Appalachian State Mountaineers football

Appalachian State Mountaineers
2016 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team
First season	1928
Athletic director	Doug Gillin
Head coach	Scott Satterfield 4th year, 31–18 (.633)
Stadium	Kidd Brewer Stadium
Year built	1962
Seating capacity	23,650 (31,531 Record)
Field surface	FieldTurf
Location	Boone, North Carolina
NCAA division	Division I FBS
Conference	Sun Belt
Past conferences	Southern
All-time record	575–326–28 (.634)
Bowl record	1–0 (1.000)
Playoff appearances	Div. I FCS: 20
Playoff record	Div. I FCS: 24–17
Claimed nat'l titles	Div. I FCS: 3 (2005–2007)
Conference titles	19
Colors	Black and Gold[1]
Fight song	Hi Hi Yikas
Mascot	Yosef
Marching band	Marching Mountaineers
Outfitter	Nike
Rivals	Georgia Southern
Website	www.appstatesports.com

The Appalachian State Mountaineers football team is the college football team at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.^[2] The Mountaineers have competed in the Sun Belt Conference since 2014. Appalachian plays its home games in Kidd Brewer Stadium, formerly known as Conrad stadium, which is named after Kidd Brewer, whose 1937 squad was unbeaten and unscored upon during the regular season.^[3]

The Mountaineers were the first FCS team to win three straight national championships since the playoffs began in 1978. They were also the first Division I program to win three consecutive national championships since Army accomplished the feat in 1944, 1945, and 1946,^[4] and the first Division I school in the modern era to claim three straight undisputed national titles.^[5] Appalachian became the first FCS team to receive votes in the final Associated Press (AP) college football poll on January 8, 2008.^[6] The Mountaineers received five points in the poll.^[7]

Through its storied history, the App State football program has won over 550 games, claimed three national championships and appeared in the Division-1 FCS Playoffs 20 times. The Mountainers have 18 Conference championships and boast one of the nation's best home field advantages. In games at "The Rock", the mountaineers are 202-61-5 all time, including having won 48 of the last 51 games at home.^[8] The program also has one Walter Payton Award winner.^[9]

History

Conference Affiliations

Independent	1928–1930
North State Conference	1931–1960
Carolinas Conference	1961–1967
Independent	1968–1971
Southern Conference	1972–2013
Sun Belt Conference	2014–

1928–1971

Appalachian State began playing organized football in 1928. The coach that first year was Graydon Eggers.^[10] The Mountaineers competed as an independent before joining the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) North State Conference as a charter member in 1931.^[11] Kidd Brewer was the head coach of the Mountaineers from 1935–38, leading the team to two postseason bowl games. Brewer's 1937 squad is best remembered for going unbeaten and unscored upon during the regular season, outscoring opponents 206–0 before losing a postseason game to the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss, 7–0.^[3][10] Appalachian found continued success under coach E. C. Duggins (1947–50 and 1952–55). During Duggins' eight years as coach, the Mountaineers claimed three more North State Conference championships and played in seven bowl games.^[10] The Mountaineers again competed as an independent from 1968–71 before joining the Southern Conference.

Recent history

The Mountaineers won three straight FCS titles between 2005–2007, beginning the 2007 season with the historic win over Michigan.

Most of the school's athletic teams joined the Sun Belt Conference on July 1, 2014. The football team began a two-year transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2013, being ineligible for the Southern Conference title and the FCS playoffs.

Scott Satterfield era (2013–present)

On December 14, 2012, Scott Satterfield was named head coach of the Appalachian State football program following the retirement of longtime coach Jerry Moore. Satterfield had spent 15 seasons as an assistant in the Mountaineers program. As the offensive coordinator, he was responsible for much of the program's success.

In 2013, the Mountaineers began a two-year transition from the FCS to college football's premier FBS level. Because of this, the program was declared ineligible for FCS postseason play. Appalachian State's first year of FBS play would come in 2014 as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. However, per NCAA rules, the Mountaineers would not be eligible for the FBS post-season until 2015.

