"Curt Cignetti knows winning. No matter where he finds himself, whether it's James Madison or with the Division II IUP Crimson Hawks, success follows him. Since getting the opportunity to lead a program, Cignetti has never had a losing season. When Indiana hired him in November 2023, the Hoosiers were the program with the most all-time losses in college football history, and ended the season with a 3-9 record under Tom Allen."
"On New Year's Day, Indiana will face Alabama in the highly anticipated Rose Bowl matchup. The Crimson Tide have a rich postseason history and a tradition of championships, but the Hoosiers are the favorites to win. That is the Cignetti effect. In two years, he transformed the program from an unranked team, spending most of its time at the bottom of the Big Ten Conference, to the No. 1 team in the country with a Heisman-winning quarterback, Fernando Mendoza."
""When he speaks, it means something," Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones said. "He's not gonna go around and hype you up, tell you something you want to hear, he'll tell you what you need to hear and that's what makes him so special as a coach." That kind of tough love echoes throughout the team, Jones said. Whether it's the fifth-string linebacker or the starting linebacker, Cignetti and his staff coach everyone the same way."
Curt Cignetti turned around Indiana football in two years, elevating the program to the nation's No. 1 ranking and producing Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Cignetti has never had a losing season at any program he has led, including stops at James Madison and Division II IUP. Indiana hired him in November 2023 after a 3-9 season that left the program holding the most all-time losses in college football and in need of rebuilding. The Hoosiers enter the Rose Bowl against Alabama as favorites despite Alabama's storied postseason history. Cignetti's demanding, consistent coaching and emphasis on team unity foster player trust and buy-in.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]