WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Nov. 9, 2009 -- It rotates every year. Half the time Williams College faces Wesleyan in its homecoming football game in November, and half the time it faces Amherst.

This is an Amherst year. On Saturday, Nov. 14, Amherst's Lord Jeffs will cross the Berkshire mountains to Williamstown, where they will meet the Ephs on Weston Field at noon.

The Williams-Amherst rivalry goes back a long way. It all started in 1821, when the dissatisfied Williams president raided the library, rounded up students and faculty, and took off to found Amherst. That's why the Lord Jeffs are known in Williamstown as "The Defectors."

Since then, Williams and Amherst have found plenty of outlets for competition, especially in Division III football. It's been called the "biggest little game in America."

There have been legendary games, like the 1995 homecoming when Amherst broke Williams' nine-year winning streak by tying 0-0 or 1997 when Amherst entered the game having allowed just 22 points all year but Williams led at the half 24-14, or 2001, the only game both teams were undefeated going into the contest.

But "it is here that the nomenclature 'student-athlete' is no oxymoron," wrote sports critic Larry Dorman. "It is really the essence of what college athletic competition can be. It is Division III, but it is first rate. Football is not a business here. It might be a very important piece of the fabric that is woven into the whole way of life at Williams ... but it is only a piece.

Williams football games are punctuated by quirky traditions. The college's fight song, Yard by Yard, is meant to be sung by cheering fans as the players "march on the field." But almost no one knows all the words. On the sidelines, the Williams College Mucho Macho Moo-Cow Military Marching Band plays offbeat music in what the New York Times called "a delightful departure from the usual fare."

Then there's "The Walk." After a win, Williams football players sing Yard by Yard as they march along Spring Street from Weston Field to St. Pierre's Barbershop. Then sometimes they shave their heads.

Senior football players traditionally introduce themselves to the Williams College Sideline Quarterback Club, a group of alumni and friends of the college. At one luncheon in 1995, Williams assistant coach Renzie Lamb told the group: "If you wish to be happy for an hour, get intoxicated. If you wish to be happy for three days, get married. If you wish to be happy for eight days, kill your pig and eat it. If you wish to be happy forever, beat Amherst."

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Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. The college's 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research. Students' educational experience is enriched by the residential campus environment in Williamstown, Mass., which provides a host of opportunities for interaction with one another and with faculty beyond the classroom. Admission decisions are made regardless of a student's financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted.

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News: Alison Hansen-Decelles