HEYFARL (Hundred Each Year for a Rising Letterman) has been scoring big for the William & Mary Football Program, one small gift at a time.
The brainchild of former Tribe standout Tom Mikula '48, the initiative has expanded from just a good idea in the early 1990's to being able to provide as many as four fully endowed scholarships a season to W&M football players who have entered school as walk-ons.
Mikula partnered with two fellow football players, and the founders of the William & Mary Football Club, in Steve McNamee '81 and Duane Ragsdale '81 to bring his vision to reality. In just two decades, the group has raised more than $2 million for the football program and has awarded 81 scholarships.
In all, more than 800 former players make an annual gift back to HEYFARL and their support has literally changed the trajectory of many dozens of players' lives, and that of their families, by providing crucial financial support.
While there are many ways to be involved, and many levels of support are available, the bulk of giving has come in at $100 at a time. This relatively small sum has made a huge impact in the Tribe football program, as former walk-ons have made profound contributions to the team's successes.
In athletics, players develop at various rates and react to competitive situations in different ways. For those reasons, the W&M football coaching staff uniquely understands the impact walk-on players, athletes not presented athletic scholarships directly out of high school, can make on the program. W&M has been fortunate to attract many top-quality players as walk-ons who have gone on to earn scholarships and become important parts of the success of Tribe football. Many of these players, wanting to be part of a traditional power like W&M, have turned down other scholarship offers in favor of walking onto the Tribe program with the hopes of earning a scholarship. HEYFARL helps makes these dreams a reality!
In fact HEYFARL has been rewarding these players' dedication to Tribe football for more than two decades by providing crucial scholarship funding. Simply stated, without this variety of support and quality walk-on players, the Tribe could not continue to perform at such a high level on the national scene. Notable players who came to W&M as walk-ons include all-conference safety Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills Head Coach), 2010 NFL Draft pick Adrian Tracy (New York Giants), 2004 Walter Payton Award-winning quarterback Lang Campbell, and 1995 Yankee Conference Defensive Player of the Year Jason Miller. Largely due to their unselfish approach to the game and their consummate team play, a number of former walk-ons have gone on to serve as team captains at W&M, including Mike McGowan and Stefon Moody in 1996, McDermott in 1997, Marc Matthie in 2001, both Campbell and Wade Harrell in 2004, Pat Mulloy in 2005, Adrian Tracy in 2009, Ben Cottingham in 2010, Jabrel Mines in 2012, Bo Revell in 2014 and Matt Ahola in 2018.
McDermott joined his former W&M teammate Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers) in the NFL head coaching ranks when he was hired by the Buffalo Bills in 2017 after serving a six-year stint as one of the league's premier defensive coordinators with the Carolina Panthers. Highlighting his tenure in Carolina was the memorable 2015 season in which the Panthers posted a 15-1 regular season record en route to a Super Bowl 50 appearance. His impressive résumé in Carolina also included being named The Sporting News Coordinator of the Year in 2013. A fierce competitor, McDermott was a four-year letterwinner for the Tribe who finished his career with 322 tackles in 26 career starts. He graduated from the College in 1998 with a degree in business finance. After coming to the College as a walk-on prior to the 1993 season, McDermott quickly proved his value and eventually became a three-year starter for the Tribe at the free safety position. One of the squad's strongest leaders, McDermott was elected as a team captain for his senior year (1997). That season saw him earn both All-Atlantic 10 and All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) honors. He also was named to the Atlantic 10's All-Academic squad.
A sixth-round draft pick by the New York Giants, Tracy established himself as one of the nation's top defensive players throughout his career. A two-time All-American and two-time first-team all-league selection, he ranked seventh nationally with 1.57 tackles for a loss per game and 15th at 0.79 sacks per game as a senior. With 12 sacks in '09, he equaled the single-season school record established by Luke Cullinane in 1996. Tracy finished his career with 62.5 TFLs, which led the nation among all active players, while he set a W&M record with 31 career sacks. He also started every game of his career (47) en route to establishing a school record.
In just two seasons as a starter, Campbell etched his name throughout W&M's record book, ranking fifth in career passing yards (6,494), fourth in total offense (7,149) and third in touchdown passes (54). In 2004, Campbell established school single-season records for passing yards (3,988), total offense (4,305) and touchdowns (30), as well as touchdowns responsible for (38, as he also had eight rushing TDs). The Winchester, Va., native led W&M to a share of the Atlantic 10 title and its first appearance in the NCAA I-AA semifinals, along with the first 11-win season in the 111-year history of the Tribe's program. At the conclusion of the regular season, Campbell was honored as the A-10 Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Tribe player to earn the award.
The lists that appear on this page below show some of the most prominent W&M players who have come to the Tribe as walk-ons since 1980. Each of these student-athletes went on to earn starting positions and, more importantly, bachelor's degrees from W&M.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRIBE FOOTBALL WALK-ON HALL OF FAME
