Hall of Fame Appalachian State Head Coach Jerry Moore Steps Down

Jerry Moore Steps Down As Head Coach At Appalachian State

BOONE, N.C.–Appalachian State legendary head coach Jerry Moore coached his final game after 24 seasons at the helm in Boone, N.C., in Saturday’s 38-37 NCAA Division I FCS Second Round playoff loss to Illinois State.

Appalachian State Athletics Director Charlie Cobb announced Sunday that the he and coach Moore sat down at following the 2011 season and decided that the 2012 season would be Moore’s final season at the helm of Appalachian State, but Moore did not want to make that public knowledge, following in line with his humble nature as a man.

“Following the end of last season (2011), Coach Moore and I sat down and we came to the decision, with the approval of Dr. (Kenneth E.) Peacock (Appalachian State University chancellor) that the 2012 season would be the last season of his tenure as head coach,” Cobb said. “Coach Moore didn’t want to make that decision public before or during the season because, in his typical humble nature, he wanted all of the focus to be on his student-athletes, winning a 10th Southern Conference championship and returning to the postseason for the eighth-straight year. In a fitting sendoff, all of those goals were accomplished. For thousands of Mountaineer fans, including myself, seeing him carried off the field by his players while clutching the Southern Conference championship trophy following the win over Furman (Nov. 10) was the highlight of the season.”–Taken from Release at GoASU.com– http://www.goasu.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=21500&ATCLID=205819345

The 73-year old Moore will likely be remembered by most as the coach who rode the shoulders of his players from the Michigan Stadium turf following Appalachian State’s historic 34-32 win over BCS fifth-ranked Michigan, as the veteran head coach helped the school become the first FCS (formerly Division I-AA) school to ever knock off a ranked FBS (formerly Division I-A) since college football reclassification in 1981.

Moore finishes his career with a 215-87 mark at Appalachian State, while posting an overall mark of 242-135-2 as a head coach, which includes his five seasons at the helm of Texas Tech (1981-85).

Moore helped Appalachian State to 10 of its Southern Conference standard-tying 12 league titles during his tenure, while presiding over just the second Division I team to claim three-straight national titles (2005-07) since Army (1944-46).  He helped ASU become one of just six programs at any level of collegiate football to claim three-straight titles.

He helped Appalachian State tie the league standard for most consecutive SoCon regular-season titles, as ASU won six-straight league crowns from 2005-10, tying Georgia Southern, who won six-straight from 1997-2002.

Moore oversaw 23 teams that posted six or more wins in his 24 seasons in the High Country, including helping the program to 18 of its 19 postseason appearances after taking over in 1989 for Sparky Woods, who left to become the head coach at South Carolina.  Only once did Moore have a team finish below .500 (1993, 4-7) in his 24 seasons on the mountain.

The Bonham, TX native finishes his career among the all-time greats at any level of college football, with his 242 wins ranking him 15th all-time among Division I college football head coaches. The eight wins this season helped Moore to surpass the likes of former greats Woody Hayes (Ohio State, 238 wins) and Bo Schembechler (234 wins, Michigan).

Moore is the only coach in the 77-year history of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) “Coach of the Year” award to garner the distinct citation three-consecutive years, doing so from 2005-07. He coached 257 players that garnered all-conference plaudits, while coaching 95 players to All-America honors in his decorated career.

Please stay tuned for detailed look at Moore’s legendary career in Boone in the days to come.