App State Hall of Fame Broadcaster and longtime friend of the Black & Gold Podcast, David Jackson, gives us his insight into having a front row seat to Armanti Edwards’ epic, once-in-a-generation career at Appalachian State. Also, Armanti was our very special guest on this week’s episode. After you’re done reading the great stories from David, you can listen to our conversation with Armanti at time stamp 1:43:48 in the media player at the bottom of this page.
Celebrating The Great One
By David Jackson
Back in the heart of the National Championship era, former App State sports SID, Mike Flynn, and I would often joke that players on those teams would never have to pay for a meal again, and maybe one day even have a key to the city.
Well, here we are, as the Town of Boone has proclaimed Saturday as Armanti Edwards Day, and the player that that would become a celebrated symbol of App State’s gridiron success will finally have his number retired in front of a sellout crowd at The Rock!
Armanti came to Boone much quieter than the celebration Saturday will reach. A few days after the first National Championship was won, I walked into the football offices at Owens Field House to see (then App State Assistant) Coach Shawn Elliott raving about a kid high on his recruiting radar named CoCo Hillary from South Carolina.. He mentioned the name of another South Carolina athlete: Armanti Edwards. He hoped that duo would be a special part of the first post-title signing class of 2006. But the focus at that time was more about CoCo.
But then Armanti got to campus.
The Beginning
A few weeks into the 2006 fall camp, it was clear App State found their backup to starting quarterback, Trey Elder. After all, Trey had won games before. He famously finished off the job of getting the Mountaineers to their first title game appearance. On top of that, Trey was preseason All-SoCon as the heir apparent to Richie Williams’ throne of being QB1 of the reigning national champions.
But all the while, Armanti emerged in the QB room as a potential impact player. The talk out of camp was that if something happened to Trey, the Mountaineers would be in capable, although inexperienced, hands.
Unfortunately for Trey, even out of fall camp, the start of the 2006 season was riddled with injuries and never got fully healthy. Armanti played in the season opener against the Wolfpack, and his storied career would start humbly with an 8-yard pass completion out of two total throws.
The following week was against James Madison. It was a much-hyped battle of the previous two I-AA National Champions. Trey got knocked out of the game in the first half on a roughing the passer play. Enter Armanti Edwards, who immediately finished off a scoring drive on a seven-yard run. It was a near replica of the moment Elder scored on his first play subbing for Richie Williams in the playoffs the previous season. Trey and Armanti split time to finish off a 21-10 win over the Dukes, the first of three amazing games between the two powerhouses in consecutive seasons.
The next week, Coach Moore announced Armanti would start against Mars Hill. The offense looked different, more dynamic, with Armanti at the helm. As heartbroken as we were for Trey and the circumstances that led to the change, we were equally intrigued to see what this skinny QB from Greenwood, SC, would do with the keys to the offensive machine.
The New Starter
Honestly, Armanti was a bit all over the place at first! Against Mars Hill, he threw for 203 yards and a touchdown and ran for one more score. But he tossed two interceptions. For every play Armanti made, there would be another that made you wince. It was natural to wonder if the decision making of this true freshman would hold up to the weekly test of a rough and tumble league of FCS powerhouses.
The next week against Gardner-Webb, the Apps could not get out of their own way. The first half saw App against a Bulldogs team buoyed by the largest crowd (still to this day) to ever see a game at Spangler Stadium. Up 13-3 at the half, Dexter Jackson calmed everyone’s nerves with back-to-back punt returns for touchdowns to start the 3rd quarter.
Just a few plays later, after a Pierre Banks interception, it all came together. We got our first “Armanti Drive!”
With a chance to put the game away, Armanti did just that. A six-play drive that featured the perfect balance of his own skill along with the explosiveness of his teammates. He accounted for the first 15-yards, got a 13-yard burst from TJ Corman, and then followed with consecutive connections to Josh Johnson to finish the drive. In all, six plays, 45 yards, 2:19 off the clock. For me, the legend we celebrate today was born at that moment.
It was our first look at “Armanti the Finisher.” He played for the balance of his career as the spark of an offense that routinely took an inch given by an opponent and quickly turned it into victory. App State’s 2006 defense was by far the best, statistically at least, of the national championship era. That gave Armanti some helpful insurance as his signature abilities began to harden into the warrior we would see on a weekly basis.
There were many players to celebrate along the way during that 2006 season that drew more attention than the freshman signal caller. That suited Armanti well, because he was just so quiet. There were no signature dances, no grabbing the mic at pep rallies. He just won…and worked…and won some more. His work ethic was impeccable, his decision making grew to become unflappable. He was the man to direct the signature moments that would one day define not only his own career, but the program’s legacy.
After The Yard Sale In The Big House
In the wake of the Michigan win, Armanti’s interest from national media hit a fever pitch that never stopped. Mike Flynn arranged a weekly media teleconference for just Armanti which was not the norm at the FCS level. We hosted this call each week during the season in the Appalachian Sports Network studio. He arrived like clockwork, entertained all questions, and popped out of the chair and on his way to class.
This was a weekly occurrence for the better part of three years, and not one time did he miss this obligation, or complain about having to talk to reporters. He said on the Frary & Smith Podcast earlier this week that Jerry Moore quickly established the expectation of fulfilling these types of obligations, saying “one day no one will ask to talk to you or want your autograph anymore.” Armanti was the epitome of class and was always at the front of the line to answer the hundreds of questions coming at the program each week.
Armanti played with a gear that was hard to describe at times. It was fueled by more than athleticism and something beyond determination. Perhaps it was the combination of hunger and focus that made this usually quiet kid become the loudest player on any field he graced.
