NASHVILLE, TN – Missouri S&T football alum and former Miners quarterback Josh Firm became a national champion last night, helping coach the Montana State Bobcats to a 35-34 overtime victory against Illinois State in yesterday's FCS championship game. Firm serves as the running backs coach for the Bobcats, coordinating a unit that ended the season ranked 5th in the FCS in rushing.
Firm served as the Miners starting quarterback during the 2011 and 2012 seasons, passing for over 4,000 yards and 41 touchdowns. After graduating from S&T, Firm went on to serve as the running backs student coach during the Miners' 2013 campaign before going on to stints with Wyoming, Morgan State, Snow College, Robert Morris, and most recently joining Montana State in 2025.
Under Coach Firm, the Bobcats have average 234.5 rushing yards per game with a total of 3,518 yards this season. The team had two running backs eclipse 1,000 yards rushing during the 2025 campaign, with both Julius Davis and Adam Jones surpassing the mark. The Bobcats had three rushing touchdowns in last night's championship game, helping Montana State earn their first championship since the 1984 season.