MSU Bobcats to visit White House Wednesday

BOZEMAN — The national champion Bobcats are jetting to Washington, D.C.

Montana State’s football team, which won its first national championship since 1984 by beating Illinois State 35-34 in overtime on Jan. 5, are visiting the White House Wednesday morning. Among the first to report the news was KPAX.com on Tuesday; by late afternoon the MSU program’s Twitter/x.com account, @MSUBobcats_FB, had posted four photos along with the statement, “Wheels up to D.C.”

Montana State sent out a release at 7:45 p.m.

“Our players will remember this trip for the rest of their lives, and they’ve earned it,” coach Brent Vigen said in the release. “This group answered a hard championship loss two years ago by fighting their way back to the championship game, competing against a tough opponent and finishing the job in overtime. That says everything about who they are.”

The Bobcats are squeezing in the trip ahead of the opening of their fall camp, which starts with a 3 p.m. practice on Thursday. That follows a media day at MSU’s indoor practice facility that starts with a press conference with Vigen at 9:30 a.m. 

Montana State has its first full-pads practice set for Aug. 5 and will get in 20 practices before holding a mock game on Aug. 22. On Aug. 29 the Bobcats open their season at Utah Tech, a new member of the Big Sky Conference. 

“This is a tremendous honor for our entire university and for the state of Montana,” Montana State President Brock Tessman said in the MSU release. “Forty-one years is a long time to wait, and our players, coaches and staff earned every bit of this moment through their hard work and determination all season long. We’re grateful for the opportunity to be recognized on a national stage once again.” 

Leon Costello, MSU’s director of athletes, added: “Teams at every level of competition, in nearly every sport, have for years been invited to the White House to be recognized for their achievements, and we are all extremely proud that the Montana State Bobcats will join in that tradition. 

“We also, especially, want to thank the Bobcat donors who supported the trip,” Costello added. “Our student-athletes have this opportunity because of their generosity.”

The Bobcats went 14-2 and won the Big Sky title last fall for the third time in Vigen’s five seasons at the helm, They were picked by both the league’s coaches and media as the favorite for 2026. 

They put a total of 11 players on the preseason all-Big Sky team, with Taco Dowler making it at three different spots (receiver, punt returner and all-purpose). Safety Caden Dowler, Taco’s twin, is the league’s preseason Defensive Player of the Year. 

Montana, which was 13-2 in 2025 with both losses coming to the Bobcats, was second in both polls. The Grizzlies open their fall camp Friday with their first practice set for Monday afternoon. Running back Eli Gillman — the preseason Offensive Player of the Year — and Co. open their season at home on Aug. 29 against the Big Sky’s other “new” member, Southern Utah.