William & Mary Athletics

One of the most cherished traditions in William & Mary football is the Walk-On Hall of Fame, and one of the most famed names on that list belongs to Sean McDermott.  Even before the national exploits in the NFL as an assistant and then head coach, McDermott had furnished an indelible career for the Tribe.
 
Coming to Williamsburg with nothing more than a promise to have a shot, McDermott quickly found his place and his home on some of the Tribe's most feared and successful defenses.  He played in all 46 games of his career as a defensive back with 26 starts, including every game of his final two seasons.  McDermott made 322 tackles and had 20 passes defended including four interceptions, and also forced three fumbles while picking up six.  He led his teams to a combined 32-14 (.696) record, including the Yankee Conference title in 1996.  That year, the Tribe advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals and set the program record with 10 wins, a mark that still ranks third in school history.
 
As a senior in 1997, McDermott was elected team captain, and responded with perhaps his finest season, earning third-team all-conference and second-team All-ECAC honors.  Opponents completed just 47.5% against the Tribe that year, the lowest mark since 1979 and still one of the five lowest completion percentages of the last 50 years.  McDermott's hard work was not just paying off on the field, however, as he also earned Academic All-Conference honors in both 1996 and 1997, and he was named a National Strength & Conditioning All-American in the spring of 1998.
 
After graduating, McDermott moved right into coaching, joining the Philadelphia Eagles staff in 1998 and staying until 2010.  Both of McDermott's starting safeties were named to the Pro Bowl in 2004, a first in team history, and the Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl that season.  In 2009, he was promoted to defensive coordinator, and in 2011, he was hired by the Carolina Panthers in that same role.  His teams finished in the top-10 defenses in the NFL every year from 2012-15, and the Panthers advanced to the Super Bowl following the 2015 season where they only gave up one offensive touchdown against the vaunted New England Patriots.  In 2017, McDermott was announced as the head coach for the Buffalo Bills, and in his first season, took the team to NFL Playoffs for the first time in 18 years.  That had been the longest active playoff drought among all four major professional spots in North America.  In his three seasons so far, the Bills are 25-23 with two playoff appearances, and this past year, won 10 games for the first time since 1999.