VMI and the University of Richmond will resume their longtime state college football rivalry in 2025.
The Keydets and Spiders will play at Robins Stadium in Richmond in 2025 with the Spiders traveling to Foster Stadium during the 2028 campaign. VMI will again face Richmond the following season in 2029 in Richmond.
The VMI-Richmond football series is the most played series on the Keydet record books with 90 meetings, surpassing William & Mary (88 meetings), Virginia (83 meetings) and Virginia Tech (79 meetings). VMI and Richmond first played in 1893 and the Spiders lead the rivalry 45-40-5 with many games played when both schools were members of the Southern Conference until the mid-1970s.
Richmond now competes in the CAA while the Keydets returned to the SoCon in 2014 after an 11-year stint in the Big South Conference. The teams last played in 2015 in Richmond with the Spiders prevailing at Robins Stadium. That also marked the most recent time the Keydets have faced a state FCS opponent in a regular season game.
“Resuming our football series with VMI has been a priority for some time,” UR Vice President and Director of Athletics John P. Hardt said. “Since arriving as Richmond’s AD, restarting this series has been one of the most asked about topics by our fans. The history between the two programs combined with the proximity of our campuses, makes this a terrific rivalry that we are excited to renew.”
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Russ Huesman and the University of Richmond,” said VMI coach Scott Wachenheim. “I believe it’s in the best interests of both programs to resume our football history.”
The dates for the three-game series are set for Sept. 20, 2025 in Richmond, Sept. 9, 2028 in Lexington, and Sept. 1, 2029 in Richmond.
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Chris Graham
