Appalachian State Athletics Summer Contest

[Yosef]

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Today, we're launching a contest that is free to enter and could net you some pretty cool Appalachian swag! All you have to do to enter is tell us what your favorite Appalachian State athletics moment of all time is and why by posting below! The moment can be from any sport at any time in Appalachian's history. Entries will be accepted through June 30th and a winner will be chosen at random and will be announced in the first week of July. The prize pack includes the following Appalachian State merchandise: window football helmet, trucker hat by The Game, reusable solo cup with lid, 5 block A logo decals. This pack is valued at $44.99 and will ship to your door for free (as long as you live in the continental U.S.).





This prize pack was donated by TodayIGiveMyAll.com, a new website dedicated to providing Mountaineer fans with App State apparel, tailgate, man/fan cave, home/office, and kitchen/bar gear. The company was started in January 2015 of this year and is officially licensed by Appalachian State. Be sure to check their site for your future Appalachian merchandising needs.









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[boonetown1]

My Junior year was in 2007. I was supposed to go home for my birthday in early September but opted to stay in Boone and watch the Appalachian vs Michigan game with my friends.

That morning we went to the Wing Stop (use to be near Burger King); but unfortunately the place was already about a capacity. We had a group of 6 that had to sit on the window seal. About halfway through the game (as App was leading) the place was pushed to capacity and people were hanging on the outside of the window, just to catch a glimpse. As the game progressed and Corey blocked the infamous kick the place went absolutely nuts. When the game was over we went outside and drove around; only to receive calls from all my friends at other schools and seeing people run through the streets. As we approached the stadium we saw a massive crowd of students carrying the goalpost and screaming.

Obviously, I did not make it home that night for my birthday. However, I did receive a pretty sweet present that day and into the night when the bus rolled into the stadium with 10k kids screaming and Peacock standing on the bus. It was with out a doubt one of the best days of my life.

[ASUMountaineer]

I am sure there will be many for the Michigan game, and mine is no different.

My wife and I had been married for less than a year when they announced the game. I made it clear that I'd be going someway, somehow. A few months before the game, still ticketless, we had just moved to the Charlotte area from Asheboro. I wasn't able to take off from the new job, but she went with her parents to Pennsylvania for a family reunion. While there, her and her dad were discussing with his cousin about the game as his son was a student at Michigan.

He asked if they were going to the game and they said no, but I was planning to go. He, being the owner of five season seats at the Big House, offered her the tickets as he "doesn't care to see Michigan play Appalachian." She accepted the offer, and called me to earn the most "wife points" a doting wife could earn.

A few weeks before the game he mailed me the tickets. Little did I know that the 5 tickets were on the front row behind the App State bench, which ended up being where the BOD was setup. Naturally, we did not know how historic the day would be, but to have such seats to watch the boys hit the gridiron was good enough. We were on the side of the field where Rauch kicked the winning FG. We ended up being shown on the BigTen Network coverage during the game, on SportsCenter, on SI.com, and in the Under the Lights special.

After returning home, I called her dad's cousin to thank him once again for the tickets. Got his voicemail, and never heard back.

It was certainly a memorable trip (I'll spare you all the unbelievable tale of our 11-hour-turned-16-hour trip to Michigan) that I'll never forget. I was fortunate to not only marry a wonderful woman but one with such connections! Below is a link to a few of our pictures:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... dadd876450

Oh, and I almost forgot, my roommate at App guaranteed that App would lose the game. The bet was that if App won he had to shave his head. He was bald the next day!

We still have the sign, and now kids!



Go APPS! Always Attack!

[GoAppSt!]

Short and sweet. My favorite moment was when we announced we were moving up to FBS. It's been a long time coming, going back to it being discussed in the 1990's when I was playing there. It gives us the opportunity to compete at the highest of levels and will allow the university to continue to grow it's branding on a national scale. This year like all AppFans I'm looking forward to seeing what our young but experienced and talented team will do....and hoping to join the team and our fans in celebration at a bowl game!

