Appalachian State Wins Academy College Football Game of the Year Award
01 January 2008
Appalachian State’s win over the University of Michigan on 1 September has been named the 2007 College Football Game of the Year by the United States Sport Academy.
Appalachian State will receive a General Scholarship Award of $5,000, a shadow box encasing a medallion and proclamation and Artist Proof #1 of foremost college football artist Daniel A. Moore documenting Appalachian State’s dramatic upset win that will be released in the spring.
The College Football Game of the Year Award is part of the Academy’s Awards of Sport, which pay “Tribute to the Artist and the Athlete.” For this award, the Academy created a special voting committee consisting of leading college coaches and administrators.
Believed to be the biggest upset in football history, Appalachian State became the first Division I-AA team to defeat a ranked Division I school. Julian Rauch kicked a 24-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining as Appalachian State took a 34-32 lead over fifth- ranked Michigan. However, Michigan stormed down the field to set up a game winning field goal with 6 seconds remaining that was blocked by Corey Lynch, who ran the kick back to the Michigan 5 yard line as time ran out.
Following the historic win, Appalachian became the first current football member of the Southern Conference and the first college football team from the state of North Carolina to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated in the last 35 years.
"Appalachian State did the unthinkable by defeating Michigan in the season opener. It really set the tone for one of the most exciting and unpredictable college football seasons in history,” said Moore.
The Academy has commissioned Moore, the Academy’s Sport Artist of the Year 2005, to capture this great moment in a painting that will be unveiled this spring. Over the years, collegiate football players and coaches have achieved many spectacular moments on the gridiron. Since 1979, Moore has ensured that such awe-inspiring events are preserved for posterity through his super-realistic oil paintings.
Moore became nationally renowned for his work with the University of Alabama. “The Sack” is a key piece in the Paul “Bear” Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa. Moore’s painting entitled the “Gamebreaker” graces the walls of the American Sport Art Museum and Archives, housed on the campus of the Academy.
The voting committee for the College Game of the Year reads like a Who’s Who in college football. It includes the Executive Director of the National Association of Collegiate Director’s of Athletics Mike Cleary, Boston College Director of Athletics Gene DeFlippo, Temple University Football Coach and current Alabama State Director of Athletics Ron Dickerson, University of Georgia football coaching and administrative great Vince Dooley, Legendary Broadcaster Keith Jackson, Marshall University Football Coach and U.S. Naval Academy Director of Athletics Jack Lengyel, University of Washington Director of Athletics Mike Lude, Sport Artist Daniel Moore, Georgia Tech Director of Athletics Homer Rice, Alabama Coach Gene Stallings, Missouri Director of Athletics and All American football player at Michigan State Dick Tamburo and longtime Oklahoma State Director of Athletics Dr. Richard Young, who played defensive back at Ohio State under Woody Hayes.
In 2006, Rutgers won the College Football Game of the Year for their dramatic win over Louisville, which Moore commemorated in his painting entitled "Resurgence."
About the Artist: Moore has been documenting great moments in sports on canvas since 1979, when he released his first limited edition fine art print entitled "The Goal Line Stand." The painting commemorated Alabama's great defensive stand against Penn State in the Sugar Bowl to clinch the 1979 National Championship. These prints quickly became collectors' items and have appreciated to well over 5000% in value, currently selling for upwards of $2,500 each on the secondary market.
Moore has been commissioned to create paintings by the SEC, NFL, MLB, NBA, USGA, PGA, Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Citrus Bowl, the Liberty Bowl and numerous universities. In addition, his talent has been sought out by the US Postal Service, which commissioned him to create the paintings for the 1997 "Legendary Football Coaches" commemorative stamp series. These handsome stamps feature coaches Vince Lombardi, "Bear" Bryant, George Halas and "Pop" Warner.
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