One call flipped the script in Bloomington. In November 2023, Curt Cignetti landed the Hoosiers’ head coaching gig, and Indiana hasn’t looked back since. But how did he feel about taking over the “losingest team” in college football? The Indiana athletic director spills the story of Cignetti’s first words when he took over the reins as the Hoosiers’ boss.

“Two years ago, on a Wednesday night about 10:15, I called Curt Cignetti on the phone, and I said, ‘Coach, you’re gonna be the next head football coach at Indiana University, and we’re gonna top the world,’ recalled Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson.

And there was a pause. And he said, ‘You’re blankety-blank right we are going to, Scott, let’s go!”

Cignetti was on fire at James Madison in 2023. He compiled a 19-4 mark in the Dukes’ first two FBS seasons. Fresh off being named Sun Belt Coach of the Year, he caught the attention of Indiana. 

But he had to step into the hot seat to replace head coach Tom Allen, who was fired after going 33-49 in seven seasons.

On November 29, 2023, Dolson spent the day with University President Pam Whitten, hopping from airport to airport to interview three finalists for the position. They held a private discussion at one of the undisclosed locations to deliberate over the candidates.

“We kind of knew that’s where we were going to go,” the Indiana athletic director said in an interview with The Herald-Times.

While Dolson and Whitten wrapped up in-person interviews with Cignetti, he flew home to ponder the offer. The then-James Madison head coach even admitted to his wife, Manette, that staying at James Madison was the plan.

Cignetti viewed the Dukes as a “premier job” and had a lucrative contract extension on the table from the school. However, Dolson could woo Cignetti.

“He kind of moved on in a way, but I didn’t ask him, ‘Would you be the next coach?’ I said, ‘You’re going to be the next coach,’” the athletic director shared. 

Indiana fans must be forever thankful to Dolson for making that call, as the rest is history.

When Cignetti took the Indiana job in December, he signed a six-year, $27 million deal. He left James Madison, where he earned $677,311, intending to turn around the Hoosiers’ historically struggling football program.

Cignetti then guided Indiana to its first-ever 10-win season. Even entering 2025, following an impressive 11‑2 campaign in 2024, the Hoosiers still carried 715 all-time losses, the most of any program in college football.

From there, to lifting the Natty, the first in the Hoosiers’ history, Cignetti did something magical. He capped the marvelous run with a memorable speech at Indiana’s championship celebration.

Curt Cignetti revs up the excitement for Indiana’s next chapter

On Saturday, January 24, Cignetti and the Hoosiers made a final march from Assembly Hall to Memorial Stadium. Freezing winds, temperatures barely above 10, and a snow forecast topping a foot didn’t stop the celebration of college football’s first 16-0 season in over a century. And Cignetti’s fiery speech made enduring the pain completely worth it.

“Chapter 3 begins tomorrow!” the head coach addressed the crowd.

Indiana’s rags-to-riches story has also left a mark on former US presidents. Both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton congratulated Cignetti and his team on X. However, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer had already put Cignetti on high alert, claiming that this honeymoon period would not last long.

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“Everyone is targeted. Everyone is a target,” Meyer dropped a blunt verdict. “I mean, the great staff, they just get poached, man.”

Cignetti reached the pinnacle in 2025, but his program’s meteoric rise turned it into a gold mine of talent. Winning the Natty can make a coach and program prime poaching material. Jim Harbaugh’s departure from Michigan after his championship is a prime example. 

Curt Cignetti proved Dolson’s call right, but now he must take Indiana through another season without losing key pieces.