VMI Keydets
SouthernLexington, VAAlumni Memorial Field
2026: 0–7 (0–3 Southern). Last: lost at Wofford 41–14. Next: East Tennessee State, Saturday, Oct 24, 1:30 p.m. ET.
- L 10–38at Idaho State
- L 3–73at Virginia Tech
- L 3–14Bucknell
- L 24–27at Davidson
- L 7–45at Samford
- L 3–54Mercer
- L 14–41at Wofford
- Oct 24East Tennessee State
- Oct 31at Chattanooga
- Nov 7at Tennessee Tech
- Nov 14The Citadel
- Nov 21Furman
VMI has played football since 1873 and is officially 499–758–42; 981 of its 1,299 games are in our file. Their best finish in the final AP poll is No. 20, in 1957. They have won eight Southern Conference titles (the last in 2020), counting shared titles. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 1 player and 1 coach from VMI. John McKenna (1953–1965) won more games here than any other coach: 62. The most-played rival is Virginia: 78 meetings, Virginia leads 53–23–2. This season, they’re 0–7.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 499–758–42 official; 367–580–34 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 0–1 bowls, title games, playoff
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 4 ranked
- Elo now
- 1035
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 123 · Composite No. 128 in FCS, Oct 17. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 8 last in 2020
- Bowl record
- 6–18 official, bowls only
- Seasons
- 118 since 1898, 981 games
Identity
- Fight song
- The Spirit
2026 season 0–7
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | at Idaho State | L 10–38 | 20% |
| Sep 5 | at Virginia Tech | L 3–73 | 11% |
| Sep 12 | vs Bucknell | L 3–14 | 44% |
| Sep 19 | at Davidson | L 24–27 | 37% |
| Sep 26 | at Samford | L 7–45 | 35% |
| Oct 3 | vs Mercer | L 3–54 | 15% |
| Oct 17 | at Wofford | L 14–41 | 12% |
| Oct 24 | vs East Tennessee State | Preview | 15% |
| Oct 31 | at Chattanooga | Preview | 11% |
| Nov 7 | at Tennessee Tech | Preview | 7% |
| Nov 14 | vs The Citadel | Preview | 34% |
| Nov 21 | vs Furman | Preview | 28% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
On the 2026 team
- Nic Land55 tackles, 1 INT (leads VMI in tackles)
- E.J. Wilborne38 tackles, 1 INT (leads VMI in interceptions)
- Leo Boehling327 rushing yards, 1 TD (leads VMI in rushing yards)
- Traveion Slaughter194 rushing yards, 1 TD
- Robert Powell36 tackles
- Ian Reynolds453 passing yards, 1 TD (leads VMI in passing yards)
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at VMI.
Program strength since 1898
Best seasons everHead coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Thalman | 1971–1981 | 46–70–3 |
| Vito Ragazzo | 1966–1970 | 10–41 |
| John McKenna | 1953–1965 | 62–60–8 |
 Thomas Nugent | 1949–1952 | 19–18–2 |
 Slick Morton | 1947–1948 | 9–8–1 |
| Pooley Hubert | 1939–1946 | 17–10–3 |
| W.C. Raftery | 1927–1936 | 38–55–5 |
| Blandy Clarkson | 1920–1926 | 44–21–2 |
| Red Fleming | 1919 | 6–2 |
 Earl Abell | 1917–1918 | 5–7–1 |
| Frank Gorton | 1914–1916 | 14–11–1 |
| Henry Poague | 1913 | 7–1–2 |
| Alpha Brumage | 1911–1912 | 3–1 |
| William Gloth | 1909–1910 | 1–5 |
| Charles Roller | 1907–1908 | 0–4 |
| Ira Johnson | 1905–1906 | 0–4 |
 Bill Roper | 1903–1904 | 3–6–1 |
| Sam Walker | 1902 | 0–3 |
 Sam Boyle | 1898 | 0–1 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- Virginia
23–53–2 in 78
- 1979 L 0–19
- 1981 L 10–13
- 1982 L 6–37
- 1983 L 10–38
- 1984 L 7–35
- 1985 L 15–40
- 1987 L 0–30
- 1991 L 0–42
- 2010 L 7–48
- 2013 L 0–49
Lost the last 10.
