January 19, 2026, will forever belong to the Indiana Hoosiers. Curt Cignetti authored one of college football’s most remarkable turnaround tales, lifting Indiana to a national championship that rippled far beyond sports.

After toiling for years at smaller programs, the veteran coach led Indiana to the greatest turnaround in the sport’s history. But he already has a plan to keep it going.

An implicit “never too high, never too low” mantra governed Cignetti’s Hoosiers, and because of that they beat Miami 27–21 Monday to become the most unlikely national champion in college football history. It’s a mindset Cignetti has cultivated for years—dating back to his days at James Madison, as fans found out from his daughter Natalie Tuesday.

Forget the greatest job in college football history, Joel Klatt is ready to consider the job Curt Cignetti has done at Indiana as one of the best in sports history.

Not even rap stars in the wee hours of a Hoosiers celebration could deter Curt Cignetti whom, pausing that celebration, was already focused on work.

Back in the late 70s/early 80s, there was a quarterback on West Virginia's football roster by the name of Curt Cignetti, the son of former WVU head coach, Frank

The “Google Me” man, Curt Cignetti, just added a Natty feather into both his own cap and Indiana’s. With just 13 bowl trips in 130-plus years, the script flipped to a perfect 16-0 Natty run in the 2025-26 season.

Who is Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti's dad? Here's what to know on Frank Cignetti Sr. ahead of the Hoosiers' CFP championship game vs. Miami.