Rocks at The Rock
Among notable features of Appalachian State’s new seven-story athletics complex are gorgeous views of town and campus from the building’s upper levels; an underwater treadmill in a hydro-therapy pool; and, not to be unmentioned, black-and-gold toilets with a Block A on the flushing mechanisms.
But the most striking item has to be stone work in the Mountaineers’ football locker room, which, complemented by rows of cherry lockers, gives a natural, rustic, and certainly unique feel.
The stone work, in walls and columns, isn’t what you would expect in a locker room. It’s an attention grabber right from the entrance door.
Coach Jerry Moore said that the coaching staff came up with the idea, and it was a late addition.
“We didn’t like the original way it was laid out, they had some concrete block in there,” Moore said. “I hate to word it this way, but, I said, ‘This looks like a high-school locker room.’ We had these nice cherry lockers in there stacked against yellow concrete block.
“So, two or three of us were standing there in the hallway and we got to talking about how our stadium is referred to as ‘The Rock’ and how good it would look with rock in that locker room.
“We talked about just putting rock in the entrance to begin with then Chris (Moore) or Dale (Jones) spoke up and said, ‘Why don’t we just do it all.’”
Moore said that bids were obtained and that crews from Charlotte worked relentlessly to complete the stone work before the first home game last Saturday.
“They slept in the locker room,” Moore said. “One night I came up here at 10:30 and they were working. I’d go to Wendy’s and get them hamburgers.”
Moore said that the added detail could grab the attention of future recruits.
“When a high-school kid walks into that locker room, I don’t think he’s not going to see another locker room like that anywhere,” Moore said.
“We wanted it to be as good as it could be for, not just these players, but all past and future Appalachian players. I walked through there with Robby Price, who played quarterback here (in the 1970s), and he kind of teared up when we got in there. It’s for everybody, and all those guys in the past are the ones that made this happen just like the guys now. The success we’ve had the last four years just brought it to reality.”