- Virginia Tech
23–47–5 in 75
- 1976 L 7–37
- 1977 L 7–27
- 1978 L 2–28
- 1979 L 20–27
- 1980 L 6–21
- 1981 W 6–0
- 1982 L 3–14
- 1983 L 0–28
- 1984 L 7–54
- 2026 L 3–73
Lost the last four.
- Richmond
32–33–5 in 70
- 2003 L 25–35
- 2004 L 7–34
- 2005 L 3–38
- 2006 L 7–58
- 2008 L 16–56
- 2009 L 28–38
- 2011 L 19–34
- 2013 L 0–34
- 2015 L 10–42
- 2025 L 14–38
Lost the last 10.
| Opponent | Games | VMI record |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 78 | 23–53–2 |
| Virginia Tech | 75 | 23–47–5 |
| Richmond | 70 | 32–33–5 |
| William & Mary | 65 | 27–36–2 |
| The Citadel | 60 | 26–33–1 |
| Davidson | 59 | 39–17–3 |
| Maryland | 24 | 8–14–2 |
| Furman | 24 | 11–13 |
Rivals the program names: The Citadel, Richmond, Virginia Tech, William & Mary.
Every opponent (114)
Every program VMI has played, A to Z, with VMI’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Air Force 0–1
- Akron 1–2
- App State 1–2–2
- Army 1–15
- Augusta Military Academy 1–0
- Austin Peay 1–0
- Ball State 0–1
- Boston College 1–7–1
- Boston University 0–1
- Bowling Green 0–1
- Bucknell 3–7
- Buffalo 2–1
- Catawba 5–4
- Catholic 2–1
- Charleston Southern 3–6
- Chattanooga 3–11
- Chowan 1–0
- Cincinnati 0–2
- Clemson 5–5–2
- Coastal Carolina 2–8
- Colgate 1–0
- Columbia 0–4
- Cornell 1–1
- Davidson 39–17–3
- Dayton 0–1
- Delaware 1–1
- Delaware State 0–2
- Detroit Mercy 0–1
- Duke 0–7
- East Carolina 1–7
- East Tennessee State 4–7
- Elon 1–1
- Emory & Henry 4–1
- Ferrum 1–0
- Florida 0–1
- Florida State 1–2
- Furman 11–13
- Gallaudet 5–0
- Gardner-Webb 2–9
- George Washington 10–7–1
- Georgetown 1–3
- Georgia 0–4
- Georgia Tech 1–15
- Glenville State 1–0
- Hampden Sydney 13–0
- Hampton A.C. 0–0–1
- Holy Cross 0–2–1
- Idaho State 0–1
- Indiana State 1–0
- Iowa State 0–1
- James Madison 0–5
- Kent State 0–1
- Kentucky 2–12
- King George 1–0
- Lehigh 3–6–1
- Liberty 1–9
- Lock Haven 1–0
- Lynchburg 3–0
- Marine Officers 1–0
- Mars Hill 1–0
- Marshall 5–1
- Maryland 8–14–2
- Maryland-Baltimore 1–0
- Memphis 0–1
- Mercer 3–10
- Miami 0–2
- Morehead State 3–0
- Morris Harvey 1–0–1
- Navy 0–11
- NC State 9–6–1
- Newberry 1–0
- Newport NTS 0–1
- Norfolk State 1–2
- North Carolina 5–16–1
- North Greenville 0–1
- Ohio 0–2
- Old Dominion 0–3
- Ole Miss 1–1
- Penn State 0–1
- Pennsylvania 1–1
- Presbyterian 3–3
- Quantico Marines 1–1
- Rhode Island 1–0
- Rice 0–2
- Richmond 32–33–5
- Roanoke 14–1
- Robert Morris 2–3
- Saint Francis 1–0
- Samford 3–10
- South Carolina 1–1
- Southern Miss 0–4
- St. John’s (Maryland) 2–1
- Stetson 1–0
