Magic on the Mountain: Appalachian State's Amazing Journey to the 2005 Ncaa I-aa Football Championship

219 Pages·2006·33.61 MB·English

by  David Coulson

Magic on the Mountain
Appalachian
State’s
Amazing
Journey
to the
2005
NCAA I-AA
Football
Championship
David Coulson
by
Bill Sheffield
photography by

Magic on the Mountain
Appalachian
State’s
Amazing
Journey
to the
2005
NCAA I-AA
Football
Championship
David Coulson
by
photography by Bill Sheffield
Copyright © 2007 David Coulson. All rights reserved.
Available from:
Parkway Publishers, Inc.
P. O. Box 3678, Boone, North Carolina 28607
Telephone/Facsimile: [phone]
www.parkwaypublishers.com
For more about this and other projects by David Coulson, click to www.DavidCoulson.org
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Coulson, David, 1958-
Magic on the mountain : Appalachian State’s amazing journey to the NCAA I-AA national football championship / David Coulson.
p. cm.
Summary: “This is the story of Appalachian State University clinching 2005 NCAA I-AA national football championship”--Provided by publisher.
ISBN-13: 978-1-933251-33-2
1. Appalachian State University--Football--History. I. Title.
GV958.A66C68 2006
796.332’6309756843--dc22
2006025923
On The Cover On The Back Cover
Defensive end Jason Hunter Richie Williams tosses the
scored the game-winning ball to Kevin Richardson
touchdown after recovering a in ASU’s 2005 home-
fumble in the I-AA championship opening win against
game with Northern Iowa. Coastal Carolina.
Book design by Aaron Burleson, spokesmedia
2 M A G I C O N T H E M O U N T A I N
Contents
Preface: Floods Of Memories .............................................................5 20. Coach Jerry Moore: Remembering His Roots ......................113
1. The Aftermath Of Losing ...............................................................9 21. LSU: Clearing A Big Hurdle .......................................................125
2. Russell Patterson: ASU’s Tower Of Strength ............................17 22. Jermane Little: The Prodigal Player Returns ........................129
3. Dexter Coakley: Righting A Wrong ............................................21 23. 1995: Painful Memories ............................................................133
4. Charlie Cobb: A New Beginning..................................................25 24. Western Carolina: Retrieving The Jug ...................................141
5. Southern Conference Rouser: Flying Under The Radar .........29 25. Roachel Laney: Winding Down A Career ..............................145
6. Corey Lynch: The Comeback .......................................................33 26. Elon: Securing A Championship .............................................149
7. Jeremy Wiggins: A Big Decision ..................................................37 27. Selection Sunday: A Pleasant Surprise ..................................153
8. Eastern Kentucky: Learning To Win On The Road ...................41 28. Lafayette: The Second Season ................................................161
9. Kansas: There’s No Place Like Home ..........................................49 29. Southern Illinois: Opening Up The Playbook ......................165
10. Coastal Carolina: A Matter Of Respect ....................................57 30. Furman: Exacting Revenge ......................................................173
11. The Citadel: From Iraq To Boone ...............................................61 31. Richie Williams: The Fallen Leader .........................................181
12. Jason Hunter: The Missing Piece ..............................................69 32. Trey Elder: Waiting In The Wings ............................................185
13. Furman: What To Do For An Encore? ........................................73 33. Championship Thursday: Meet The Press ............................189
14. Georgia Southern: Making A Statement ................................81 34. The Match-Up: A Clash Of Champions ..................................193
15. Kevin Richardson: The Overlooked Advantage.....................89 35. Northern Iowa: Playing For The Title .....................................197
16. Woff ord: Avoiding A Letdown...................................................93 36. Richie Williams: The Afterglow Of A Champ .......................205
17. Steve Brown: Passing The Baton .............................................101 37. Hero’s Welcome: Championship Celebration .....................209
18. Dino Hackett: Back To Ground Zero .....................................105 Acknowledgements .......................................................................214
19. Tennessee-Chattanooga: The Pupil Meets The Teacher ..109 Endnotes ...........................................................................................215
M A G I C O N T H E M O U N T A I N 3
Magic On The Mountain author David
Coulson has covered Appalachian State
football for 14 seasons.
4 M A G I C O N T H E M O U N T A I N
Preface
Floods of Memories
Rain poured like buckets when this writer changes and emerged as one of the top 10 pro- tainers with an extra seven gallons of gas, just
got his fi rst glimpse of Appalachian State grams in I-AA over the course of the next de- in case. After a six-hour car ride, I arrived at Roy
football. The date was Sept. 4, 1993 in cade. Kidd Stadium to fi nd that my trusty, 10-year-old
Greensboro, N.C. and the 22-10 loss to North As I write this in July of 2006, I am em- MacIntosh laptop had suff ered a fatal hard drive
Carolina A&T belied the signifi cance of the mo- barking on my 14th year of Appalachian State failure. Thanks to Bill Sheffi eld, who lent me his
ment. Dashing from the press box to the locker football coverage. Floods of memories, of mo- laptop, and some patient help from EKU sports
room for post-game interviews, I got drenched ments and players come rushing back as clearly information director Simon Gray, I managed to
along with my press mates, Charlie Atkinson of as when they happened as I think about my meet my deadlines that night with the Charlotte
the Greensboro News & Record, Tommy Bow- years around the Mountaineer program. I have Observer, the Lenoir News-Topic, I-AA.org and
man of the Winston-Salem Journal and Jerry been in the press box for 161 ASU games and CSTV. And I also enjoyed an entertaining game
Snow of the Watauga Democrat. have missed in person just two of the last 136 as the Mountaineers beat EKU 24-16.
