CHARLOTTE — It’s a homegrown rivalry headlined this year’s Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium.
The Charlotte 49ers and Appalachian State Mountaineers faced off for the 4th time in program history, both entering the season with a new head coach.
Tim Albin joined Charlotte after four seasons as head coach at Ohio University, while App State’s Dowell Loggains arrived in Boone following his tenure as the University of South Carolina offensive coordinator.
“There is incredible momentum, not just around our athletics program, but around our institution,” said Charlotte Athletics Director Mike Hill.
“We’ve got record enrollment again, over 32,000 students, which is remarkable growth. I think this signals, too, that the time has arrived for Charlotte 49ers football and athletics to really step up onto the big stage.”
App State Athletics Director Doug Gillin said the excitement throughout the community was palpable, even texting Coach Loggains in the days before, “people are fired up down here.”
“There’s an excitement certainly for Appalachian (State), there’s an excitement all the time, but having us down here, you can just feel it,” he said.
The two programs were also featured nationally, with the game broadcast on ESPNU.
“It’s a chance to elevate the profile of our entire program. You’re playing in an NFL stadium,” Hill said. “For our young men who have not had that chance before, it’s extra special.”
“When I talk about recruitment, it’s not student-athletes, particularly. It’s also faculty, staff, students, people that have not been to Boone before,” added Doug Gillin.
“The residual impact is far beyond this game.”
The Charlotte 49ers ultimately fell 34-11 to the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
WATCH: Panthers GM speaks after trading WR Adam Thielen to Vikings
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