The first game of App State's inaugural FBS season was a rematch of the 2007 Appalachian State vs. Michigan football game. However, this time, the Michigan Wolverines won in a 52-14 blowout. The Mountaineers had their first home game of the season the following week in a win against Campbell. App State would lose its next four contests. After a 1-5 start, the Mountaineers rallied and won the final six games of their 2014 season. The team finished 7-5 overall (6-2 Sun) with a third place conference finish in their first season as a member of the Sunbelt Conference.

Appalachian State opened the 2015 season with a 49-0 pounding of Howard before losing to Clemson. After their 1-1 start, the Mountaineers won six straight but fell short to the eventual Sun Belt champion, Arkansas State, on November 5. The team rallied, finished the regular season 10-2 and received a bid to play in the Camellia Bowl against an 8-4 Ohio. The Mountaineers overcame their opposition 31-29 becoming the first team in Sun Belt history to win eleven games in one season. This win was also historic as it marked the first time a former FCS team won a bowl game in their first season of bowl eligibility.^[12]

On November 24, 2015 Miami confirmed rumors they have scheduled a home-and-home series with Appalachian State. The first game will be played in Kidd Brewer Stadium on September 17, 2016 and marks the Mountaineers' first home game against a power five opponent in modern history. The second game will be played in Sun Life Stadium on September 11, 2021.^[13]

Stadium

College Field (1928–61)

College Field was the home of Appalachian football from 1928 to 1961. Located at the future site of Rankin Hall and Edwin Duncan Hall, the stadium was replaced by Kidd Brewer Stadium in 1962.

Kidd Brewer Stadium (1962-Present)

Opened in 1962, Kidd Brewer Stadium was originally named Conrad Stadium after former university trustee and R.J. Reynolds executive William J. Conrad.^[3] The stadium was renamed in 1988 for Kidd Brewer who coached the Mountaineers from 1935–38. Nicknamed "The Rock", it sits at an elevation of 3,280 feet (1,000 m) but is measured at 3,333 feet (1,016 m) for NCAA qualifications.^[3] The stadium was the first venue in either North or South Carolina to install artificial turf. On October 3, 1970, the Mountaineers and Elon Fightin' Christians staged the first ever game played on turf in the Carolinas.^[3] After a 2002 First Round I-AA playoff loss to Maine,^[3] Appalachian compiled a 30-game unbeaten streak at Kidd Brewer Stadium that ended on October 20, 2007.^[14]

The Mountaineers led the FCS in average attendance throughout the 2007, 2008, and 2010 seasons. Kidd Brewer saw average crowds of 24,219, 25,161 and 25,715 respectively.^[15][16]

Renovations

Completed in 2009, the stadium has seen extensive renovations as part of a $50 million facilities improvement campaign. An upper deck with additional seating for 4,400 was added to the east (visitor) stands prior to the 2008 season.^[17] Additional restrooms and concessions have been added. Most significantly, rising behind the west (home) stands and replacing the former pressbox facilities, the 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²) KBS Complex was completed before the start of the 2009 season.^[17] The KBS Complex includes new stadium entrance plaza, strength and conditioning rooms, a hydrotherapy room, locker rooms, athletics offices, stadium suites and club seating.^[18]

Championships

National championships

Appalachian has won three national championships^[19][20][21] in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, the highest division in college football to hold a playoff tournament to determine its champion. The Mountaineers became the fifth program in FCS history to reach the national title game three straight years joining Eastern Kentucky (1979–82), Georgia Southern (1988–90 and 1998–2000), Marshall (1991–93) and Youngstown State (1991–94).^[22] Appalachian also had a thirteen-game postseason winning streak,^[23] a record for consecutive wins in contiguous years that ended with a loss to Richmond in 2008.^[24]

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Score	Opponent
2005	Jerry Moore	NCAA 16 Team playoff[25]	12–3	21–16	Northern Iowa Panthers
2006	Jerry Moore	NCAA 16 Team playoff[26]	14–1	28–17	Massachusetts Minutemen
2007	Jerry Moore	NCAA 16 Team playoff[27]	13–2	49–21	Delaware Blue Hens

Conference championships

Before leaving the Southern Conference in 2014, the Mountaineers had won 10 conference titles, placing them second in the league's history. The Furman Paladins lead the conference with 12 championships.

