NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Before the Montana State Bobcats take the field for the FCS national championship against Illinois State, the program paused Sunday to look back at the generations that helped build it.
Montana State opened its final walkthrough in Nashville to all former Bobcat football players, inviting alumni from every era to share the field and interact with the 2025 team just one day before Monday night’s title game.
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Head coach Brent Vigen said the goal was to make sure former players know they still matter and that the Bobcats' run of recent success would not be possible without them.
“You don’t always know as a former player whether you’re appreciated or not,” Vigen said. “So to be able to tell them and give them an opportunity to interact with our guys for just a few minutes is really impactful. Where we’re at right now is built on the peaks and valleys this program has been through.”
Former Bobcats lined the sideline as practice unfolded, creating a rare moment where decades of Montana State football overlapped in the same space — from recent alumni to players who wore the jersey more than half a century ago.
Montana State Hall of Fame quarterback Travis Lulay (2002-05) said the gathering highlighted how far the program has come.
“There’s a lot of guys that came before them that care just as much,” Lulay said. “This isn’t a one-off thing. There’s an expectation here now, and that’s a testament to everybody who came before them and the guys buying in.”
Among those in attendance was Jack Cameron, a running back for the Bobcats from 1958 to 1962, who said the event reflected what the program has always been about.
“It’s a brotherhood,” Cameron said. “They’re playing for each other. Nobody’s trying to grab the headlines. That’s how football’s supposed to be played.”
Former national champions were also part of the crowd, including members of the 1976 title team. Quarterback Paul Dennehey said the connection between past and present has grown stronger under Vigen.
“It’s fantastic the way everybody comes back and wants to be a part of this,” Dennehey said. “I don’t think there’s any question — this team has a chance to get it done.”
Recent alumni like Lance McCutcheon, now a wide receiver with the Tennessee Titans, said the event brought everything full circle.
“It’s special to bring everyone together like this,” McCutcheon said. “To support the current Bobcats and give them our best love going into (Monday).”
As the walkthrough wrapped up, the message from alumni was consistent — trust the work that got the Bobcats here.
“So much of the work that will happen in the game (Monday) has already been put in,” Lulay said. “All the things that got you here, that’s what you need to do (Monday).”
Montana State will face Illinois State in the FCS national championship on Monday night in Nashville, chasing the program’s first national title since 1984 — backed by generations of Bobcats who helped make the moment possible.
"I think our team values the brotherhood they have, but if they can see it in front of them here, these guys from all different eras, that's powerful," Vigen said. "They're going to be on the other side of the coin before they know it. But they're going to be Bobcats forever and they're going to have a group like this that can really support them."