It was one of the least competitive eff orts Mountaineer contests, spanning the years be- Three weeks later, Bowman, Behr and I
the Mountaineers had turned in during Jerry tween 1995-2005. I had to watch the 2002 Ha- searched for a cool place to survive in the John-
Moore’s 17 years as head coach, ranking right waii game on television because of insurmount- son-Hagood Stadium press box, camping out in
up there with a 53-7 defeat at Wyoming and a able logistics and had to settle for a DVD view of front of large circular fans in 90 degree heat and
54-7 debacle at Georgia Southern in 2004, and a the Kansas game this season because of similar humidity as the Charleston, S.C. sun descended
35-7 blasting at Eastern Kentucky in 2003 as ASU problems. on the opposite side of the stadium, with little
low moments. But that game marked the debut Those of us who regularly cover ASU, to block its furry. At least I didn’t have to wear
of a freshman linebacker named Dexter Coak- Tommy Bowman of the Winston-Salem Jour- black clothing, like the Mountaineers did on
ley and was the fi rst start at quarterback for a nal, Steve Behr of the Watauga Democrat, David their way to a convincing 45-13 win over The
nervous youngster named Scott Satterfi eld. Ev- Jackson, Adam Witten and Steve Brown of the Citadel.
eryone watching couldn’t help but observe the Appalachian Sports Network, freelance pho- Two Saturdays from then, I managed to see
speed and aggression of the young Coakley, or tographer Bill Sheffi eld and ASU Sports Infor- two games in one day, watching the fi rst half of
the way that a senior named Brent David hit ball mation Director Mike Flynn have way too much a Woff ord-Elon snoozefest in Spartanburg, S.C.
carriers. I also kept noticing a fellow with fl owing fun every Saturday in the press box. As much as before dashing 30 miles to Greenville, S.C. for
blond hair spilling out of his helmet, an athlete any press corps could possibly experience from one of the main events of any I-AA season, Ap-
who was all over the fi eld on special teams and week-to-week. But nothing could have pre- palachian State against Furman. It was just your
defense. Let me introduce you to Matt Stevens. pared me, or anyone else for the roller-coaster typical fi ght it out like cats and dogs for three
I had arrived just in time for the only losing ride the Mountaineers would take us on during hours and have things decided on the fi nal play
season that Jerry Moore would experience as a the 2005 championship season. of the day Mountaineer-Paladin game. Final
Mountaineer. ASU lost four games in a row and The 2005 season started with me won- score: Furman 34, Appalachian State 31, with ev-
needed a big rally to stop the bleeding, turn- dering if I would have enough gas to get from eryone on both teams fully convinced that their
ing a 16-0 second-half defi cit into a 20-16 vic- Boone, N.C. to Richmond, Ky. on the morning of paths would cross again in the playoff s.
tory against East Tennessee State. In the wake Sept. 3. With gas prices soaring and fuel avail- Three wins and a month later, I was leaving
of a 4-7 season, Moore and his staff made major ability limited, I fi lled up a couple of plastic con- Boone in the wee hours of a Saturday morning
M A G I C O N T H E M O U N T A I N 5
with my buddy Steve Behr for a whirlwind trip to We worked in the press box until the early into Kidd Brewer Stadium East, a scene that was
Baton Rouge, La. We fl ew from the Raleigh-Dur- hours of Sunday morning, as the fi eld was be- to be repeated in an even bigger fashion a few
ham Airport to Cincinnati, Ohio of all places be- ing repaired and the stadium cleaned for an weeks later in Chattanooga, Tenn.
fore continuing on to the bayou. Once arriving afternoon game a few hours later between the For a half against Lafayette, in the open-
in Baton Rouge, Tommy Bowman served as our New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears. Fi- ing round of the playoff s, brains outperformed
chauff eur around Baton Rouge. We somehow nally, with Tommy Bowman again as our chauf- brawn and a less-than-sharp Mountaineer club
managed to utilize my navigational skills well feur, Steve Behr and I scurried back to the Baton actually looked vulnerable. But most of us knew
enough to fi nd the restaurant of ex-Washing- Rouge airport, got a couple of hours sleep on that it was only a matter of time before the
ton Redskins running back Bobby Brunet and I a terminal bench and caught our fl ight back to Leopards would run out of slight-of-hand tricks
got my fi ll of some Cajun shrimp linguine as a North Carolina. and ASU’s talent would take over.