Year	Conference	Overall Record	Conference Record	Coach
1931	North State	9–2–2	3–0	C. B. Johnson
1937	North State	8–1–1	5–0	Kidd Brewer
1939	North State	7–1–2	3–0–1	Flucie Stewart
1948	North State	8–1–1	7–0–1	E. C. Duggins
1950	North State	9–2–1	7–0–1	E. C. Duggins
1954	North State	8–3	6–0	E. C. Duggins
1986	Southern	9–2–1	6–0–1	Sparky Woods
1987	Southern	11–3	7–0	Sparky Woods
1991	Southern	8–4	6–1	Jerry Moore
1995	Southern	12–1	8–0	Jerry Moore
1999♦	Southern	9–3	7–1	Jerry Moore
2005	Southern	12–3	6–1	Jerry Moore
2006	Southern	14–1	7–0	Jerry Moore
2007♦	Southern	13–2	5–2	Jerry Moore
2008	Southern	11–3	8–0	Jerry Moore
2009	Southern	11–3	8–0	Jerry Moore
2010♦	Southern	9–2	7–1	Jerry Moore
2012♦	Southern	8–3	6–2	Jerry Moore
2016	Sun Belt	9–3	7–1	Scott Satterfield
Total		19
♦ Denotes a tie for first place and conference co-champion

Bowl games

Date	Bowl	Location	Result	Opponent	Points For	Points Against
November 26, 1937	Doll and Toy Charity Game	Biloxi, Mississippi	L	Southern Mississippi	0	7
December 3, 1938	Unnamed	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	W	Moravian College	20	0
November 20, 1948	Burley Bowl	Johnson City, Tennessee	L	West Chester	2	7
November 26, 1949	Pythian Bowl	Salisbury, North Carolina	W	Catawba College	21	7
November 18, 1950	Burley Bowl	Johnson City, Tennessee	L	Emory and Henry College	6	26
November 25, 1950	Pythian Bowl	Salisbury, North Carolina	L	West Liberty State College	26	28
November 25, 1954	Burley Bowl	Johnson City, Tennessee	W	East Tennessee State	27	13
December 11, 1954	Elks Bowl	Raleigh, North Carolina	L	Newberry College	13	20
November 19, 1955	Burley Bowl	Johnson City, Tennessee	L	East Tennessee State	0	7
December 19, 2015	Camellia Bowl	Montgomery, Alabama	W	Ohio University	31	29
Total	10		4–6		146	144

Notable games

App State – WCU Rivalry

From 1932 to 2013, Appalachian State played the Western Carolina Catamounts in a regional rivalry game. The only years in that period in which the game was not played were 1942 to 1945, during U.S. involvement in World War II. In 1976, a traveling trophy known as the Old Mountain Jug was created from an old moonshine jug.^[28] Appalachian's record in games played is 59–18–1, and 31–7 in the Jug era. No further games in the rivalry are scheduled following Appalachian's move to the Sun Belt Conference.

The Mountaineers currently hold the trophy, having won each of the last nine games (2005–2013) and 26 of the last 28.

2002 Furman Paladins

The Miracle on the Mountain took place at Kidd Brewer Stadium on October 12, 2002 and was selected as the "ABC Sports Radio Call of the Year."^[29] A low scoring affair, the Paladins elected to attempt a two-point conversion after scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 7 seconds left in the game. Leading 15–14, Furman quarterback Billy Napier's pass was intercepted by Josh Jeffries at the 4-yard line. He lateraled the ball to Derrick Black who returned it for a score giving the Mountaineers a 16–15 win.^[30]

2007 Michigan Wolverines

On September 1, 2007, the Appalachian State football team traveled to Ann Arbor to play their season opener at the University of Michigan. A sellout crowd of over 109,000 fans packed Michigan Stadium, becoming the largest crowd to ever witness an ASU football game. Appalachian State beat Michigan 34–32 and became the first Division I-AA football team to defeat a Division I-A team ranked in the AP poll.^[31] This victory was seen by some analysts to be one of the greatest upsets in NCAA football history.^{[32][33][34][35]} Following the win, they were featured on the cover of the following week's issue of Sports Illustrated.

