‘Lifetime memory maker:’ Montana State’s national championship-winning football team honored with parade, celebration

BOZEMAN - Many of the thousands of people gathered on Main Street in downtown Bozeman Saturday morning came wearing blue and gold. There were adults and kids, college students and grandparents, babies and toddlers. They shook pom-poms and waved giant foam hands. They threw footballs and clanged cow bells. And they cheered and waved and took selfies and videos as a parade rolled east on Main Street - all in celebration of the Montana State University football team's recent national championship victory.

Included in the parade were MSU's football student-athletes and coaches, walking and riding on flatbed semi-trucks; the cheer team and the Spirit of the West marching band, playing the MSU fight song; head football coach Brent Vigen and his wife, Molly; MSU President Brock Tessman and his family; Director of Athletics Leon Costello; and, on horseback, members of MSU's rodeo team. Police cars and a fire truck led the parade.

"Go 'Cats!" Tessman called out to a kid in the crowd.

"Go 'Cats!" the girl responded.

As they proceeded along the parade route, football players gave high-fives to fans and took turns hoisting the NCAA trophy the team received in recognition of its Football Championship Subdivision victory. The Bobcats defeated the Illinois State Redbirds 35-34 on Monday, Jan. 5, in Nashville. The dramatic win was the first FCS championship game in history to go into overtime and gave MSU its first football national title since 1984. It was also the best-attended FCS championship since 1996, with more than 24,000 fans present in Vanderbilt University's FirstBank Stadium.  

After Saturday's parade, the celebration continued at Bobcat Stadium. There, approximately 4,000 fans gathered on the field to listen to Tessman, Vigen, Costello, football players Taco Dowler, Justin Lamson and Kenneth Eiden IV, and others reflect on the victory.

"There is no doubt, there is no hesitation, we have the greatest university, the greatest athletic director, the greatest football head coach, the greatest players and the greatest football team in the United States of America," Tessman proclaimed.

"What this football team accomplished this year represents something that will stand the test of time," he continued. "Not just because of the banners that will hang and the trophies that we have to display, but because of the achievement and what it means for the campus, the community (and) the entire state of Montana. This is a lifetime memory maker, and I thank each and every one of our players, each and every part of our community, for making it possible. This is a forever deal, MSU. Let's enjoy it!"

In his remarks, Vigen said that MSU and its football team have "been special for many, many years.

"There's been championships before, there have been teams that have come close, and everything in between. They share a piece of this for sure," Vigen said. "But this group. … This team to me was built on trust and love, period. And those moments when it becomes really hard, in a football game or in life, if you've got people you can trust, and people that you love, that you're fighting for, you can figure it out. You can become the most resilient team in the country. You can become the best team in the country."

Dowler, a star wide receiver from Billings who caught the touchdown pass in overtime on Jan. 5 to set up the team's winning extra point, said this moment is about much more than football.

"What we built together was never just about football," Dowler said. "It was built on character, accountability, toughness and representing the state the right way. Because of that, the championship belongs to more than just us. We know none of this happens without the people who support us, and that reaches beyond just this place. This isn't for Bozeman, it's not just for MSU, it's for the whole state of Montana and the Blue and Gold. We're raising the standard, owning the state and pushing this program forward.

"The work doesn't stop, and we're committed to getting better every single day," Dowler continued. "To the kids across Montana chasing big dreams: If you work hard, stay patient and take pride in where you're from, there's a program right here that believes in you guys. Thank you, Bobcat Nation - this championship is for you. Let's do it again. Go 'Cats!"