[appfanz]

To me it was when we beat Furman in the semis in '05. The excitement in the parking lot after the game was over incredible and since has never been matched. We were finally going to a championship game and as a fan that has been going to games since 1972 it was indeed special. (And I was at the Michigan game)

[EastHallApp]

Certainly you could go with any of the three titles or beating Michigan and many would agree. I'll go with a lesser-known one from my student days - the 2000 SoCon Basketball Tournament.

This was my senior year. App had won 20+ games in each of the previous two years only to lose narrowly in the SoCon final each year. That year, we again won over 20 and tied for first in the league. So we were starving for that NCAA bid by this time.

I rode down to Greenville, SC with a couple friends for the semis and final. After narrowly escaping an upset bid from Furman in the semis, App played league newcomer/bully College of Charleston in the final. CofC had beaten us in Boone and in the tourney final the previous year, and in Charleston that year. It was a tight game most of the way, but as everyone in my section screamed our lungs out and pounded on the seats until our hands hurt (and then pounded some more), App pulled away with a few minutes left and won by about 9. The culmination of three years' journey.

We rode back to Boone in time to welcome the team bus back to Varsity Gym. With the end of my own time in college just a couple months away, it was a great end to a great day and, in hindsight, a great (if too-short) era for Appalachian basketball.

[appmaj]

My favorite moment was football my freshman year in 1999 when we beat Georgia Southern.

I did not grow up an App State fan. I followed another in-state team as a kid. My parents, grand parents, and great grand parents all followed UNC (some were alumni some were just fans). When I applied to college I applied to 3 schools including App. I was accepted at App & UNCW. I was wait listed at UNC, at the time I was disappointed. I had only visited App one time at the insistence of one of my favorite teacher in high school. The visit was nice so, I decided at that point I would apply 'just in case'. Time passed and the deadline was approaching where a decision had to be made about going to a school and I was still on the wait list at UNC. I was assessing reluctantly pro's and con's between UNCW and App and decided that App would be best because there was football team. The deadline day came where I had to enroll at App or wait for an uncertainty elsewhere. The check was written and mailed to App. The process of enrollment at App had started the very next week however, I was accepted to UNC. At this point since the check had been sent and presumably processed, there was no turning back. I started school in Boone, with the idea that I may transfer after a year. I was going to make the most of being in Boone, I pledged a fraternity, played some intramural sports, and was enjoying my classes. I was enjoying living in Justice Hall and had attended the first couple of home football games. The EKU & ETSU games were fun but, I was not really drawn in to App football.

Ga Southern was ranked #1 when we played them in 1999. That was the only thing I knew about the Eagles or any past games between us and them. Some of the older guys in our group explained that they were very good. They had won 4 titles and had beaten us the season before. There were a few guys in my fraternity that were on the team and they had been pumped up all week. Our tailgate was completely pumped up.

The game was great. Our kicker at the time was in my fraternity and he hit the score opening field goal. We were up by a couple of scores and they came back. We were panicked when GaSo got a safety to cut the lead to 1. We prevailed however and I was in the rush to get on the field and watched as the goal posts came down. Followed the posts to Duck Pond and laughed and hollered as friends jumped in.

This game was so exciting from tailgate to post game celebration. I was hooked and have not looked back since. I have been a huge football fan ever since and have started following all App Sports over the years. Any thoughts of that other school were gone after that gameday.

[EastHallApp]

appmaj - Almost went with that game myself. That was my senior year and I was somewhere on the field with you.