2008 LSU Tigers

On August 30, 2008, Appalachian State opened its football season at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana against NCAA Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) defending national champion Louisiana State University. The game, which was broadcast on ESPN Classic, was the first ever between defending FBS and FCS National Championship teams. The game against the Mountaineers saw the Tigers claim an early lead and victory by a score of 41–13.

All-time record vs. Sun Belt teams

Official record (including any NCAA imposed vacates and forfeits) against all current Sun Belt opponents:

Opponent	Won	Lost	Tied	Percentage	Streak	First	Last
Arkansas State	1	1	0	.500	Lost 1	2014	2015
Coastal Carolina	3	0	0	1.000	Won 3	2005	2012
Georgia Southern	17	12	1	.583	Won 2	1934	2016
Georgia State	3	0	0	1.000	Won 3	2014	2016
Idaho	3	0	0	1.000	Won 3	2014	2016
Louisiana–Lafayette	3	0	0	1.000	Won 3	2014	2016
Louisiana–Monroe	2	0	0	1.000	Won 2	2014	2015
New Mexico State	1	0	0	1.000	Won 1	2016	2016
South Alabama	1	1	0	.500	Won 1	2014	2015
Texas State	2	0	0	1.000	Won 2	2004	2016
Troy	3	3	0	.500	Lost 1	1970	2016
Totals	38	17	1	.688

• Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football will begin competition in 2017

Season and coaching history

Coach	Years	Seasons	Record	Pct.	Conf. Record	Pct.	Conf. Champs	Bowl Games	National Titles
Graydon Eggers	1928	1	3–6	.333	–	–	–	–	–
C. B. Johnson	1929–32	4	26–9–7	.702	5–1	.833	1	–	–
Eugene Garbee	1933–34	2	10–6–1	.618	2–0	1.000	–	–	–
Kidd Brewer	1935–38	4	30–5–3	.829	12–2–1	.833	1	2	–
Flucie Stewart	1939/1946	2	13–4–2	.737	7–1–1	.833	1	–	–
R. W. "Red" Watkins	1940–41	2	10–9	.526	4–5	.444	–	–	–
Beattie Feathers	1942	1	5–2–1	.688	2–2	.500	–	–	–
Francis Hoover	1945	1	1–6	.143	1–3	.250	–	–	–
E. C. Duggins	1947–50/52–55	8	57–25–3	.688	40–13–2	.745	3	7	–
Press Mull	1951	1	6–3	.667	3–3	.500	–	–	–
Bob Broome	1956–58	3	13–16	.448	9–9	.500	–	–	–
Bob Breitenstein	1959	1	6–4	.600	5–1	.833	–	–	–
Jim Duncan	1960–64	5	31–15–2	.667	20–6–2	.750	–	–	–
Carl Messere	1965–70	6	34–26–1	.566	10–10	.500	–	–	–
Jim Brakefield	1971–79	9	47–48–4	.495	19–20–2	.488	–	–	–
Mike Working	1980–82	3	13–18–2	.424	8–11–2	.429	–	–	–
Mack Brown	1983	1	6–5	.545	4–3	.571	–	–	–
Sparky Woods	1984–88	5	38–19–2	.661	25–9–1	.729	2	–	–
Jerry Moore	1989–2012	24	215–87	.712	144–40	.783	10	–	3
Scott Satterfield	2013–	2	22–15	.595	17–7	.625	–	1	–
Totals	1928–present	85	575–326–28	.634	330–145–11	.690	18	9	3

Note: Appalachian did not field a team in 1943 or 1944.

