Curt Cignetti’s trophy case has grown substantially since he became Indiana football’s head coach just over two years ago.
So far this season, Cignetti has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and has taken home three national coach of the year honors. He won his fourth Monday, as he was named the American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year.
With Cignetti also winning the award last season, he’s now the first coach to earn the award in back-to-back seasons since the award started in 1935
Cignetti guided the Hoosiers to their first 12-0 regular-season record and their first Big Ten Championship gamevictory over then-No. 1 Ohio State on Dec. 6. Under Cignetti redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza became the first Indiana player to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday.
Four Indiana head coaches have won AFCA Coach of the Year: Bo McMillin in 1945, John Pont in 1967, Tom Allen in 2020 and Cignetti in 2024 and 2025.
With its first No. 1 ranking in program history, Indiana awaits either the No. 8 University of Oklahoma or the No. 9 University of Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, California.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
