Jimmye Laycock arrived on William & Mary's campus 60 years ago as a freshman football player. Little did he know the impact he'd have on Tribe Football over the next six decades.
 
Laycock played for coaching legends here – Marv Levy and Lou Holtz. Levy, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, went on to lead the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s and Lou Holtz, a College Football Hall of Famer, won a national championship at Notre Dame in 1988.
 
After his playing career, Laycock built an impressive resume, working alongside coaching luminaries such as Bobby Ross, Frank Beamer, and Ralph Friedgen at the Citadel, and Danny Ford and Mickey Andrews as Clemson's offensive coordinator.
 
He arrived in Williamsburg as head coach for the 1980 season and led the William & Mary program for 39 seasons, posting a 249-194-2 record before retiring in 2018.
 
As coach, he mentored thousands of players and gave many a foundation for a career in the NFL, not only as players but as coaches.
 
Three of his former players went on to become NFL head coaches: Mike Tomlin with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sean McDermott with the Buffalo Bills, and Joe Brady, who made his debut as the Bills head coach in 2026.
 
Laycock also helped launch NFL head coaching careers for several assistants. Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn started his career as a defensive assistant at William & Mary in 1994. Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator and former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll started his coaching career here as a volunteer assistant in 1997.
 
Laycock's influence is undeniable, and we celebrate his 60 years at William & Mary. As the 100^th anniversary of William & Mary Homecoming & Reunion Weekend approaches on Oct. 22-25, Tribe Athletics sat down with Laycock to talk about his time at the university. This interview is edited for length and clarity.
 
Tell us about your journey to William & Mary and how the university has evolved over the last 60 years?
When I decided to come to William & Mary in 1966, my choices came down to Virginia Tech and William & Mary. I picked William & Mary because I felt much more comfortable here, and that is kind of the way it played out. I played here under Marv Levy and Lou Holtz, and I felt like this was my kind of place. Once I started coaching, I was at a couple of other places before the William & Mary job became available. I said I would always like to go back to Williamsburg and William & Mary, so I came back.
 
Things were pretty much the same when I returned to coach. Fortunately, I knew the bones of William & Mary, how it was built and how Lou Holtz and Marv Levy had done it here. Over the years since I started here, the type of student has pretty much stayed the same. They come here because of the quality of life, the quality of education and the reputation of the school.
 
Describe the impact Marv Levy had on you as a player and coach.
Marv was so organized and thorough. When I became a graduate assistant at Clemson, I found that I was way ahead of some of the assistant coaches there in terms of football fundamentals and things like that because I had been prepared here at William & Mary under Marv and his staff.
 
Was there anything in particular about his philosophy that you carried forward?
One thing was his philosophy of discipline. He was consistent about how things were done. I was penalized one time because I hung my pants on the wrong thing in my locker. That is how specific they could be.
 
You went from one legendary coach to another. What did you learn from Lou Holtz?
Lou came here from Ohio State during the summer, so he didn't have the benefit of spring practice. He was a whirlwind. He kept pretty much the entire staff, and he was intense and enthusiastic. He knew football, loved football and got after it. I really enjoyed working with him and playing quarterback for him. I stayed in contact with him for pretty much the rest of his life.
 
Your coaching tree is vast. How do you feel about impacting your players in a similar way that Marv and Lou impacted you?
I drew a lot from them, and I like to think I helped some of the other guys move on. We helped them appreciate the value of football and understand how to do things the right way.
 
We have had many other players do very well in other fields, obviously, but the notoriety these guys have received has been very special. It was special to me to be in Pittsburgh the night (Mike Tomlin and Sean McDermott) coached against each other, meet their owners, be on the field and be recognized. I was personally excited, but I took a lot of pride in the fact that we at William & Mary had helped develop those guys to that point.
 
