Montana State hosts downtown parade and Bobcat Stadium celebration

Montana State University is staging a full-scale celebration today for its national championship football team, beginning with a parade through downtown Bozeman at 10 a.m. and continuing with a recognition program at Bobcat Stadium beginning around 11:30 a.m. The events mark the community’s official salute to the squad that won the title on Jan. 5 with a 35-34 overtime victory over Illinois State, the program’s first national crown since 1984.

The parade route starts at the Bobcat Athletic Complex, travels north on South 11th Avenue to Main Street, turns east on Main to Highland Boulevard and returns west on Kagy Boulevard to Bobcat Stadium. The procession will include the football team and coaches, the Spirit of the West marching band, the Spirit Squad, the MSU rodeo team and other campus groups, giving fans multiple chances to see players up close as they move through the core of town.

Immediately after the parade the celebration shifts to Bobcat Stadium for a program expected to begin at approximately 11:30 a.m. Remarks will come from MSU Director of Athletics Leon Costello and MSU President Brock Tessman, along with football players and head coach Brent Vigen. The Spirit of the West will perform on the field, and the program will be followed by player availability for photos and autographs, offering family-friendly opportunities to capture the moment.

All events are free and open to the public. Fans are encouraged to wear gold in support of Bobcat Nation, and attendees can pick up a free gold rally towel while supplies last. The combination of a downtown parade and a stadium gathering gives the city and campus a chance to celebrate together, from Main Street viewing spots to photo lines on the turf.

For community members, the celebration is both a capstone to a season that produced an overtime thriller and a rare public moment to salute a program returning to the top of FCS football after more than four decades. Whether you want a front-row spot along the parade route, plan to gather on the stadium concourse, or hope to get a player autograph, arrive early to secure your position and plan for crowds along the route and at the stadium.

Today’s festivities are the official recognition of a championship run that energized Bozeman and the region; for fans, it’s a chance to take part in Bobcat history, share in the victory, and bring home a memory or two from a season the program will be building on in the months ahead.