📍 Boone, North Carolina
🏀 Home of Appalachian State Mountaineers football

Each autumn, thunderous cheers can be heard echoing off of the hills surrounding Boone, North Carolina. Stemming from beautiful Kidd Brewer Stadium, home to the Appalachian State Mountaineers football team, these cheers are becoming of one of the most all-around, wildly successful programs in college football. A Group of Five powerhouse, App State has not only been competitive at every level of the sport, but has also shocked the nation on occasion and remains a dominant force in the Sun Belt Conference.

Opened in 1962 as Conrad Stadium, the present-day stomping ground of the Mountaineers has been affectionately nicknamed “The Rock” by the fans and players that have called it home for the last 60 years. The venue sits 3,333 ft above sea level, nestled into a hilltop on the App State campus. Named for legendary Mountaineers head coach Pierce “Kidd” Brewer – who led the squad to a conference title and two bowl games during his 4 seasons at the helm, including an undefeated and unscored upon regular season campaign in 1937 – the stadium began as a simple 10,000-seat venue, but has undergone many expansions over the years to accommodate its swelling fan base. Today, The Rock can seat about 35,000 fans, but even more can pack it in on the U-shaped hill in the south end zone.

The Mountaineers first took the field close to 100 years ago, participating for forty years both as an independent and in the NAIA. There, App won 6 North State Conference titles and played in 9 unsanctioned bowl games. Competing at the FCS level from 1978 until 2013, the team enjoyed amazing success, capturing 12 Southern Conference titles and three-peating in what would later become the FCS National Championship. The ‘Neers were in fact the first DI program to claim three straight national titles in the modern era.

Despite their overwhelming success in the postseason, App’s most esteemed accomplishment is certainly their stunning defeat of #5 Michigan in Ann Arbor on September 1, 2007. The 34-32 tilt shocked the world and was the first time an FCS squad had been victorious over a ranked FBS team, putting Appalachian State and the town of Boone on the national map. Their winning ways, coupled with their Wolverine takedown, enabled the Mountaineers’ elevation to FBS in 2014. There, the team has continued to dominate, clinching 4 Sun Belt Conference titles and amassing the best bowl record amongst programs with five or more invitations. Moving forward, App State shows no signs of slowing down and, with a dedicated and blossoming legion of fans, The Rock will continue to be an FBS fortress for many years to come.