- Stony Brook 0–4
- Tampa 2–0
- Temple 0–4
- Tennessee 1–0
- Tennessee Tech 0–1
- Texas A&M 0–1
- The Citadel 26–33–1
- Toledo 0–1
- Tulane 0–5
- Tusculum 1–0
- UConn 1–0–1
- Vanderbilt 2–2
- Villanova 2–6
- Virginia 23–53–2
- Virginia Tech 23–47–5
- Wake Forest 2–4–1
- Washington St. Louis 1–0
- West Virginia 0–11
- Western Carolina 3–12
- William & Mary 27–36–2
- Wofford 9–12
Conference titles
8, counting shared titlesAs the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1891–1899
- Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 1900–1906
- Independent 1907–1917
- South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Conference 1918–1921
- Independent 1922
- Southern Conference 1982–2002
- Big South 2003–2013
- Southern Conference since 2014
- 2003Joined the Big South from the Southern Conference. Source
- 2014Joined the Southern Conference from the Big South, announced May 30, 2013. Source
VMI’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Led the nation 6
| 1956 | Sam Woolwine kickoff return yards (503 yds) |
| 1955 | Sam Woolwine kickoff return yards (471 yds) |
| 1952 | Curly Powell kickoff return yards (517 yds) |
| 1952 | Jimmy Byron yards per catch (18.9) |
| 1943 | Marion Flanagan yards per catch (17.5) |
| 1939 | Bosh Pritchard punt return yards (583 yds) |
The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.
In the Hall of Fame
Every inductee- Players
- 1
- Coaches
- 1
| 1956 | Jimmy Leech RB |
| 1954 | William Roper coach, career 1903–1930 |
In the draft
By college- NFL picks, rounds 1–7
- 9 since 1937
- First-round picks
- 2
- AAFC picks
- 1 1949
| 1949 | Bobby Thomason QB | No. 7, Los Angeles Rams |
| 1949 | Bobby Thomason QB | No. 3, New York Yankees (AAFC) |
| 1943 | Joe Muha FB | No. 2, Philadelphia Eagles |
The school
Virginia Military Institute- Enrollment
- 1,527 1,527 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Lexington, Virginia
- Public or private
- Public
- Founded
- 1839
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $77,369 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0–7 | 0–3 | 1035 | ||||
| 2025 | 1–11 | 0–8 | 1043 | ||||
| 2024 | 1–11 | 1–7 | 1094 | ||||
| 2023 | 5–6 | 4–4 | 1212 | ||||
| 2022 | 1–10 | 0–8 | 1120 | ||||
| 2021 | 6–5 | 4–4 | 1295 | ||||
| 2020 | 6–2 | 1314 | |||||
| 2019 | 5–7 | 4–4 | 1196 | ||||
| 2018 | 1–10 | 0–8 | 1082 | ||||
| 2017 | 0–11 | 0–8 | 1052 | ||||
| 2016 | 3–8 | 1–7 | 1159 | ||||
| 2015 | 2–9 | 1–6 | 1120 | ||||
| 2014 | 2–10 | 1–6 | 1113 | ||||
| 2013 | 2–10 | 1–4 | 1103 | ||||