pre-game lunch. The rest of the day consisted The biggest question for me on Nov. 12 was Those of us who had watched game fi lm
of Bowman’s scenic tour of the Louisiana State whether, or not, ASU would break its all-time, of Southern Illinois knew that the Salukis were
University campus as we tried to fi nd our park- single-game attendance record. I hadn’t been facing tremendous matchup problems against
ing lot near Tiger Stadium, a visit with Mike, the around for the Oct. 15, 1988 game where Fur- the Mountaineers and the 38-24 victory was as
honest-to-goodness Bengal Tiger that resides man beat Appalachian State 24-9 before 25,301 lopsided of a 14-point game as I had ever wit-
in digs posh enough to house the LSU chancel- spectators, but I had been present for the sec- nessed.
lor, and enough Cajun food to satisfy chef Paul ond largest crowd — when 24,343 fans watched Most of us who regularly cover the South-
Prudhomme in the LSU press box. the Mountaineers hold off East Tennessee State ern Conference could be excused for our bias
Pre-game activities also consisted of keep- 23-19 on Oct. 2, 1999, with linebacker Weslan that the Appalachian State-Furman semifi nal
ing up with the Georgia Southern-Furman show- Hunter knocking away a pass in the end zone was a defacto championship game, but it was
down on the internet, knowing that a Georgia on the fi nal play of the game. an epic that would have been worthy of a title
Southern victory had cleared ASU’s pathway to The encounter with Western Carolina was clash. I had the sense that the Mountaineers
a Southern Conference title. The atmosphere more like a coronation than a football game, as were on the verge of a blowout early in the
of 91,414 fans packed into a stadium to watch a 25,584 fans turned out to watch ASU win the game as the impeccable Richie Williams direct-
college football game brought chills to my skin. Old Mountain Jug back from the Catamounts ed his off ense down the fi eld. If anything, his
The fact that LSU — a team still in the hunt for 35-7 to clinch a share of the Southern Confer- injury gave the contest more twists and turns
the BCS national crown — struggled in that en- ence championship. I had only seen WCU come than a Tom Clancy novel. If was as if Furman was
vironment to put away the Mountaineers con- away with the jug twice, but instead of the mat- fated to be Basil Rathbone to ASU’s Errol Flynn
vinced me that I was watching the team that ter-of-fact celebrations that most Appalachian in this 29-23 Mountaineer victory.
would win the I-AA championship. State teams had turned in following wins over As a 12-year-old boy, I had been watching
At the end of the evening, David Jackson the Catamounts, this one was truly emotional. on TV when Willis Reed limped out on the Madi-
stopped by my seat in the press box. Mountaineer players took the jug into the stands son Square Garden basketball court to destroy
“I’ll vote Appalachian State No. 1, if you’ll to let fans and band members touch the prized the Los Angeles Lakers’ psyche in the seventh
vote them No. 1,” said Jackson, like me a long- trophy in a display that was more reminiscent of game of the 1970 NBA Finals, lifting the New
time voter in The Sports Network I-AA Top-25 a Stanley Cup Finals celebration, or World Cup York Knicks to a title almost before the opening
weekly poll. After the performance we had soccer party. tap.
watched the Mountaineers turn in, there was no During the fi nal game of the regular season, Williams waited until the end of the fi rst
doubt in our minds who deserved to be No. 1. the ASU faithful turned Elon’s Rhodes Stadium half to give Mountaineer fans, coaches and play-
6 M A G I C O N T H E M O U N T A I N
ers their Willis Reed moment. When Williams re-
turned to start the second half, those of us who
had covered this team all season sensed that it
was just a matter of time until Appalachian State
got the better of Northern Iowa.
The fact that Marques Murrell and Jason
Hunter teamed up on the championship-win-
ning fumble and return for a touchdown add-
ed a tidy bookend to a season that had begun
with that duo pulling off a similar combination
against Eastern Kentucky.
It was just as appropriate for little Kevin
Richardson, who had been unwanted by any
other Division I program, to fi nish things off
with a game-ending fi rst down on ASU’s signa-
ture off ensive play, the zone read.
Appalachian State’s 2005 championship
run was fi lled with so many improbable events
that the story would have been rejected as too
unbelievable by a New York publishing house.
But every word of it is true.
The format of this book takes readers
through the disappointments of the past, par-
ticularly the ending of the 2004 season. It moves
through the off -season and the tremendous
work that went into preparing a championship
team and then embarks on a week-by-week
journey through the season, complete with all
of the game stories that I wrote as this special
season unfolded.
I invite readers to partake again of every
crazy moment and to enjoy a cast of incredible
characters as we relive a once-in-lifetime sea-
son.
ASU head coach Jerry Moore showed off the national championship trophy
following the Mountaineers’ 21-16 win over Northern Iowa.
David Coulson
Powder Horn Mountain, N.C.
July, 2006
M A G I C O N T H E M O U N T A I N 7
Defensive coordinator John Wiley was one of many Mountaineers who felt frustrated with the results of ASU’s 2004 season.
8 M A G I C O N T H E M O U N T A I N