MSU's Vigen wins Eddie Robinson Award
BOZEMAN — In the midst of his football team’s historic regular season, Montana State coach Brent Vigen made more history Thursday when he became the program’s first Eddie Robinson Award winner.
Vigen led MSU to the outright Big Sky Conference championship with the first 12-0 regular season in league history. Now he’s the FCS coach of the year.
“I am extremely humbled to receive to this great honor on behalf of Montana State University and Bobcat football,” Vigen said. “I truly see this as a team award and so much credit goes to our staff and players. I want to thank our administration for their tremendous support and the opportunity to lead this great program.”
MSU’s fourth-year head coach was also named Big Sky Coach of the Year following the regular season. The Cats fared well in the Stats Perform national awards slate, with Tommy Mellott emerging as one of three Walter Payton Award invitees to the awards banquet on Jan. 4 and Adam Jones being runnerup for the Jerry Rice Award (Freshman of the Year).
Vigen is MSU’s fourth national coach of the year. Sonny Holland (1976) and Dave Arnold (1984) won divisional Kodak Coach of the Year honors following Bobcat national championship seasons, and Rob Ash was named Liberty Mutual National Coach of the Year in 2011.
A 56-member panel selected Vigen, with Tennessee State’s Eddie George second and UC Davis’ Tim Plough third.
Vigen, 44-9 in his fourth season with the Bobcats, is the fifth Big Sky coach to win the Robinson Award. The others were: Sacramento State’s Troy Taylor in 2019; Dan Hawkins with UC Davis in 2018; Montana’s Joe Glenn in 2000; and Chris Ault with Nevada in 1991.
The Cats advanced to the FCS title game in 2021, Vigen’s debut season, and to the semifinals in 2022.
one season later. “I want to congratulate Brent and the entire MSU football program on winning the prestigious Eddie Robison Coach of the Year award,” said MSU Director of Athletics Leon Costello. “He has orchestrated the best regular season in all of FCS and the best regular season in the rich history of Montana State football. He is a first-class person that runs a first-class program and so deserving of this award.”
He will be presented with the 38th Eddie Robinson Award, named for Grambling State’s legendary coach, at the Stats Perform FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 4 in Frisco, Texas.