THE BIG GOODBYE FOR COACH
Laycock graceful, emotional during finale on sideline
WILLIAMSBURG— Jimmye Laycock convened his final gameday staff meeting at10:59 a.m. Saturday. The gathering was brief and similar to the 444 that came before during his peerless career as William and Mary’s head football coach.
Laycock and his10 assistant coaches finalized strategy for the afternoon’s contest against Richmond. They reviewed, position-byposition, the Tribe’s personnel.
But Laycock’s close was unlike any of his others.
“I need y’all to have your best game,” Laycock said. “It’s going to be a tough game for me. I may not be as sharp.”
There was an oh-so-brief silence. “We got ya, Coach,” said defensive coordinator and associate head coach Trevor Andrews.
’Twas that kind of day at Zable Stadium. Everyone had Laycock’s back as he concluded his 39th and final season as W&M’s big whistle.
But try as they might, his players and coaches could not author the Hollywood ending that so many craved as Laycock, 70, headed toward retirement.
Richmond10, William and Mary 6.
As Laycock would be the first to tell you, the contest was unsightly. Neither offense ever found a rhythm, and the Tribe’s mistakes — the most glaring were three turnovers, a missed field goal and extra point — were decisive.
But Saturday wasn’t about win-