How do you view Joe Brady and the way he has progressed throughout his career?
It was evident early on that he wanted to go into coaching. He made that well known. He was a very organized, solid player. He wasn't a great player, but he was solid and had tremendous knowledge of the game. He learned a lot. In many ways, he could run the receivers room himself if the coach wasn't there. He took a lot of pride in that.
 
He made it known that he wanted to stay and get into coaching, so he remained with us after his senior year. Normally, I didn't elevate a former player right away because I didn't want him thinking, "I hate to leave football, so I am going to stay here." I wanted to be sure he wanted to enter the profession. I usually told them to go do something else, and then perhaps it would work out. I brought many of them back over the years.
 
There were two whom I kept on immediately: Sean McDermott and Joe Brady. Those were the only two. I kept Joe because the coaches strongly lobbied for him based on the job he was doing. It turned out to be a very good move.
 
He started on the defensive side of the ball, which is interesting.
That is where he started, even though he was a receiver and had primarily worked with the offense. He had made such an impact on the entire coaching staff that, when we had an opening on defense, they wanted him. They said, "We can use him."
 
I pointed out that he was an offensive player, but they said, "No, we want him." He was good.
 
One funny thing about Joe — and one of the things that sold me on him — happened when I came into the building early one Sunday morning during a recruiting weekend. Joe was there with a vacuum cleaner, cleaning the recruiting lounge. I thought, "I did the same thing about 100 years ago at Clemson."
 
When you see something that needs to be done, you don't ask somebody else to do it or put it off. You do it. That is the kind of guy Joe was. When he saw something, he did it, and he did it well. I think that has served him well as he has advanced and now takes over as a head coach in the National Football League.
 
When you see him get his first opportunity as a head coach, how does it feel watching one of your former players get his chance?
I am excited for him, and I am sure he will do well. He is well prepared and knows what he is doing. I told the other guys who became head coaches, including Sean and Mike, that the only problem is they have turned me into a fan. Now I know what a fan feels like to win and lose. That has been a tough transition for me, but I like it.
 
What has it been like following Mike Tomlin's incredible career, from leading men at such a high level before moving into television?
I wasn't sure whether Mike really wanted to go into coaching. When he finished playing here, he told me he did, and he went to VMI.
 
Each time he considered making a move in coaching, he called me, and we talked. The first thing I asked was, "Mike, are you still enjoying it?" He always responded, "Coach, I love it. Coach, I love it."
 
He kept going. I told people that once he became a coordinator, he would become a head coach because somebody would take a chance on him. They would be blown away when they met him, learned what kind of person he was and interacted with him. Pittsburgh did, and the rest is history.
 
He is a fun person to be around and a great leader. He had a tremendous career with Pittsburgh, and I am sure he will do well. I am looking forward to seeing him in his new television role.
 
How does William & Mary, as an institution, prepare young men to take these kinds of steps in life?
You come here because you know it will be challenging, but you want to be challenged. Every day, you are challenged in the classroom, and there is no easy way out. There isn't one.
 
You had better be ready and prepared, and you had better be able to deal with adversity because it will not be smooth sailing the entire way. I told guys there would be bumps in the road. It isn't all easy. But if you persevere, hang in there and maintain the right attitude, you can be successful. These guys have been.
 
What did Sean McDermott show you after his tenure with the Bills ended?
Sean has handled his situation exactly as I anticipated. He is not blaming anybody. He is taking responsibility, taking the high road and looking forward to his next opportunity, whatever that might be.
 
He is so grounded and such a solid person. This will not stop him; it will make him even better. I remember when he lost his job as the defensive coordinator with the Eagles. I talked to him a lot at that time. He is resolute. He can handle it, pick himself back up and move forward. He will be very successful in whatever he does next, whether it is coaching or something else.
 
Does it feel like 60 years have passed since you stepped onto campus in 1966?
Not when I am on the first tee. I feel pretty good.
 
Sometimes it does, but I had not thought about it until someone told me it had been 60 years. It had never crossed my mind. That is a long time to be associated with the university.
 
It has been a good 60 years, right?
Oh, yes. It has been good.