ASU champion football coach inks multiyear agreement
By Appalachian Sports Information

Fresh off of leading Appalachian State University to its first NCAA Division I-AA national championship, Jerry Moore has agreed to remain as Appalachian’s head football coach for the 2006 season and beyond, ASU athletics director Charlie Cobb said on Wednesday morning. Details on a contract extension will not be finalized until after the first of the year, but it will be a multiyear agreement and include contract renewals for Moore’s entire staff.

“I’m happy to announce that Coach Moore and his staff will be back to defend their national championship,” Cobb said.

“Coach Moore’s leadership has not only taken our football program to heights never reached before at ASU, but he has been a terrific ambassador for the athletics department, the university and the entire High Country community throughout his 17 years in Boone. It is a privilege and an honor to have Coach Moore at the helm of our football program.”

“I’ve said it before, but next season has never been a concern for me,” Moore said. “I have never planned on doing anything but be the head football coach at Appalachian and am happy that will be the case for next year and beyond.”

The winningest coach in Southern Conference history, Moore led the Mountaineers to their first-ever national championship with a 12-3 record in 2005. ASU capped off the historic season with a 21-16 triumph over Northern Iowa in last Friday’s national-title game.

For his efforts, Moore was named the 2005 SoCon Coach of the Year, becoming the first mentor in league history to receive the honor four times. He also collected American Football Coaches Association District 2 Coach of the Year accolades for the third time.

One of his most notable accomplishments has been to lead an overhaul of ASU’s offense over the past two seasons from a Power I attack to a no-huddle, shotgun, one-back approach. The change in offensive philosophy has paid immediate dividends, as Appalachian has turned out each of the past two SoCon Offensive Players of the Year (wide receiver DaVon Fowlkes in 2004 and quarterback Richie Williams in ‘05).

While continuing to revamp the offense, Moore’s defense re-established itself as one of the nation’s top units in ‘05. Four all-Americans (defensive ends Marques Murrell and Jason Hunter and defensive backs Corey Lynch and Jeremy Wiggins) led the SoCon’s top-ranked defensive unit.

In addition to the national championship, Appalachian was the unanimous No. 1 selection in the final 2005 I-AA polls by The Sports Network and ESPN/USA Today, marking the first time in school history that ASU has achieved the No. 1 ranking in either major I-AA poll.

Moore has compiled a 140-67 (.676) record in 17 seasons at Appalachian and a 167-115-2 (.592) record in 24 seasons as a head coach, which includes stints at North Texas and Texas Tech.