| 2012 | 0–3 | 1136 | |||||
| 2011 | 1–9 | 1–4 | 1102 | ||||
| 2010 | 3–8 | 2–4 | 1159 | ||||
| 2009 | 2–9 | 1–5 | 1144 | ||||
| 2008 | 4–7 | 2–4 | 1188 | ||||
| 2007 | 1–9 | 0–4 | 1062 | ||||
| 2006 | 1–10 | 0–4 | 1077 | ||||
| 2005 | 3–8 | 2–2 | 1133 | ||||
| 2004 | 0–11 | 0–4 | 1094 | ||||
| 2003 | 6–6 | 2–2 | 1298 | ||||
| 1997 | 0–1 | 1268 |
Every season back to 1898 (93 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0–1 | 1267 | |||||
| 1993 | 0–1 | 1263 | |||||
| 1991 | 0–1 | 1268 | |||||
| 1990 | 0–1 | 1260 | |||||
| 1989 | 0–1 | 1254 | |||||
| 1988 | 0–1 | 1257 | |||||
| 1987 | 0–1 | 1260 | |||||
| 1986 | 0–1 | 1259 | |||||
| 1985 | 0–2 | 1248 | |||||
| 1984 | 0–2 | 1246 | |||||
| 1983 | 0–4 | 1255 | |||||
| 1982 | 1–3 | 1390 | |||||
| 1981 | 6–3–1 | 3–1–1 | Bob Thalman | 1423 | -6.7 | ||
| 1980 | 3–7–1 | 1–4–1 | Bob Thalman | 1317 | -9.8 | ||
| 1979 | 6–4–1 | 4–1 | Bob Thalman | 1373 | -15.5 | ||
| 1978 | 3–8 | 0–3 | Bob Thalman | 1322 | -16.2 | ||
| 1977 | 7–4 | 3–0 | Bob Thalman | 1468 | -0.3 | ||
| 1976 | 5–5 | 2–3 | Bob Thalman | 1418 | -4.9 | ||
| 1975 | 3–8 | 2–4 | Bob Thalman | 1381 | -21.7 | ||
| 1974 | 7–4 | 5–1 | Bob Thalman | 1441 | -3.9 | ||
| 1973 | 3–8 | 2–4 | Bob Thalman | 1252 | -21.7 | ||
| 1972 | 2–9 | 1–5 | Bob Thalman | 1203 | -18.5 | ||
| 1971 | 1–10 | 1–4 | Bob Thalman | 1139 | -21.8 | ||
| 1970 | 1–10 | 1–4 | Vito Ragazzo | 1166 | -33.3 | ||
| 1969 | 0–10 | 0–4 | Vito Ragazzo | 1208 | |||
| 1968 | 1–9 | 1–3 | Vito Ragazzo | 1295 | |||
| 1967 | 6–4 | 2–3 | Vito Ragazzo | 1425 | |||
| 1966 | 2–8 | 1–3 | Vito Ragazzo | 1272 | |||
| 1965 | 3–7 | 3–2 | John McKenna | 1333 | |||
| 1964 | 1–9 | 1–4 | John McKenna | 1313 | |||
| 1963 | 3–5–2 | 3–1–2 | John McKenna | 1459 | |||
| 1962 | 6–4 | 6–0 | John McKenna | 1508 | |||
| 1961 | 6–4 | 4–2 | John McKenna | 1512 | |||
| 1960 | 7–2–1 | 4–1 | John McKenna | 1606 | |||
| 1959 | 8–1–1 | 5–0–1 | John McKenna | 1601 | |||
| 1958 | 6–2–2 | 2–2–1 | John McKenna | 1526 | |||
| 1957 | 9–0–1 | 6–0 | 20 | John McKenna | 1543 | ||
| 1956 | 3–6–1 | 2–3–1 | John McKenna | 1327 | |||
| 1955 | 1–9 | 1–6 | John McKenna | 1255 | |||
| 1954 | 4–6 | 4–3 | John McKenna | 1398 | |||
| 1953 | 5–5 | 3–3 | John McKenna | 1452 | |||
| 1952 | 3–6–1 | 2–3–1 | Thomas Nugent | 1388 | |||
| 1951 | 7–3 | 5–0 | Thomas Nugent | 1531 | |||
| 1950 | 6–4 | 5–1 | Thomas Nugent | 1487 | |||
| 1949 | 3–5–1 | 3–2–1 | Thomas Nugent | 1429 | |||
| 1948 | 6–3 | 5–1 | Slick Morton | 1486 | |||
| 1947 | 3–5–1 | 2–3–1 | Slick Morton | 1385 | |||
| 1946 | 4–5–1 | 3–3–1 | Pooley Hubert | 1292 | |||
