The Appalachian State Mountaineers football team is the intercollegiate American football team representing Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. The Mountaineers have competed in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Sun Belt Conference since 2014. Appalachian plays its home games in Kidd Brewer Stadium, named after former head coach Kidd Brewer, whose 1937 squad was unbeaten and unscored upon during the regular season, outscoring opponents 206–0.
Through its history, the Appalachian State football program has won some 661 games, claimed three NCAA Championships, and appeared in either a bowl game or, alternatively, the Division I FCS playoffs, some 35 times. The Mountaineers have 22 conference championships and have one of the nation's best home field advantages by winning percentage. The program boasts a back-to-back Walter Payton Award winner, Armanti Edwards, the first ever to win in consecutive years (2008, 2009). Appalachian's all-time winning percentage of .646 ranks 16th among all programs.
The Mountaineers competed in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) from its founding in 1978 to 2013. They won three straight national championships from 2005 to 2007, the first FCS team to do so since the playoffs began in 1978. Appalachian is also the first Division I program to win three consecutive national championships since Army accomplished the feat from 1944 to 1946, and the first Division I school in the modern era to claim three straight undisputed national titles.Army's three consecutive national titles were all split championships. The only other Division I school to claim three consecutive national titles in the 20th century was Minnesota, with a consensus title in 1934 and split titles in 1935 and 1936. The last school with three consecutive undisputed national titles in Division I or its predecessors was Yale, retroactively designated by the Helms Athletic Foundation as national champions in 1886 through 1888. For sourced lists of past national champions in Division I FBS and its predecessors, see College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS. When FCS Appalachian State defeated No. 5 Michigan in 2007, it was the first time an FCS team had defeated any ranked FBS program. Appalachian State then tallied votes itself and became the first FCS team to receive votes in a final Associated Press (AP) college football poll. The Mountaineers received five points in the poll.
Appalachian State moved on from FCS to FBS in 2014, and has already enjoyed AP Top 25 rankings during several of its seasons (e.g., 2018, 2019, 2020) in FBS. The Mountaineers finished the 2019 season with a final AP poll ranking at No. 19 (and Coaches No. 18) after winning its fifth straight bowl game, third straight Sun Belt Championship, and statement victories over both UNC and USC in out-of-conference matchups at Chapel Hill and Columbia. With a 7–2 record in modern NCAA-sanctioned bowl games, Appalachian has the highest bowl winning percentage of any football program to have played in five or more.
History
Early history (1928–1970) Appalachian State began playing organized football in 1928. The coach that first year was Graydon Eggers. The Mountaineers competed as an independent before joining the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) North State Conference as a charter member in 1931. Kidd Brewer was the head coach of the Mountaineers from 1935 to 1938, 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 Southern Miss, 7–0. 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. The Mountaineers again competed as an independent from 1968 to 1971 before joining the Southern Conference.
Jim Duncan served as Appalachian State's head coach from 1960 to 1964, compiling a 31–15–2 record. Duncan was succeeded by Carl Messere, who compiled a 34–26–1 record from 1965 to 1970.
Jim Brakefield era (1971–1979) Wofford head coach Jim Brakefield was hired as Appalachian State's head football coach in 1971. He led the Mountaineers into the Southern Conference in his first season. Brakefield led the Mountaineers to three losing seasons in four years en route to a 47–48–4 record at Appalachian State, however, a 3–8 campaign in 1979 resulted in his dismissal.
However, Brakefield's 1975 team won impressive victories over Wake Forest (19–17) and South Carolina (35–34) in 1975.
Mike Working era (1980–1982) Mike Working served as the 16th head football coach in Appalachian State football history from 1980 to 1982. Under Working, the Mountaineers compiled a record of 13–18–2 and never were able to sustain consistency. Working was fired following back to back seven-loss seasons in 1981 and 1982.
Mack Brown (1983)
Mack Brown was hired as Appalachian State's head coach in 1983, his first such role. Brown previously served as LSU's quarterbacks coach and led Appalachian State to a 6–5 record in his only season.
In December 1983, he was seriously considered for the head coaching position at LSU which had been vacated after Jerry Stovall was fired, but the position instead went to Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger. However, Brown chose to leave Appalachian State to accept the position of offensive coordinator at Oklahoma under head coach Barry Switzer.
Sparky Woods era (1984–1988) Following Brown's departure, Appalachian State promoted assistant coach Sparky Woods to head coach. Appalachian State won the first of nine Southern Conference championships in 1986 under Woods, who also led the Mountaineers into the playoffs for the first time that year. Another conference championship and playoff appearance followed in 1987. Woods won the Wallace Wade coach of the Year Award three straight years in 1985, 1986, and 1987, becoming the only coach in conference history to do so. Woods, who compiled a 38–19–2 record at Appalachian State, left to accept the head coaching position at South Carolina after five seasons.
Jerry Moore era (1989–2012)
Arkansas assistant coach Jerry Moore was hired as the Mountaineer's 19th coach in 1989. Moore is the winningest coach in conference history, and under his leadership the Mountaineers won seven conference championships. In addition, the Mountaineers posted 19 winning campaigns to go with one losing season during his tenure, allowing Moore to claim Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors a record six times. He was also the 2006 recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the division's most outstanding coach. Under the stewardship of Moore, players such as two-time Buck Buchanan Award winner Dexter Coakley have gone on to play in the National Football League.
Appalachian State became the first team since the playoffs began in 1978 to win three straight national titles in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and the first team to accomplish the feat since Army in 1944, 1945, and 1946. They are also the first Division I school in modern times to claim three straight undisputed national titles.Army's three consecutive national titles were all split championships. The only other Division I school to claim three consecutive national titles in the 20th century was Minnesota, with a consensus title in 1934 and split titles in 1935 and 1936. The last school with three consecutive undisputed national titles in Division I or its predecessors was Yale, retroactively designated by the Helms Athletic Foundation as national champions in 1886 through 1888. For sourced lists of past national champions in Division I FBS and its predecessors, see NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship.
On September 1, 2007, in what was hailed as one of the biggest upsets in American sports history, the Mountaineers shocked the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines, 34–32. Most people predicted that Michigan was going to win by a large margin—in fact, the unofficial odds were that Michigan was going to win by 33 points. The win helped Appalachian State become the first FCS team to ever receive votes in the final Associated Press (AP) college football poll on January 8, 2008. The Mountaineers received five points in the poll, tying South Florida for 34th. The conclusion of the 2008 season saw quarterback Armanti Edwards win Appalachian's first Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the most outstanding offensive player.
On December 2, 2012, after a first-round home playoff loss to Illinois State, athletics director Charlie Cobb announced that Moore would not return for the 2013 season. According to a press release issued by the ASU athletic department, Cobb stated that he and Moore agreed after the end of the 2011 season that the 2012 season would be Moore's last as head coach, but chose not to make an announcement until that time. However, several days later, Moore claimed that there had been a communication gap, and that he had wanted to coach for one more season (i.e., 2013).ASU's Moore tries to defend position, Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
Scott Satterfield era (2013–2018)
On December 14, 2012, Scott Satterfield was named head coach of the Appalachian State football program. 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 Sun Belt 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 11 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.
On November 24, 2015, Miami confirmed rumors that they had scheduled a home-and-home series with Appalachian State. The first game was played in Kidd Brewer Stadium on September 17, 2016, and marked the Mountaineers' first home game against a power five opponent in modern history. The second game was played in Sun Life Stadium on September 11, 2021, with Miami narrowly winning 25–23.
In 2016, the Mountaineers finished with a 10–3 record.