and Chair of the Council of Presidents Brian W. Casey said. "Their well-deserved reputation for academic success and their dedication to the development of their student-athletes helps further strengthen the Patriot League's mission and vision." "Moving football to the Patriot League is a strategic decision that will align our program with other schools that play competitive football in a strong FCS conference with student-athletes who achieve at the highest level," said William & Mary Director of Athletics Brian Mann. 

Colgate and William & Mary Series History
Colgate Football is 4-8 all-time against William & Mary. In a series that began in 1973, the teams most recently met in 2021 when the Tribe came away with a 27-7 triumph in Hamilton. Colgate's last win in the series came during the remarkable 2018 season, when the Raiders and their FCS-best defense blanked William & Mary 23-0 as one of five shutouts that season.

About William & Mary Football
William & Mary football has a tradition of excellence that dates back to 1893. The Tribe has earned 11 NCAA Playoff berths, reaching the national semifinals twice (2004 and 2009) and winning a program-record 11 games in each of those seasons. Overall, the school has won 16 conference championships and seen 119 players earn All-America honors. The program has sent more than 100 players to the professional ranks with 74 NFL Draft picks. W&M also boasts notable alumni in Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin '95 and Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott '98.
 
Patriot League Football History
The Patriot League will enter its 40th season of competition this fall at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The League formed in 1986 with charter members Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Lehigh. Fordham has maintained its football member status since 1990, as the Rams were full members from 1990-94 before becoming associate members in 1995. Georgetown has competed as a Patriot League football associate member since 2001. Davidson (1987-88) and Towson (1997-03) have also competed in the Patriot League as football associate members. Full Patriot League members - the U.S. Military Academy (Army West Point) and U.S. Naval Academy (Navy) - play football in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
 
Patriot League Football in the Polls
Patriot League co-champion Lehigh finished the 2024 season ranked 21st in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the Stats Perform FCS Poll. Co-Champion Holy Cross, who has claimed at least a share of the League crown for six straight seasons, finished outside of the Top 25 after being ranked in both polls in the previous three seasons. The League had finished with two ranked teams in two of the last three seasons, with Lafayette (No. 17 FCS Coaches, No. 20 Stats Perform) and Holy Cross (No. 22 FCS Coaches) in 2023. In 2022, the Crusaders (No. 6 FCS Coaches, No. 7 STATS) and Fordham (No. 13 FCS Coaches, No. 16 STATS) both finished ranked and earned bids to the postseason.  
 
Patriot League Football Postseason Success
Last season, Lehigh advanced to the NCAA DI FCS Championship Second Round after a 20-16 victory over No. 9 Richmond in the opening round. The Mountain Hawks' postseason success follows a recent trend for the League. Since 2015, three Patriot League football teams have advanced to the quarterfinal round of the FCS Playoffs. In 2022, Holy Cross advanced to the quarterfinals, where they fell to national champion South Dakota State. The 2022 season also marked the second time since 2015 that the Patriot League received multiple bids to the FCS Playoffs. Colgate reached the quarterfinal round in 2015 and 2018 when the Raiders boasted the nation's top-scoring defense (9.3 ppg) before falling to eventual national champion North Dakota State.
 
Patriot League Football in the Pros
Since the League's inception in 1986, 12 Patriot League football student-athletes have been selected in the NFL Draft, with Holy Cross offensive lineman C.J. Hanson most recently being a seventh-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024. During the 2024 season, nine former Patriot League student-athletes spent time on NFL rosters, including Fordham All-American Chase Edmonds (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), who ranks fifth in FCS history in career rushing yards (5,862).
 
Patriot League Football Academic Prowess
The Patriot League has been among the premier academic football conferences in NCAA Division I. According to the most recent data released by the NCAA in December 2024, the League's seven football programs recorded the best Graduation Success Rate (GSR) score (96) and top Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) score (91) among all NCAA DI FCS conferences. For more than a decade, the Patriot League has ranked among the best NCAA Division I conferences in GSR and FGR, posting the top FGR and ranking in the top two in GSR since 2020.

About the Patriot League
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.