| 1945 | 5–4 | 3–2 | 1273 | ||||
| 1944 | 1–8 | 1–5 | 1142 | ||||
| 1943 | 2–6 | 2–3 | 1215 | ||||
| 1942 | 3–5–1 | 2–4–1 | 1348 | ||||
| 1941 | 4–6 | 4–2 | 1455 | ||||
| 1940 | 7–2–1 | 3–2–1 | Pooley Hubert | 1525 | |||
| 1939 | 6–3–1 | 3–1–1 | Pooley Hubert | 1422 | |||
| 1938 | 6–1–4 | 4–0–3 | 1474 | ||||
| 1937 | 5–5 | 4–2 | 1462 | ||||
| 1936 | 6–4 | 5–2 | W.C. Raftery | 1448 | |||
| 1935 | 2–7–1 | 0–3–1 | W.C. Raftery | 1334 | |||
| 1934 | 1–8 | 0–5 | W.C. Raftery | 1291 | |||
| 1933 | 2–7–1 | 2–1–1 | W.C. Raftery | 1302 | |||
| 1932 | 2–8 | 1–4 | W.C. Raftery | 1321 | |||
| 1931 | 3–6–1 | 2–4 | W.C. Raftery | 1385 | |||
| 1930 | 3–6 | 0–5 | W.C. Raftery | 1427 | |||
| 1929 | 8–2 | 4–2 | W.C. Raftery | 1586 | |||
| 1928 | 5–3–2 | 2–3–1 | W.C. Raftery | 1492 | |||
| 1927 | 6–4 | 2–4 | W.C. Raftery | 1487 | |||
| 1926 | 5–5 | 2–4 | Blandy Clarkson | 1433 | |||
| 1925 | 5–5 | 1–5 | Blandy Clarkson | 1479 | |||
| 1924 | 6–3–1 | 2–3–1 | Blandy Clarkson | 1584 | |||
| 1923 | 9–1 | 5–1 | Blandy Clarkson | 1654 | |||
| 1922 | 7–2 | Blandy Clarkson | 1548 | ||||
| 1921 | 3–5–1 | 0–2–1 | Blandy Clarkson | 1465 | |||
| 1920 | 9–0 | 3–0 | Blandy Clarkson | 1646 | |||
| 1919 | 6–2 | 3–2 | Red Fleming | 1500 | |||
| 1918few games on file | 1–3 | 0–2 | Earl Abell | 1388 | |||
| 1917 | 4–4–1 | Earl Abell | 1433 | ||||
| 1916 | 4–5 | Frank Gorton | 1469 | ||||
| 1915 | 6–2–1 | Frank Gorton | 1512 | ||||
| 1914 | 4–4 | Frank Gorton | 1506 | ||||
| 1913 | 7–1–2 | Henry Poague | 1560 | ||||
| 1912few games on file | 1–0 | Alpha Brumage | 1520 | ||||
| 1911few games on file | 2–1 | Alpha Brumage | 1455 | ||||
| 1910few games on file | 0–3 | William Gloth | 1412 | ||||
| 1909few games on file | 1–2 | William Gloth | 1422 | ||||
| 1908few games on file | 0–1 | Charles Roller | 1421 | ||||
| 1907few games on file | 0–3 | Charles Roller | 1399 | ||||
| 1906few games on file | 0–1 | Ira Johnson | 1395 | ||||
| 1905few games on file | 0–3 | Ira Johnson | 1372 | ||||
| 1904 | 3–5–1 | Bill Roper | 1377 | ||||
| 1903few games on file | 0–1 | Bill Roper | 1422 | ||||
| 1902few games on file | 0–3 | Sam Walker | 1422 | ||||
| 1898few games on file | 0–1 | Sam Boyle | 1482 |
Officially 499–758–42 since 1873 (per Wikipedia, through the 2024 season); game by game here, 367–580–34 (981 of its 1,299 games are on file). Our file starts in 1898; the program began in 1873. Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1899–1901, 1992, 1994–95, 1998–2002: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.