Appalachian State Mountaineers

Appalachian State Mountaineers
University Appalachian State University
Conference Sun Belt (2014)
NCAA Division I (FBS)
Athletic director Doug Gillin
Location Boone, North Carolina
Varsity teams 20
Football stadium Kidd Brewer Stadium
Arena Holmes Center
Baseball stadium Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium
Soccer stadium ASU Soccer Stadium
Other arenas Varsity Gymnasium
Mascot Yosef
Nickname Mountaineers
Fight song Hi Hi Yikas
Colors Black and Gold[1]
         
Website www.appstatesports.com

The Appalachian State Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, United States. The Mountaineers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and were a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) between 1972 and 2014. On July 1, 2014, Appalachian State moved to the Sun Belt Conference. Appalachian State fields varsity teams in 20 sports, 10 for men and 10 for women. The football team competes in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly I-A, as a result of the transition to the Sun Belt. The wrestling team remains in the Southern Conference because the Sun Belt does not sponsor the sport. In field hockey, another sport not sponsored by the Sun Belt, Appalachian State currently plays as an independent following the demise of its former league, the Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference (NorPac), following the 2014 season. That team will join the Mid-American Conference in July 2017.[2]

Appalachian's football program has been successful with the Mountaineers winning three straight national championships in 2005, 2006, and 2007. They are the only team in North Carolina, public or private, to win an NCAA national championship in football.[3] The Mountaineers are the first FCS team to win three straight national championships since the creation of Division I-AA in 1978, and are the first Division I program to win three consecutive national championships since Army accomplished the feat in 1944, 1945, and 1946.[4]

Football home games are played at Kidd Brewer Stadium,[5] while basketball, volleyball, and indoor track and field events are held at the George M. Holmes Convocation Center.[6] The school's baseball team plays at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.[7]

Teams

A member of the Sun Belt Conference, Appalachian State sponsors teams in ten men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports:[8]

Men's Intercollegiate Sports Team Article Head Coach Women's Intercollegiate Sports Team Article Head Coach
Baseball Mountaineers baseball Kermit Smith Basketball Angel Elderkin
Basketball Mountaineers men's basketball Jim Fox Cross Country Mike Curcio
Cross Country Mike Curcio Field Hockey[s 1] Meghan Dawson
Football Mountaineers football Scott Satterfield Golf Heather Brown
Golf Bill Dicus Soccer Sarah Strickland
Soccer Jason O'Keefe Softball Janice Savage
Tennis Bob Lake Tennis Blake Mosley
Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor)[s 2] John Weaver Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor)[s 2] John Weaver
Wrestling[s 3] Mountaineers wrestling JohnMark Bentley Volleyball Matt Ginipro
Notes
  1. ↑ The field hockey team currently competes as an independent; but it will become an Affiliate member of the Mid-American Conference in 2017–18.
  2. 1 2 The NCAA classifies indoor and outdoor track & field as two separate sports.
  3. ↑ The wrestling yeam competes as an Associate member of the Southern Conference.

Championships

NCAA team championships

As of April 4, 2016, Appalachian State has 3 NCAA team national championships.[9]

Football

The Mountaineers are led by head coach Scott Satterfield. The 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons were arguably the most successful in Appalachian history with the Mountaineers winning three consecutive national championships. Before Appalachian left the Southern Conference for the Sun Belt Conference and FBS football in 2014, it had developed intense rivalries with fellow conference members Furman, Georgia Southern, and Western Carolina, The Appalachian–Georgia Southern rivalry continues in FBS, as both teams moved together to the Sun Belt. The Mountaineers and Catamounts played annually for the Old Mountain Jug until Appalachian's departure for the Sun Belt.

The Mountaineers got off to a fast start in 2007 with perhaps the biggest win in program history with a road upset of the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines, 34–32, on September 1, 2007. With the win Appalachian became the first ever FCS (I-AA) team to defeat an AP nationally ranked FBS (I-A) team. This victory was seen by some analysts to be one of the greatest upsets in NCAA football history.[10][11][12][13][14] Following the win, they were featured on the cover of the following week's issue of Sports Illustrated.[15]

Numerous players from ASU have gone on to play in the National Football League. They include Harold Alexander, Kerry Brown, Dexter Coakley, Dino Hackett, Larry Hand, Jason Hunter, Dexter Jackson, Corey Lynch, Rico Mack, Marques Murrell, Mark Royals, John Settle, Matt Stevens, Troy Albea, Daniel Wilcox, and Armanti Edwards. Additionally, players such as DaVon Fowlkes, Wayne Smith, and Richie Williams have found homes in the Canadian Football League.

Men's basketball

The Apps' head coaching position is occupied by Jim Fox currently. Notable past coaches include Press Maravich and Bobby Cremins. The Mountaineers have appeared in the NCAA Tournament twice, 1979 and 2000, and appeared in the National Invitation Tournament in 2007. The Apps play home basketball games at the George M. Holmes Convocation Center which opened in 2000 to replace Varsity Gymnasium.

