(STATS) – The 2009 FCS playoff semifinal between Appalachian State and Montana is one of the iconic games in FCS history.
There was a white pre-Christmas in Montana on the night of Dec. 13 as snow fell hard on the hotly contested game between the two preeminent FCS programs at the time. The Grizzlies outlasted App State 24-17 before over 24,000 rocking fans and the largest viewing audience ever for an FCS televised game (ESPN’s 1.87 cable rating was later bested in 2016).
A number of standouts who played in that game, including App State quarterback Armanti Edwards – the first two-time winner of the Walter Payton Award as FCS offensive player of the year – went on to play in the NFL.
All the greatness reflects in the NFL draft. App State, which left the FCS level to join the Sun Belt Conference in the FBS in 2014, and Montana have produced the most draft choices among subdivision programs during the 2010s:
7 – Appalachian State and Montana
5 – Eastern Washington, South Carolina State and William & Mary
4 – Central Arkansas, Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina, North Dakota State, Samford and Tennessee State
3 – Eastern Illinois, Georgia Southern, Illinois State, James Madison, Maine, Princeton, Southern Illinois, Southern Utah and Villanova
2 – Delaware, Florida A&M, Harvard, Missouri State, Montana State, Murray State, Northern Iowa, Northwestern State, Portland State, Richmond, South Dakota, Southeastern Louisiana, Towson, The Citadel and Youngstown State
1 – Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Brown, Bucknell, Cal Poly, Cornell, Delaware State, Drake, Eastern Kentucky, Elon, Fordham, Furman, Georgia State, Grambling State, Hampton, Jacksonville State, Lamar, Lehigh, Liberty, Marist, Massachusetts, Monmouth, New Hampshire, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, Presbyterian, Sam Houston State, San Diego, South Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin, Texas Southern, UT Martin, Weber State and Yale
Since 2010, 145 FCS players have been drafted – an average of over 18 per year. Many more players annually sign contracts with NFL teams as undrafted free agents.
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