"Glory Days" series: Appalachian State University Edition

In our continuing look at the best era of each local school and for this case Appalachian State is a local school. We have tons of app fans in Raleigh, but we are also heard in Asheville and we know that there are fans of App State in Asheville. We go back to the best era of App State football, the national championship run under coach Jerry Moore about now what almost 20 years ago. John Dell for the Winston-Salem Journal covered it and so let's talk about it.

John Dell joins us on the Adam Gold Show if you want to follow him on Twitter or threads I assume or Instagram at John Dell WSJ I know on Twitter. Are you on threads yet? I don't even know what that is. There you go. Good for you.

Good for you. It hasn't quite, people have asked me a lot like are you going to leave Twitter and go to threads? I'm like threads ain't user-friendly yet and I'm an old guy.

I need user-friendly. If it isn't user, like tweet deck changed on me last night. I have no idea what I'm doing now. I'm so angry at what happened to that that I don't even know what to do. Let's talk let's talk about those Mountaineers. How do you put in perspective that run 05, 06, 07 and what they did in winning three straight FCS titles? Well you know it's funny because Tommy Bowman and Lennox Rawlings and myself all three of us back when we were swamped in the sports department with sports writers we trekked up to Chattanooga three years in a row to cover all three of those teams and each year was different but each year it was fun too and I'm you know after that third one I'm sitting down there we're driving back after the 07 one and you know there was some kind of some hearsay or some rumors rumblings that they wanted to move up and I kind of turned to those two guys and said this is going to be the best it's ever been for that state in my mind. I mean I didn't know if that was true but to me that was just there's just something about those three games where the fans got to go to the game and the students were actually there. They got to celebrate on the sidelines and afterwards and it was just it was a magical run and it was just so cool to you know to cover those games.

John Dell is joining us here on the Adam Goldsher. How would you compare what App State football is today to what it was then? Well it's hard to it's hard to say only because I still don't know the teams they're playing.

I mean that's the thing when they they play week I kind of know these teams what they're playing in the regular season but back back then when the conferences were smaller it was a lot easier to kind of cover them and that you know to kind of follow them but you know they're very consistent this year. I mean you know Sean Clark just picked up you know what he's had and ran with it and you know they've gone to bowl games seven out of the last eight years I believe. So there is some comparison but those three national championship teams you say national championship right and that's what they were. I mean is that going to ever win a national championship at their level that they're at now? I don't know but we do know they were they won three in a row under Jerry Moore and it was it was quite a run. Well here's John Dell is joining us Winston-Salem Journal covered the at three-peat if you will from 2005-2007. I think we do know the answer to whether will they win a national championship.

I think the answer is no. We could say that about probably I don't know a hundred schools that play at the FBS level maybe even more than that but I mean I guess how do you balance the trade-off knowing that you're never going to win a national championship? You could play in some big games and you might even be able to do a central Florida thing and go undefeated but I mean they're not winning a national championship that's I just think that this the system is rigged against that. Well it's hard to quantify okay they win a bowl game and then but they won national championships and a playoff system what what's more exciting?

I don't know I mean I guess if you have to ask the current student what do they like? Do they like to go to the bowl game and see them win or do they like to follow them in the playoffs and see them win at all? I mean it it's kind of a it's just a different era and you kind of got to you know kind of go with with what you what brought you and right now it's just going to a bowl game at the end of the season. John Dell is with us talking about App State and I'm going to go back to the era and maybe some players and whatnot that stood out to you but do you think that what we like you say it's not going to get you said it was not going to get any better than it got?

It's obviously different. Do you think the administration I mean is their identity any different today because it's not like they're not good they're really good they have a bunch of 10 win seasons do you think the administration today would trade this rep for that rep? That's a tough call but I think around here and in North Carolina South Carolina I think apps as big as name as they were back in in you know when they were winning national championships nationally I mean they it never got bigger than when they beat Michigan now you know and then they they've come close here and upsetting that some of these power fives and have even upset some of them now but I still think that Michigan is the one that that stands out it's going to stand out for years to come but I don't know if the administration would would change I mean I guess it comes down to Adam and you know what it is with college sports it's all about the nickel yeah are they a much better better university now either academically and you know students you know they have more students than they ever have so is that what they want I mean it's kind of a it's a tough call but I think you know the current administration will probably say well we're happy right where we are because that's what they're supposed to say. Well yes it is what they're supposed to say but yeah your statement is all about the the nickel 100 percent I mean dollars equal cents in college sports it's the that it drives it really drives everything not just not just college sports but what's good for the bottom line they'll figure out a way to make good for the university all right to those teams because there were some like I don't know how do you rank players in terms of who was the best this the best that but have they had a player as electrifying as Armonte Edwards was? I tell you that was there were some highlights of Armonte when he played that were just even today they'd be on sports center's top five I mean he was just there was just something about that kid and then you throw in you know running back Kevin Richardson wasn't bad either he was a pretty good runner and you know the wide receivers I have and Dexter Jackson and those guys and I mean Brian Quick was really good he was a freshman I think on the 07 team I mean they just had players up and down now did that quantify into NFL you know greatness no but you know I during that time those teams just had these guys and I think they all played with a chip on their shoulder because they weren't at high division one and when you get a bunch of those guys that play together and they have chips on your shoulder you you can win championships and I think App State proved it back in those days. John Dell before we let you go and I appreciate your time talking about the glory days of App State football the it's still maybe my favorite place to go watch a football game in the state to go to the to go to Kid Brewer Stadium and I know it's bigger now than it was then but have how would would you put anything above the rock in terms of a home field environment I mean I'm Dowdy Ficklin is close I think but the rock is just a tremendous place. I think the rock is it's more consistent it doesn't matter what the opponent is but like if you you know Keenan Stadium and FNC State and North Carolina you're going to get that atmosphere that electricity but at the rock I tell you they're I tell you they're consistent fans up there and they they especially love the night game I mean you get a Saturday night game at the rock and you definitely better be staying overnight Saturday night because you're not getting home I mean it's just there's just stuff about that place and when they were going through that run even though it was a smaller stadium back then I mean you you couldn't ask for a better place you know to play football and it's and it's still right up there yeah you couldn't you couldn't even get out of the parking deck forget about getting home you couldn't you couldn't get to the streets I mean you might as well just brought a tent and stayed in the parking garage exactly John Dell I appreciate your time at John Dell WSJ from the Winston-Salem Journal appreciate your time man I'll see you soon sounds good Adam talk to you later you got it John Dell here on the Adam Gold show said that about Kid Brewer Stadium a ton I've been to a football game in every major stadium in the state that is my favorite place well that's my favorite I'm biased I know you are but it's amazing it's it the whole town is great yeah right maybe it's kind of just more my speed like you know grungy yeah you know the air is nice up there is that what that is well I'm not sure that's air right but yes whatever that is whatever that is nice well and if you if you're gonna get stuck to somewhere don't forget the blankets because it's freezing so layer up and I'm still I'm still drinking water from going to the Daniel Boone Inn oh yeah oh man the country hand biscuit makes your mouth just water thinking about it you're not gonna move though this is talking about not going anywhere the sodium might a nap my blood pressure just rose thinking about it uh but yeah it's just it's an incredible environment to watch college football game in and I agree it doesn't really matter who the opponent is it is just always a super fun time