# Battle for the Old Mountain Jug

The Battle for the Old Mountain Jug was the name given to the Appalachian State–Western Carolina football rivalry, an American college football rivalry game that became dormant when Appalachian State left the Southern Conference and moved to the FBS in 2014.

## History

The Mountaineers and Catamounts first played each other in a football game in 1932. The two teams then played annually without interruption from 1946 to 2013. The trophy series began in 1976.
The Old Mountain Jug, an old moonshine jug, has been awarded to the winner since 1976. It is painted gold with Appalachian State's mascot, a Mountaineer, and Western Carolina's mascot, a Catamount, on opposing sides.
   The rivalry had natural origins. Appalachian and Western were the only public colleges in the western half of North Carolina for decades and made similar steps to their present status as comprehensive regional universities. Both basically recruited athletes from the same high schools in the early years and their graduates were, in large part, public school teachers. The alumni of the schools found themselves working together, which helped foster the rivalry.
Prior to the game in 1976, the idea was pitched of heightening the long-standing rivalry. The jug idea was presented to alumni of both universities and the Sports Information Directors were charged with drumming up media exposure. The jug was donated by Roby Triplett, the manager of the Appalachian State Bookstore. It weighs approximately 25 pounds and is capped with its original traditional cork. Dee Triplett, Roby's wife, painted the jug. Excluding minor touchups, the jug and its logos have not been altered since their creation.
In the mid-1980s, the series was mentioned as "the best football rivalry you've never heard of" by Sports Illustrated; but after 1985, the series became one-sided, with Western Carolina winning only 2 of the last 28 meetings. The 1979 game was the second-ever live broadcast on the ESPN sports network.
With Appalachian's move to the Sun Belt Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2014, the trophy was retired after 2013's contest. The Old Mountain Jug currently resides in a trophy case at Appalachian State.

## Game results

The Appalachian State and Western Carolina rivalry dates back to 1932 with the Appalachian State Mountaineers holding a 59–18–1 advantage over the Western Carolina Catamounts. The two teams had squared off for 68 consecutive years since the game was suspended for World War II, 1942–1945.
| Appalachian State victories | Western Carolina victories | Tie games |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 1 | November 5, 1932 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 20–0 |
| 2 | October 13, 1933 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 15–0 |
| 3 | October 12, 1934 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 6–0 |
| 4 | October 26, 1935 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 12–0 |
| 5 | October 17, 1936 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 20–2 |
| 6 | November 6, 1937 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 14–0 |
| 7 | October 29, 1938 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 27–0 |
| 8 | October 6, 1939 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 54–7 |
| 9 | October 11, 1940 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 40–8 |
| 10 | October 11, 1941 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 35–0 |
| 11 | November 9, 1946 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 42–6 |
| 12 | November 1, 1947 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 20–0 |
| 13 | September 25, 1948 | Asheville, NC | Appalachian State | 14–13 |
| 14 | September 24, 1949 | Boone, NC | Western Carolina | 13–6 |
| 15 | September 16, 1950 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 13–6 |
| 16 | September 22, 1951 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 26–6 |
| 17 | September 21, 1952 | Asheville, NC | Appalachian State | 20–12 |
| 18 | September 27, 1953 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 7–0 |
| 19 | September 19, 1954 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 27–7 |
| 20 | September 14, 1955 | Boone, NC | Western Carolina | 7–6 |
| 21 | September 15, 1956 | Asheville, NC | Appalachian State | 19–7 |
| 22 | September 24, 1957 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 25–0 |
| 23 | September 25, 1958 | Cullowhee, NC | Western Carolina | 32–22 |
| 24 | September 26, 1959 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 14–12 |
| 25 | September 24, 1960 | Cullowhee, NC | Western Carolina | 6–2 |
| 26 | September 23, 1961 | Asheville, NC | Appalachian State | 25–12 |
| 27 | September 22, 1962 | Asheville, NC | Tie | 6–6 |
| 28 | September 28, 1963 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 14–3 |
| 29 | September 26, 1964 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 27–10 |
| 30 | September 25, 1965 | Boone, NC | Western Carolina | 7–0 |
| 31 | September 24, 1966 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 35–33 |
| 32 | September 23, 1967 | Boone, NC | Western Carolina | 21–0 |
| 33 | September 28, 1968 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 28–14 |
| 34 | September 27, 1969 | Boone, NC | Western Carolina | 35–7 |
| 35 | September 26, 1970 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 17–10 |
| 36 | September 25, 1971 | Boone, NC | Western Carolina | 26–0 |
| 37 | November 18, 1972 | Cullowhee, NC | Western Carolina | 35–21 |
| 38 | September 22, 1973 | Cullowhee, NC | Western Carolina | 23–14 |
| 39 | September 28, 1974 | Boone, NC | Western Carolina | 21–17 |
| 40 | November 15, 1975 | Cullowhee, NC | Western Carolina | 20–11 |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 41 | October 2, 1976 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 24–17 |
| 42 | November 19, 1977 | Cullowhee, NC | Western Carolina | 44–14 |
| 43 | November 18, 1978 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 39–13 |
| 44 | September 22, 1979 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 35–27 |
| 45 | November 1, 1980 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 27–24 |
| 46 | November 21, 1981 | Cullowhee, NC | Western Carolina | 21–10 |
| 47 | November 20, 1982 | Boone, NC | Western Carolina | 26–24 |
| 48 | November 19, 1983 | Cullowhee, NC | Western Carolina | 41–15 |
| 49 | October 6, 1984 | Boone, NC | Western Carolina | 34–7 |
| 50 | November 9, 1985 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 27–14 |
| 51 | August 30, 1986 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 17–13 |
| 52 | November 21, 1987 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 33–13 |
| 53 | November 5, 1988 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 42–21 |
| 54 | November 18, 1989 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 31–20 |
| 55 | October 20, 1990 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 27–9 |
| 56 | November 16, 1991 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 24–14 |
| 57 | November 21, 1992 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 14–12 |
| 58 | November 13, 1993 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 20–16 |
| 59 | November 12, 1994 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 12–7 |
| 60 | November 11, 1995 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 28–3 |
| 61 | November 16, 1996 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 24–17 |
| 62 | November 15, 1997 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 13–7 |
| 63 | November 21, 1998 | Cullowhee, NC | Western Carolina | 23–6 |
| 64 | November 13, 1999 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 34–10 |
| 65 | November 11, 2000 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 35–28 |
| 66 | November 10, 2001 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 34–24 |
| 67 | November 16, 2002 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 24–14 |
| 68 | November 15, 2003 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 26–18 |
| 69 | November 13, 2004 | Cullowhee, NC | Western Carolina | 30–27 |
| 70 | November 12, 2005 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 35–7 |
| 71 | November 11, 2006 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 31–9 |
| 72 | November 10, 2007 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 79–35 |
| 73 | November 22, 2008 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 35–10 |
| 74 | November 21, 2009 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 19–14 |
| 75 | October 23, 2010 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 37–14 |
| 76 | November 12, 2011 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 46–14 |
| 77 | October 27, 2012 | Cullowhee, NC | Appalachian State | 38–27 |
| 78 | November 23, 2013 | Boone, NC | Appalachian State | 48–27 |
| Series: Appalachian State leads 58–19–1 |||||