Chattanooga. Still get chills thinking about it.

What an amazing night. Sophomore year, still get chills as well.

GO APPS!!

I don't know if fans who weren't around then can really conceive of what it felt like to win that first one. Just a couple years later, we had become the Goliath that dominated FCS, and of course all the FBS success that eventually followed. But prior to that year, we were the always-good, never-the-best program. Saw Marshall and GS win a bunch of titles while we usually made the playoffs, won our share of SoCon titles, but never made it to the national title game. Even beating Furman to make the final felt like a momentous achievement. (Still one of my favorite in-person sports memories ever.)

Needless to say, that first title changed everything.

Yep to all of the above. To me( I’m 73) most of my adult life was spent , living and dying with each game. Year after year and yes, that Furman Game was something special. in the end the National Championship game was and is still like a dream.

I was there. It was a really big deal!

Hunter and Murrell.....will never forget that duo.

EastHallApp wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 16, 2025 6:17 pm

I don't know if fans who weren't around then can really conceive of what it felt like to win that first one. Just a couple years later, we had become the Goliath that dominated FCS, and of course all the FBS success that eventually followed. But prior to that year, we were the always-good, never-the-best program. Saw Marshall and GS win a bunch of titles while we usually made the playoffs, won our share of SoCon titles, but never made it to the national title game. Even beating Furman to make the final felt like a momentous achievement. (Still one of my favorite in-person sports memories ever.)

Needless to say, that first title changed everything.

And all it took was Moore finally opening up to some changes and Peacock getting rid of Roachel Laney. Gives me chills too.

dtrain4prez wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 16, 2025 8:22 pm

Hunter and Murrell.....will never forget that duo.

Imagine the money they could have gotten in the portal. Thank goodness it was not around then.

AppStFan1 wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 16, 2025 8:51 pm

dtrain4prez wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 16, 2025 8:22 pm

Hunter and Murrell.....will never forget that duo.

Imagine the money they could have gotten in the portal. Thank goodness it was not around then.

Ha, I dont even want to think about that. 05 would have been our only chip and the magical run over the next decade wouldn't have happened. I truly belive if the portal already existed we would still be FCS.

Boone forever changed after that too. I can still remember a decent amount about our chips years but I have to admit some memories have faded and some I'm pretty sure were faded as I was making them.

It was an amazing night, that first win was something else. It was so nice to finally reach the level that our peers had already achieved. I had previously seen Furman, Marshall and Georgia Southern all win National Titles, it was great to join that group after all those years. When Richie came in on that hobbled leg to lead us to victory, other worldly. I still get goosebumps thinking about that.

That morning I had to rock my car out of the ice in the old Stadium Lot and drove to Nooga, where I got stuck in the mud parking at that small church across from the stadium.

The Hunter scoop and score was right in front of me. And I was right next to Jerry when he got the trophy.

I was a junior that year, so I’ve been spoiled most of my App life.

A couple things I remember (besides Ingle Martin slipping on that wonderful patch of ice):

Our team taking the exceptional Jamarcus Russel-led LSU tigers deep into the 4th quarter in Baton Rouge.

The absolutely miserable conditions at Kidd Brewer for the Southern Illinois first round game. It did nothing but rain, and I’m convinced the temperature stayed at 33 the entire game for the perfect November Boone experience. I stood in the stands with a liquor blanket on, cheering until the very end.

ah59396 wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 17, 2025 2:58 am

I was a junior that year, so I’ve been spoiled most of my App life.

A couple things I remember (besides Ingle Martin slipping on that wonderful patch of ice):

Our team taking the exceptional Jamarcus Russel-led LSU tigers deep into the 4th quarter in Baton Rouge.

The absolutely miserable conditions at Kidd Brewer for the Southern Illinois first round game. It did nothing but rain, and I’m convinced the temperature stayed at 33 the entire game for the perfect November Boone experience. I stood in the stands with a liquor blanket on, cheering until the very end.

All great memories! I swear the ONLY time we ever stopped Jerome Felton for a loss or no gain in 4 years was at the end of that Furman game at the goal line. When we got the fumble to seal the game, my roommate and I fell off the bleachers we were going so wild.

And yes, we still talk about the weather for that southern Illinois game. Rain/sleet all game long, cold as crap, and the bleachers had a 1/2” of ice on them when we arrived at KBS.

Man, that feeling when Jason Hunter scooped up that fumble and rumbled in for the score. You had to be there. No way to describe it!

GO APPS!!

I'm not crying, you're crying.

It was quite a night. Seems like forever ago , or was it just yesterday……

Stonewall wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 17, 2025 7:44 am

It was quite a night. Seems like forever ago , or was it just yesterday……

I watched it at home and was jumping, screaming, clapping and generally embarrassing my family. I did not care, we won! I was so jacked that by the end of January 2006 I had already made hotel reservations in Chattanooga and as soon as championship game tickets went on sale I bought two. This was long before the end of the regular season, I was so confident that we'd be there again. I also told my entire family that should we make the game again, do not plan any family Christmas gatherings that weekend. I said if you do I won't be there, I'll be in Chattanooga watching our boys win again! As it turned out I was not only right about the second ring I was right about the third one as well because I did it again!

The beginning of a dynasty.