The Running President: How Brock Tessman’s Athletic Past Shapes His Leadership at Montana State

If you make it to the track or trail early enough in the morning, you just might run into Brock Tessman. The new Montana State University president is well removed from his days as a collegiate runner, but the sport and the act of running are still deeply meaningful to him. The early hours are when it is easiest for him to get the miles in, a practice he sees as crucial to his role. “Running is a really important part of my life, and it’s an important part of my role as president,” Tessman, 49, told the Daily Chronicle. He explained that while his duty is to the campus and the state, he believes he will be a better president in the long run if he can incorporate running into his daily routine.

The lessons learned from his time running at Brown from 1994 to 1998 and Colorado from 1998 to 1999 continue to influence his approach to being a university president. One of the most significant lessons came not from an athletic success, but from a misadventure. While at Brown, Tessman struggled with injuries, but he had a strong senior year, winning the 1,500 meters at the 1998 Ivy League Outdoor Championships. His personal best in the event came that same year and remains third in program history. With a year of eligibility remaining in cross country and outdoor track, he transferred to Colorado. It was at this point that things “didn’t really work out,” as Tessman frankly puts it. He was unfamiliar with the graduate program he enrolled in, and more injuries followed. His cross country team faced heartbreak when their number two runner died in a bicycling accident. Tessman ultimately dropped out of his master’s program for a brief, unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 2000 Olympics. He later returned to CU to earn both his master’s and a doctorate. Looking back on the decision to attend CU, Tessman is proud that he “took a chance, and I went for something, believing in myself.” He believes that without those formative years in Colorado, he would not be a university president today. His takeaway from that experience applies to both the general student body and student-athletes: “It’s important for our students to live in their minds, but also lead with their gut.”

Tessman’s experience as a university president is coming at arguably the most difficult and complicated time in the history of college athletics. At Northern Michigan University, where he served as president until this summer, the athletic department was primarily Division II, with the exception of men’s hockey. He found that with 17 teams, it was a challenge to allocate appropriate resources. What he appreciates about Montana State is that it is easier to have financially supported and competitive programs with its 13 teams in eight sports. However, the college sports landscape is still grappling with conference realignment, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, a freer transfer portal, and revenue sharing. Tessman is mindful of these hurdles but feels the university is well-positioned to succeed thanks to the leadership of Director of Athletics Leon Costello. “This is a scenario where you understand the rules of the game as best you can,” Tessman said, “and then you win the game.” He acknowledged that he may not wholeheartedly support all of the changes in college athletics, but he accepts that it is the current reality and that MSU will figure out a way to maintain competitive excellence.

He expressed his appreciation for the support the university receives from the Quarterback Club and the Bobcat Collective, stating that MSU has handled the new challenges in an appropriate way. While Tessman is broadly supportive of student-athletes being rewarded for their value, he believes that the “mercenary attitude” seen at some top athletic departments might not be the right fit for Montana State. He worries that athletes in those environments may not get out of their athletic experience what they think they will. He is glad that MSU maintains a “developmental” approach to team building across all of its athletic programs, which allows fans to get to know players as they grow and succeed. While he acknowledges that MSU football, in particular, may face significant changes to remain competitive, he doesn’t want it to come at the expense of the school’s values. He believes that while some programs will separate from tradition in the coming years, MSU will not, and will still have a top college football team.

Tessman has taken over for Waded Cruzado, who, in her 15-year tenure, became an ardent supporter of Montana State’s sporting culture. Early on, Tessman has continued to bring that same enthusiasm from the president’s office. Head football coach Brent Vigen said that Tessman’s view of where athletics fit in the grand scheme of things is what a coach looks for in a university president. He added that Tessman is engaged and has a clear vision for the university and the athletic department’s role within it. Costello has been impressed with Tessman’s communication skills and love for teamwork, which he attributes to his background as an athlete. Tessman believes his running career taught him a valuable lesson for life: you can “plug away, you plug away, setback after setback, it feels like you’re not making any progress, and then things come together and you make a big leap forward.” Like his predecessor, Tessman believes that athletics are a powerful driver of MSU’s land-grant mission, with the ability to foster a deep connection to the community and the state. He sees a sold-out Bobcat Stadium as a form of the land-grant mission, bringing people together around a shared dream. “I could not be more enthusiastic or centered on athletics,” he said, “and it’s not because I just believe in the sideshow. It is actually at the very center of what it means to be a land-grant university in 2025. I believe in that through and through.”