10 years ago, App State was no cupcake
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit calls them “cupcake games.” Lower division teams get paid to travel to college football’s meccas, where the hosts make a nice profit from an extra home game. Michigan, with more wins than any team in history, hosted the Appalachian State Mountaineers, from Boone, N.C., on September 1, 2007, in the first such game at Michigan Stadium, the largest in the country. But App State was no cupcake. Coach Jerry Moore, in the spirit of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team and other memorable underdogs, conditioned his team to the breaking point. “We’re fixin’ to shock ‘em,” Moore hollered at practice, in the locker room, and at the dinner table.
Moore assembled this team with two things in mind: speed and character. This book tells the story of these young men, and this incredible game, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary this September.
Readers will learn the personal stories of Moore and App’s players, and the faithful bonds they forged. We will transport you into private meetings and preseason workouts. You’ll have a sideline view. You’ll hear the chatter from the television and radio booths. You’ll learn inside information from the participants from before, during, and after one of the most memorable football games of all-time.