The Final Showdown
As he moved through the 2009 season, that fire was at its brightest as the playoffs intensified. After a lackluster performance on an injured knee against SC State, Edwards persevered to captain one of the most remarkable comebacks, and gutsiest performances of his career. This time it was on the road against Richmond in the FCS Quarterfinals. In 2007 the Apps defeated the Spiders to head to the championship game. In 2008, the Spiders ended the Mountaineers’ dream of a fourth consecutive national title. In 2009, for a third consecutive matchup in the playoffs, it felt like a potential battle for the ages and Armanti ensured it lived up to the hype.
The Mountaineers final drive against Richmond on that soggy field at City Stadium came out of the clutches of bleak circumstance. Late in the fourth quarter, with a chance to ice the game, a Travaris Cadet punt return was stripped by Richmond’s Eric McBride, and quickly turned into a go-ahead touchdown for the Spiders. Richmond now led led 31-28 with under 3:30 to play.
I remember Steve Brown’s words on our broadcast, “You’ve got three timeouts left and the best player in the FCS period. Appalachian still has a chance.”
The ensuing App State drive started at the Mountaineers own 30 yard line. First play – holding – back up 10-yards. Armanti then hit Brian Quick with two passes that erased the penalty, placing the Apps near midfield. He then spread the ball evenly down the field, including Matt Cline, Blake Elder, and Devon Moore, along with his own footwork to move the Mountaineers to the Richmond 8-yard line with under a minute to play.
With 10-seconds to go, and the season in the balance, Armanti tossed a perfectly-placed, low and away pass to Matt Cline for the game winning score. The crowd of soaked Mountaineer fans erupted at City Stadium, having witnessed a cool and concise drive end with a precision strike.
“Armanti the finisher” struck again, only this time with a career’s worth of savvy and skill under his belt to make the necessary plays look easy when they mattered most.
“Armanti put that ball the only place he could put it…low and away,” Cline told the Associated Press after that game.
The next week, on the frozen turf of Washington Grizzly Stadium, Brownie and I did something we rarely did, and watched some of the player warmups from field level. We wanted to see what the conditions were really like, but it also provided a glimpse at the team from a different perspective. Hell, we were anxious, just like you were, and needed to move around to pass the time.
I stood at the 25-yard line, turned to my right, and caught a glimpse of Armanti standing by himself, surveying the field. He had the focused look of a warrior prepared for battle. It made the hair on my arms stand up on a 20-degree day in Missoula.
He nearly did it again! On a field that could have doubled as an ice rink, the final pass of another remarkable drive fell just beyond the fingertips of his roommate Brian Quick, and his Hall of Fame career came to a close. In the 2009 playoffs, Armanti threw for 787 yards, ran for another 104 yards, and was responsible for five touchdowns.
An Epic Career In Review
A week later, the App family stood together in Chattanooga, unfortunately not for another Championship game appearance, but to celebrate Armanti’s second-consecutive Walter Payton Award. His daughter in his arms, his family by his side, and less than a week from a gut-wrenching end to his storied career, Edwards’ smile was just as bright as ever. It may have been the first time he truly got to think about all he had accomplished at Appalachian State. A self-professed man that doesn’t get caught up in stats, the night was about celebrating a player that placed his name in FCS lore with guys like Steve McNair and Randy Moss. That night provided an opportunity to finally quantify an amazing career that no one from that era would ever forget.
A sidenote to remember, Armanti played in the SoCon at the same time Stephen Curry starred at Davidson. Both were on equal footing in terms of national stardom. The winter may have been for Curry and March Madness but football season was about Aramnti and the playoffs. Two of the greatest coaches in their respective games, Jerry Moore and Bob McKillop, were at the height of their own careers. It amazes me to this day this period was not capitalized on more by the league, and really hasn’t been since. I guess Steph has finally pulled ahead, but could you imagine the room you could have filled with those four guys back then!
So here we are today, on the cusp of enshrining a player that helped basically build a stadium, helped make Appalachian State a household name, and did it all with the character and grace we could only hope our own children will someday emulate. The performances of those teams paved the way for App State to move to the FBS, and further build on the championship pedigree that was cemented during Armanti’s time. There were others – Richie Williams, Kevin Richardson, Daniel Bettis, Dexter Jackson, Jaque Roman, Pierre Banks, Corey Lynch, Jerome Touchstone, Kerry Brown, and Julian Rauch…all of these guys and dozens more were legends of a time in Appalachian State’s program history that will never be equaled. On Saturday, Armanti will walk to midfield representing them, and the players before and after, who have sweat and bled for a program that means more to them than it ever will to us.
What’s more impressive will come from the faces you will see creating a ring around The Rock, some who played with him, others who’ve just heard the stories. Those players will join thousands of fans for the moment where the most impactful player in the history of Appalachian State Football gets a deserved curtain call for a truly transformative career.
The Great One’s Top Five — According to DJ
We all have our favorite Armanti moments. My top five include:
5. The Somersault – 2007 semifinals vs. Richmond
4. Armanti vs. Michigan – all of it!
3. The James Madison Drive – 2007 – Devon Moore crawling back to a ball of 4th down to then see Edwards finish off a lead-changing late 4th quarter drive..before Jaque and Pierre finished the deal.
2. The Richmond Drive – 2009 – final score to win on the road in the Quarterfinals
1. The Nintendo Meets Harry Houdini play against Samford in 2009 (also, the moment I thought that team put it in gear for a semifinal run).
