| VMI Keydets football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1873 | ||
| Athletic director | Jim Miller | ||
| Head coach | Danny Rocco 2nd season, 5–6 (.455) | ||
| Stadium | Foster Stadium (capacity: 10,000) | ||
| Field | Alumni Memorial Field | ||
| Year built | 1962[1] | ||
| Field surface | Bermuda grass | ||
| Location | Lexington, Virginia | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Southern Conference | ||
| Past conferences | Big South Conference | ||
| All-time record | 485–718–42 (.406) | ||
| Bowl record | 6–18 (.250) | ||
| Conference titles | SoCon: 8 (2020) | ||
| Current uniform | |||
 | |||
| Colors | Red, white, and yellow[2] | ||
| Fight song | "The Spirit" | ||
| Mascot | Moe the Kangaroo | ||
| Website | vmikeydets.com | ||
The VMI Keydets football team represents the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. The Keydets compete in the Southern Conference of the NCAA Division I FCS, and are coached by Danny Rocco, named head coach on December 3, 2022. VMI plays their home contests at 10,000-seat Alumni Memorial Field, as they have since 1962.
Historically VMI's biggest rival was Virginia Tech. Today, VMI's biggest rival is The Citadel, as the two teams have battled 72 times, with The Citadel leading the series 40–30–2. The series was dubbed "The Military Classic of the South" in 1976 as a reference to the two school's status as the last two remaining all-military schools in the south, a region once rich with military colleges.[3] The winner of each game receives an award known as the Silver Shako. The Silver Shako has been held by VMI since 2019. The last contest occurred on April 17, 2021.
In addition to The Citadel, VMI has minor rivalries with William & Mary and Richmond. The Tribe and the Keydets first met in 1908, and William & Mary leads that series 52–33–2. VMI's competition with Richmond goes back farther, to just their third year of existence (1893). Richmond has won 41 games to VMI's 40, and the teams have tied five times. Also, the Keydets have played Virginia and Virginia Tech 82 and 79 times, respectively.
- ^ Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium - Home of VMI Keydets Football
- ^ VMI Visual Identity Standards Manual (PDF). Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ^ 2010 VMI Football Record Book