By Kate Cahow

Each day Avery Hall ’93 goes to work at Wachovia, he exercises skills he learned on the Appalachian State University football field. “I call it your mental makeup,” explained the former defensive tackle, who is now a senior vice president/business banker in Greensboro. “You win some, you lose some, but you keep the confidence and aren’t afraid to take business to the next level.”

Hall works with commercial clients with annual sales of $3 million to $25 million, so his client meetings require a lot of preparation – another characteristic he learned on the field. “You finish what you start and you want to be successful. Playing football games on Saturday was fun, but to do that you had to prepare hard week in and week out. In business, it’s the same thing,” said Hall, who also volunteers in his community and is among the newest members of Appalachian’s Board of Trustees.

Appalachian gained national and international attention in late 2007 with headlines like Sports Illustrated’s “All-time Upset” and USA TODAY’s “Unfathomable Becomes a Reality,” both describing the Mountaineers’ athletics prowess against then-ranked No. 5 Michigan, and through more media attention of the football team’s third consecutive NCAA Division I FCS national championship. What is also beginning to receive national attention and is already well known at home and regionally, is the enduring success of Appalachian’s overall athletics program and the student-athletes who represent the university, and like Hall and others, the successful individuals they become after graduation.

These young men and women give their all to their sport, then turn around and give even more in the classroom. Their achievements have resulted in kudos for them, their teams, and their university in the world of collegiate sports.

In addition to football’s success, Appalachian is the only school in Southern Conference history to win both the Commissioner’s Cup and Germann Cup in the same year, a feat it has now accomplished eight times. The Commissioner’s Cup is awarded annually to the SoCon top men’s athletics program, while the Germann Cup is awarded to the top women’s athletics program. Appalachian most recently earned both cups in 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Appalachian student-athletes consistently score high on the scholastic playing field as well. Some accolades conferred during the 2006-07 academic year include the following:

• For the second-consecutive year, the men’s basketball team and women’s cross country team were recognized by the NCAA as being in the top 10 percent in their sport for the Academic Progress Rate – a measure tied to a Division 1 program that rewards teams that do well academically.

• More than 30 percent of student-athletes made the Athletic Honor Roll each semester with a minimum GPA of 3.25. Of this group, 16 made a 4.0.

• 70 student-athletes received the Commissioner’s Medal, established by SoCon to recognize student-athletes posting a 3.5 GPA or higher over one full academic year.

• 50 percent of the 2006 Who’s Who program at Appalachian were student-athletes.

• 162 student-athletes were named to SoCon’s Athletic Honor Roll.

These impressive achievements are a testament to the determination, self-discipline and strength of character these young men and women have to excel both in the classroom and in the sport they love, and to Appalachian for providing a growing environment and attentive staff to support and nurture student-athletes. The resulting training and hard work are excellent preparation for the biggest arena of all: life.

A drive to excel

The pressure to succeed in a university classroom is intense. Combine that with the pressure to succeed in collegiate sports and a student-athlete’s effort to excel must be unrelenting.

Charlie Cobb, Appalachian’s athletics director, knows from personal experience what it takes to compete both as a student and as an athlete. He played football, center position, for N.C. State’s Wolfpack from 1987-90.

“As a student-athlete you’re challenging yourself every day. Socially, you’re an 18- to 22-year-old kid trying to figure out who you are. What athletics brings to an individual’s development is, on the surface, the challenge to excel physically. But, it’s so much more than that,” he said.

“With two practices a day and everything else our students fit in a 24-hour period, they have to be willing to push themselves to the point of exhaustion and beyond. The result is these young people discover they are capable of accomplishing more than they ever imagined, both as athletes and as students.”

According to Cobb and Jerry Moore, the Mountaineers’ football coach for the past 20 years who has led his team to three consecutive national championship victories, Appalachian student-athletes must also possess the desire and drive to win, and the willingness to sacrifice personal comforts and rewards for the good of the team.

“It’s all about team work,” Cobb said. “You can’t expect to get individual credit for your teams’ victories, or for its failures. Our students learn quickly to put aside their egos. They understand the importance of working with others, of roles and the delegation of responsibility for the sake of their team,” he said.

In a segment of “Appalachian Perspective,” the university’s cable television program hosted by Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock, Moore talked about the qualities a player must possess to play for him. Physical ability and a strong desire to win are obvious traits every coach looks for when recruiting players, he said. But more important to him is a young man’s commitment to be a part of The Appalachian Family.

“I can tell them how great Appalachian is going to be for them, but only to a certain point. If a young man can’t show me that he genuinely wants to be at Appalachian, to play for this team we have worked so hard to get where it is today, and is committed to working through the thorns that come with the territory, then I will walk away,” Moore said.

Tommy Sofield ’76, president and owner of U.S. Steel Buildings in Boone, was an offensive lineman for the Mountaineers from 1971-75. He credits the kind of expectations of student-athletes and training Cobb and Moore refer to as being the motivating force that helped him succeed in his personal and professional life.

“I continually look back at the things my teammates and I learned, and appreciate how I am still able to apply those lessons in my life today,” said Sofield, whose company has been in business for 24 years. “The coaches instilled in us a strong work ethic. The leadership they showed led to many men’s success today, not only in work, but in becoming good fathers and husbands.”

A nurturing environment

Of the 470 student-athletes at Appalachian, only a handful plan to pursue their sport in the professional arena, according to Jean Roberts, director of academic services for athletes and assistant director of Appalachian’s Learning Assistance Program.

“The rest are serious about their sport, and give it their all, but they are, first and foremost, here to pursue their educational goals,” she said.

Through her work, Roberts meets most Appalachian student-athletes, and she knows them by name. They are from all over the country, and a few are here from South Africa, Australia, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Tobago, Portugal and England.

“These students are incredibly special,” she said. “The sacrifices they make to represent the university, the time and energy they expend. They’re inspiring. Sitting in a hotel room or dorm at Thanksgiving or Christmas because they’ve got a game or home is too far for a quick trip is not glamorous, it’s lonely.

“I’m always struck by the pride our student-athletes take in meeting the expectations of athletics and academics, and achieving both at a high standard,” she said. “Balancing these demands while thinking about their future, and when they can fit it in, a social life, requires several skills. Most importantly, time management.”

From the moment student-athletes arrive at Appalachian to the time they graduate, Roberts and her staff are on hand to provide a range of assistance: from academic advising to time management and tutoring.

“Our students are good time managers, and they know how to set and achieve goals,” she said. “During their first semester on campus, they are required to attend a study hall. This is where they learn time-management skills. We help them figure out how to juggle classes, homework, practice time and everything else.

“We also stress the importance of public service with different groups like The Crossnore School and the Mountaineer Summer Reading Program. So, our students certainly have their hands full. By the time they graduate, they are well-rounded, high-functioning individuals, ready to take on the world.”

Kirsten Bowden ’01 ’05, a former triple jumper on Appalachian’s track and field team, couldn’t agree more.

“Athletics prepares you for life. It may vary from sport to sport, but as student-athletes we were always on a detailed schedule between classes, practice and extracurricular activities,” she said.

Time management. Balance. Hard work. Getting along well with others. Bowden has put the skills and experiences she learned as a student-athlete to use in her career, first handling public relations for Newton-Conover Schools in Catawba County, and later working in corporate communications for Duke Energy in Charlotte. Today, she’s finishing her first year of law school at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She also finds time to serve on Appalachian’s Board of Visitors.

Whenever she feels nervous or anxious, Bowden said she recalls another core lesson from Appalachian: “Put time and preparation into your goal, and you will reap the benefits of your efforts.”

Spoken as a true champion!