| Appalachian State Mountaineers | |
| University | Appalachian State University |
|---|---|
| Conference(s) | Southern Conference |
| NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
| Athletics director | Charlie Cobb |
| Location | Boone, NC |
| Varsity teams | 20 |
| Football stadium | Kidd Brewer Stadium |
| Basketball 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
|
| Homepage | GoASU |
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 have been a member of the Southern Conference since 1972. Appalachian fields varsity teams in 20 sports, 10 for men and 10 for women. The football team competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly I-AA.
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.[1] 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.[2]
Football home games are played at Kidd Brewer Stadium,[3] while basketball, volleyball, and indoor track and field events are held at the George M. Holmes Convocation Center.[4] The school's baseball team plays at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.[5]
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Appalachian sponsors 20 varsity sports teams.[6] The Mountaineers are the only institution to sponsor all 19 sports offered by the Southern Conference. The women's field hockey team competes in the Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference (NorPac).
The Mountaineers are led by head coach Jerry Moore. The 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons were arguably the most successful in Appalachian history with the Mountaineers winning three consecutive national championships. Appalachian has developed intense rivalries with fellow conference members Furman, Georgia Southern, and Western Carolina The Mountaineers and Catamounts play annually for the Old Mountain Jug.
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.[7][8][9][10][11] Following the win, they were featured on the cover of the following week's issue of Sports Illustrated.[12]
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.
The head coach of the Apps is Jason Capel. At 30 years of age, Capel is the youngest head basketball coach in Division I. 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.
The Appalachian State women's basketball team, coached by Darcie Vincent, is one of the top teams in the Southern Conference, laying claim to six tournament championships in an admittedly shorter span than their male counterparts. Their most recent title was in 1999. In 2010, the Mountaineers won the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational.
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).
Appalachian's first baseball team took the field in 1903. The Mountaineers are coached by Chris Pollard. The Apps won regular season conference titles in 1973, 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987. They also won the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament in 1984.
The Commissioner's and Germann Cups are awarded each year to the top men's and women's program in the Southern Conference. The Commissioner's Cup was inaugurated in 1970.[13] The Germann Cup, named for former conference commissioner Ken Germann, was first awarded in 1987.[13] The Mountaineers earned their 29th Commissioner's Cup in 2009.[14]
| 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 |
| 29 Cups |
| Germann |
|---|
| 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2006, 2007 |
| 8 Cups |
| 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 | 21,650 |
| Varsity Gymnasium | Wrestling | 8,000 |
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.[15] 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.[15] 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 musket which was fired after every Appalachian touchdown.
The ASU fight song, Hi Hi Yikas, is sung to the tune of the German folk song Bergvagabunden (Mountain Vagabond).
Hi-Hi-Ha-yike-us
Nobody like us,
We are the
mountaineers,
mountaineers!
Always a-winning
Always a-grinning
Always a-feeling fine
Repeat
You bet, hey
Go Apps!
Fight Apps!
Go, fight, win Apps! Listen
Cherished Vision is the Appalachian alma mater.
Cherished Vision of the Southland
Alma Mater in the Hills
Thou dost point our minds to wisdom
'Til the truth our spirit thrills
Appalachian Alma Mater, of our hearts the joy and pride
Lead us ever, lead us onward
Vanguard of the hero's side
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