Women's basketball

The Appalachian State women's basketball team, coached by Angel Elderkin, was one of the top teams in the Southern Conference, laying claim to six tournament championships in an admittedly shorter span than their male counterparts. On February 19, 2011, the Appalachian State Mountaineer Women's Basketball Team won the 2011 Southern Conference regular season title, the last time they had won the title was 1996.

Men's soccer

Wrestling

The Mountaineers wrestling team is coached by JohnMark Bentley and holds their home matches in Varsity Gymnasium. Notable former Mountaineer wrestlers include former Olympians, Al Crawford (1948), Herb Singerman (1968), Ike Anderson (1988 and 1992), and Dale Oliver (1988). Wrestling will continue to participate in the Southern Conference in wrestling as the Sun Belt Conference does not sponsor wrestling.

Baseball

Appalachian's first baseball team took the field in 1903. The Mountaineers are coached by Billy Jones. The Mountaineers won regular season conference titles in 1973, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 2012. They also won the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament in 1984 and most recently on May 18, 2012, the Appalachian State Baseball team beat Western Carolina University, becoming Southern Conference baseball champs.

Field hockey

The women's field hockey team were members of the single-sport Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference (NorPac) until that league's demise after the 2014 season, but currently compete as a Division I independent, as the Sun Belt does not sponsor this sport. The Mountaineers will join the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate starting in 2017.

Commissioner's and Germann Cup

During Appalachian's 43-year tenure in the Southern Conference, the Commissioner's and Germann Cups were awarded each year to the top men's and women's program in the league. The Commissioner's Cup was inaugurated in 1970.[16] The Germann Cup, named for former conference commissioner Ken Germann, was first awarded in 1987.[16] The Apps won the Commissioner's Cup 34 times, more than any other Southern Conference institution.[17]

Commissioner's
1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
34 Cups
Germann
1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2006, 2007, 2011
9 Cups

Facilities

Facility Sport(s) Capacity
ASU Soccer Stadium Soccer 1,000
ASU Softball Stadium Softball 1,000
Don Kennedy Trails Cross Country
George M. Holmes Convocation Center Basketball, Indoor Track and Field, Volleyball 8,325
Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium Baseball 2,000
Kidd Brewer Stadium Field Hockey, Football, Track and Field 24,050
Varsity Gymnasium Wrestling 8,000

Media

Audio and video of games and events can be accessed at the internet home of Appalachian State Mountaineers athletics.

The Appalachian IMG Sports Network is a network of radio stations that can be heard across seven states in the southeast United States.

Pageantry

Yosef

Yosef the Mountaineer

Yosef is the mascot for Appalachian State. The origin of the name Yosef comes from mountain talk for "yourself", the idea being that if you are a fan, friend or alumnus and have a heart of black and gold, you are Yosef.[18] Yosef first appeared in the 1942 edition of The Rhododendron, Appalachian's annual yearbook. He was presented as a member of the freshman class with the name Dan'l Boone Yoseff from Appalachian. The second "f" was dropped from Yoseff in January 1947.[18] Since his inception, Yosef has gone through many appearance changes with the current design being adopted prior to the 1983–84-year. The 2006 football season saw the return of Yosef's rifle which was fired after every Appalachian touchdown.

References

  1. ↑ "University Colors :: University Communications Toolbox :: Appalachian State University". Vt.uc.appstate.edu. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  2. ↑ "Appalachian State Joins MAC as Affiliate Member in Field Hockey" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. June 30, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  3. ↑ "N.C. General Assembly Honors ASU Football Team". Southern Conference. June 11, 2008.
  4. ↑ Appalachian Sports Information (December 15, 2007). "Thrice is Nice: Apps Rout Delaware For Third-Straight National Title". AppStateSports.com.
  5. ↑ Appalachian Sports Information. "Kidd Brewer Stadium". AppStateSports.com. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  6. ↑ Appalachian Sports Information. "Holmes Convocation Center". AppStateSports.com. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  7. ↑ Appalachian Sports Information. "Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium". AppStateSports.com. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  8. ↑ "Appalachian State Mountaineers". Appalachian State University. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/champs_records_book/Overall.pdf
  10. ↑ Pat Forde (September 1, 2007). "Appalachian State earns role as conquering hero". ESPN.
  11. ↑ Mark Schlabach (September 1, 2007). "Hundreds of Mountaineers fans celebrate upset win". ESPN.
  12. ↑ Ryan Wixted (September 4, 2007). "Appalachian State in a frenzy after upset over Michigan". CNNSI.
  13. ↑ Stewart Mandel (September 1, 2007). "The Mother of All Upsets". CNNSI.
  14. ↑ Dan Wetzel (September 1, 2007). "Hail to the victors". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
  15. ↑ "Alltime Upset". SI Vault. September 10, 2007.
  16. 1 2 "Southern Conference Commissioner's & Germann Cups". Southern Conference. June 4, 2007.
  17. ↑ "Appalachian State wins SoCon Commissioner's Cup". Appalachian State Athletics. June 3, 2012.
  18. 1 2 Flynn, Mike (2008). 2008 Appalachian Football: History and Traditions (PDF). Appalachian Sports Information. p. 150.

External links

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