William & Mary's Jimmye Laycock is the longest-tenured Division I head coach still active on the sideline, and word came out recently that the 2018 season would be his final one coaching the program his name has become synonymous with.
Laycock is entering his 39th season as the leader of the William & Mary program and currently ranks second among all active Division I coaches with an impressive 245 victories.
In the official release from the school Laycock was quick to give credit to the young men he's had the opportunity to work with, as well as the staffs he's had over the years.
"Coaching the William & Mary program is a tremendous honor. I have always taken a great deal of pride in leading my alma mater and have been grateful for the opportunity to work with such tremendous young men. Any success we have had is shared among all the great assistant coaches and the thousands of outstanding student-athletes who have come through our program. This was obviously a difficult decision, but the time was right to make this announcement. That being said, I can assure you that the coming season has my full attention and preparing this team will have my complete focus."
In his nearly four decades with the Tribe, Laycock has led the program to 10 playoff appearances, five conference titles, and accumulated 24 winning seasons. The program appeared in the national semifinals twice and finished the year ranked on 13 different occasions.
The team's football center, that was built in 2008, is named in honor of Laycock.
Prior stops for coach Laycock include The Citadel, and Clemson - where he served as the offensive coordinator for a few seasons, starting in 1977.
While he will step away from the game at 70 after the season, Laycock's (who also played his college ball for William & Mary) roots will forever run deep with the school and all those he impacted over the years.