[MDaniels84]

This is kind of a hybrid between my favorite App game and an amusing anecdote. My wife, my son, and I went to Chattanooga to see us play Joe Flacco's Delaware squad in 2007. Great game overall. Not quite as exciting as our first against N.Iowa , but none the less a sweet game. Kevin Richardson stole the show for the most part , gashing the Blue Hens at will. We were up big in the fourth quarter and Coach Moore took Armanti out and sent Trey Elder in for some clean up work. On the first play from scrimmage, Trey showed speed that I had not seen in his previous snaps and bolted about 50 plus yards on a qb draw. The crowd went crazy - Our coaching staff went crazy - Armanti picked Trey up and hugged him.
Now, for the rest of the story ...... We were sitting in between plays in the 3rd quarter when my wife looked up at the play clock on the scoreboard and saw the play clock at 25. She said , "Brrrrrrrrr, I thought it was starting to drop down". A gentleman sitting behind us asked me if he could give her some good natured ribbing and I complied. He said , "Honey, you better bundle up because when that referee does his arm in circular motion, it is going to start dropping real fast."
Great moment for all of us ! She knows about pulling guards, blitz packages and many other things but that made for a good moment.

[AppState89]

My favorite would have to be the ASU vs Michigan game. I got to spend a great time with my best friends (MY COLLEGE ROOMMATES) and my wife. This was the day I first met Bobby Bozzo's (his first game) parents and we have been friends since that September day. Someone in our group took the photo below and it's my favorite photo I have.

[appelect]

One of my all time favorite moments goes all the way back to 1981. It was a Saturday night in Varsity gym. We are playing Davidson and Bobby Cremins is our coach. Its the middle of winter and the place is packed. My buddies and I have to stand on the balcony the entire game. We are down by one point with less than 3 seconds and the length of the floor to go. In bounds pass goes to John Fitch, he dribbles to half court and shoots as time expires. Nothing but net! Apps win by one point ( no three point shot then) and Varsity gym explodes. I have never heard it so loud at an App game since. My buddies and I celebrate all night long with plenty other App fans. We still to this day talk about that game during BB season. Great times!!

[Yosef]

And the completely randomized winner is....

This is kind of a hybrid between my favorite App game and an amusing anecdote. My wife, my son, and I went to Chattanooga to see us play Joe Flacco's Delaware squad in 2007. Great game overall. Not quite as exciting as our first against N.Iowa , but none the less a sweet game. Kevin Richardson stole the show for the most part , gashing the Blue Hens at will. We were up big in the fourth quarter and Coach Moore took Armanti out and sent Trey Elder in for some clean up work. On the first play from scrimmage, Trey showed speed that I had not seen in his previous snaps and bolted about 50 plus yards on a qb draw. The crowd went crazy - Our coaching staff went crazy - Armanti picked Trey up and hugged him.
Now, for the rest of the story ...... We were sitting in between plays in the 3rd quarter when my wife looked up at the play clock on the scoreboard and saw the play clock at 25. She said , "Brrrrrrrrr, I thought it was starting to drop down". A gentleman sitting behind us asked me if he could give her some good natured ribbing and I complied. He said , "Honey, you better bundle up because when that referee does his arm in circular motion, it is going to start dropping real fast."
Great moment for all of us ! She knows about pulling guards, blitz packages and many other things but that made for a good moment.

Congrats! Please send me your mailing address (in a private message or to yosef@yosefscabin.com) and I'll get the folks over at TodayIGiveMyAll to ship this out immediately. Thanks so much for everyone's participation in the summer contest!

I held out on posting my favorite so I wasn't included in the contest, but hands down my favorite is the Miracle on the Mountain game against Furman. Oddly enough, that morning I had given my brother a hard time about not going to the game as he wanted to stay at home and play video games. His comment at the time was that the games just aren't exciting like BCS games are and he wants to see those big name games, not the Appalachians. In fairness to him, he was a transfer student and I believe it was his first semester up in Boone.

As many of your know, that was a great game and the last 5 minutes of that game had more excitement in it than one could imagine. The stadium would be deafening and the next play you could hear a pin drop. I'll never forget it and I'm sure anyone there won't every forget it either. I'm pretty sure I felt like I was Josh Jefferies and then Derrick Black running down the sideline. Being in the Band of Distinction, looking back I'm shocked instruments weren't damaged.

He still isn't as die hard of a Mountaineer as I am, but he turned the corner and began coming to the games and support the Mountaineers after missing that experience.