Most fans don’t realize it, but the Richmond Spiders are one of the oldest programs in college football history. As an FCS program, it’s usually easy to find cheap Richmond football tickets. But seeing the Spiders in person is seeing a team whose history dates back to 1881. It’s also a chance to see one of the best FCS programs in the country. For more than 100 years, the Spiders have had a proud and successful football program, making last-minute Richmond football tickets a treat for any college football fan.

A History of Rivals

With a history that dates back to 1881, Richmond has had a long time to develop rivalries with other schools in the South and Mid-Atlantic regions. By far, Richmond’s biggest rival is William & Mary, as the two schools are just 60 miles apart. The Spiders and the Tribe have met regularly since 1898, sometimes playing multiple times in the same year. The matchup is sometimes known as the “Oldest Rivalry in the South” because only three other matchups in college football history have been played more frequently. Most years, Richmond and William & Mary meet the last week of the regular season, with the winner receiving a trophy called the Capital Cup. Most importantly, both schools have virtually the same number of wins in the rivalry, although the Spiders have had the Tribe’s number more times than not since the turn of the century.

Building Toward a Championship

In the late 1990s, the Spiders began to emerge as one of the top programs at the FCS level. Former coach Dave Clawson took Richmond to the playoff quarterfinals in 2005 and the semifinals in 2007 before passing the torch to Mike London. In London’s first season, the Spiders entered the FCS Playoffs unseeded, only to knockoff the no. 2, 3, and 4 seeds on their way to winning the national championship. Since winning that championship, the Spiders have remained one of the top teams in the Colonial Athletic Association and a threat in the FCS Playoffs on a yearly basis.