Individual award winners

National award winners – players

National award winners – coaches

• Eddie Robinson Award

National Coach of the Year

2006: Jerry Moore

• American Football Coaches Association (AFCA)

National Coach of the Year

2005: Jerry Moore

2006: Jerry Moore

2007: Jerry Moore^[38]

Southern Conference honors

Sun Belt Conference honors

Other awards and honors

Kirkland Blocking Trophy

1964: Larry Hand^[39]

National Statistical Champion

1936: Len Wilson (scoring)

1974: Joe Parker (punting)

1979: Rick Beasley (receiving)

1991: Harold Alexander (punting)

1992: Harold Alexander (punting)

2004: DaVon Fowlkes (receptions, receiving yards, all-purpose yards)^[40][41]

Hall of Fame selections

All-time NFL Draft selections

NFL Draft Selections (25)

# Year Round Pick Overall Name Team Position 1 1942 17 6 156 George Watts Washington Redskins Offensive tackle 2 1948 13 10 115 John Hollar Chicago Cardinals Back 3 1949 16 9 160 Tom Murdock Chicago Cardinals Back 4 1964 10 6 132 Larry Hand Detroit Lions Defensive tackle 5 1965 8 11 109 Larry Harbin Detroit Lions Back 6 1984 9 12 236 Leroy Howell Buffalo Bills Defensive end 7 1986 2 8 35 Dino Hackett Kansas City Chiefs Linebacker 8 1988 10 16 265 Steve Wilkes New York Giants Tight end 9 1990 5 15 125 Derrick Graham Kansas City Chiefs Offensive tackle 10 1990 7 28 194 Keith Collins San Diego Chargers Defensive back 11 1992 5 10 122 Gary Dandridge Seattle Seahawks Defensive back 12 1992 7 10 178 Mike Frier Seattle Seahawks Defensive tackle 13 1993 3 11 67 Harold Alexander Atlanta Falcons Punter 14 1996 3 26 87 Matt Stevens Buffalo Bills Safety 15 1997 3 5 65 Dexter Coakley Dallas Cowboys Linebacker 16 2001 7 15 215 Corey Hall Atlanta Falcons Safety 17 2008 2 27 58 Dexter Jackson Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide receiver 18 2008 6 11 177 Corey Lynch Cincinnati Bengals Safety 19 2010 3 25 59 Armanti Edwards Carolina Panthers Quarterback 20 2011 5 25 156 Mark LeGree Seattle Seahawks Safety 21 2011 5 32 163 Daniel Kilgore San Francisco 49ers Offensive guard 22 2011 6 21 186 D.J. Smith Green Bay Packers Outside Linebacker 23 2012 2 1 33 Brian Quick St. Louis Rams Wide receiver 24 2013 5 32 165 Sam Martin Detroit Lions Punter 25 2013 7 4 210 Demetrius McCray Jacksonville Jaguars Cornerback

Retired numbers

Retired numbers
Number	Player	Year
23	John Settle (1983–86)	1986
32	Dexter Coakley (1993–96)	2005
38	Dino Hackett (1982–85)	2005
71	Larry Hand (1960–64)	2006

Future non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of November 24, 2015

2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	TBA
at Tennessee Sep. 1st	at Georgia Sep. 2nd	at Penn State Sep. 1st	vs East Tennessee State Aug. 31st	at Wake Forest Sep. 12th	at Miami (FL) Sep. 11th	at Marshall Sep. 17th	at Wyoming Sep. 23rd	vs East Tennessee State Aug. 31st	vs North Carolina Central TBA
vs Old Dominion Sep. 10th	vs Savannah State Sep. 9th	at Charlotte Sep. 8th	vs Charlotte Sep. 7th	vs Massachusetts Sep. 26th	vs Elon Sep. 18th	vs Akron Sep. 24th
vs Miami (FL) Sep. 17th	vs Wake Forest Sep. 23rd	vs Southern Miss Sep. 15th			vs Marshall Sep. 25th
at Akron Sep. 24th	at Massachusetts Oct. 28th	vs Gardner–Webb Sep. 22nd

^[43]

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games

References

External links

• Official website