He wore a gray suit and an open white shirt, pacing every corner of the white map of Indiana that forms the foundation of the basketball team’s logo at center court of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. With a microphone in hand, he seemed not to need it as he preached loudly to an audience of Hoosiers fans. These fans had faith in their university and athletic program, but many had little reason to extend that faith to the football team.
That night, during a timeout interrupting IU’s Big Ten basketball game against Maryland, they were introduced to Curt Cignetti.
“Hey, look, I’m super fired-up about this opportunity,” he declared, his Yinzer accent evident in every word. “I’ve never taken a backseat to anybody – and don’t plan on starting now.”
“Purdue sucks. But so does Michigan and Ohio State!”
In just 30 words, Cignetti delivered a soliloquy that any committed Hoosier might compare to Shakespeare’s finest work. Who knows how many fans walked out of the arena that night believing Indiana football was on the verge of becoming a Big Ten contender? But one thing was clear: IU football was about to be different.
Transforming Indiana Football
This transformation? It’s not just a dream. Imagine Indiana competing for a national championship. Who could have imagined that? Historically, Indiana football has struggled, entering the season with the lowest winning percentage of any program in a power conference. The Hoosiers had recorded only three winning seasons in this century and were 78 games under .500 since the 2000 season. Their Big Ten competition record was dismal, with a winning percentage of just .251, and they had won fewer than two league games ten times.
But Cignetti’s arrival marked a turning point. He attracted 31 transfers to IU ahead of the 2024 football season, including 13 players who had played for him on an 11-2 team at James Madison. This influx of talent helped elevate his career record to an impressive 130-36.
Cignetti’s Winning Philosophy
What has become one of Cignetti’s most famous quotes emerged during his introduction as Indiana coach in December 2023. When asked how he sells the “vision of your culture,” he responded with confidence, “I win. Google me.”
This wasn’t an unreasonable question, considering Cignetti was a relatively new name on the coaching carousel, despite his four decades in the business. It was crucial for those introducing him to explain what made him successful at his previous coaching stops.
Cignetti acknowledged feeling weary at times, not due to doubts about his ability but because of the prevailing sentiment that even coaching legends like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer couldn’t turn IU into a winner. “I love it. It fires us up,” said center Mike Katic. “It shows that our leader has this much confidence. It rubs off on the players, and we carry that same amount of confidence and swagger.”
Imagine what sports fans would have lost had Cignetti not “bet on himself” by taking the head coaching job at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), leaving a prestigious position on Saban’s Alabama staff. His journey is not just about the games he won at IUP, Elon, and James Madison; it’s about his unique ability to make bold declarations that resonate with fans and players alike.
Setting New Records
In 2024, Cignetti made headlines as Indiana set a school record for Big Ten conference wins with an 8-1 mark. They recorded a staggering 66-0 victory over rival Purdue, marking their largest margin against an FBS opponent. The Hoosiers built a 10-game winning streak, the longest in program history, and finished the regular season with an 11-1 overall record—Indiana’s first double-digit win season ever.
“He’s just a football guy. You can tell that just by shaking his hand,” said All-American linebacker Aiden Fisher, who followed Cignetti from James Madison. “Everything is always about winning football games, being the best player or person you could be. That’s something I didn’t want to get away from.”
Cignetti’s confidence in his program stems from his family background in football and his experience working with coaching legends. He took a significant pay cut to become the head coach at IUP, a move that many would consider unconventional. “I woke up many mornings thinking: What did I do?” he recalled.
However, he quickly turned IUP into a winner, and his success continued at the Division I FCS level, where he led Elon and James Madison to conference championships.
Commitment to Indiana
As Cignetti delivered this astonishing season to Indiana, it became evident that some FBS program would offer him a lucrative deal to leave. Earning $4.25 million, he found himself only 49th among D1 head coaches. However, on November 16, after the Hoosiers reached 9-0 with a win over Michigan, he accepted a new contract from Indiana that will run until 2032, paying him $8 million annually, along with a $1 million annual retention bonus.
During an interview on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff program, he managed to be both droll and audacious. “I was used to a standard and winning championships, year-in, year out,” he said, reflecting on the dark cloud that previously loomed over the program. “I wasn’t going to lower my standards or expectations.”
Cignetti’s belief in his vision and his players has been contagious. “It was really the winning culture that he brings,” Katic noted. “It’s just the confidence he has in himself and his players. It’s very easy to buy into.”
As the Hoosiers prepare for their upcoming game against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, the excitement surrounding Indiana football is palpable. With Cignetti at the helm, the future looks bright for a program that has long been searching for its identity.
