MIAMI — Indiana men’s basketball’s five national championships have long been the calling card of Indiana University Athletics.
Former Indiana head coach Bob Knight led the Hoosiers to their three most recent titles on the hardwood in 1976, 1981 and 1987. Knight was famous not only for his teams’ success, but also for his off-the-court behavior, facial expressions and answers to reporters’ questions at press conferences.
Knight was revered by many across Indiana and even nationally, including western Pennsylvania native Curt Cignetti.
“It was 50 years ago, as a matter of fact,” Cignetti said during a press conference Sunday, “and I was a big Bob Knight fan as a little kid.”
With a victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship game over the No. 10 University of Miami at 7:30 p.m. Monday, the Hoosiers would finish a perfect 16-0 season 50 years after the Hoosiers’ basketball squad went 32-0 en route to a national title in 1976.
Many have drawn comparisons between Cignetti and Knight for the former’s tenacious persona throughout his two seasons at the helm of the Hoosiers. Cignetti has taken the college football world by storm with his patented sideline scowl and signature one-liners.
Perhaps his greatest moment in front of the Hoosier faithful occurred just hours after his introductory press conference Dec. 1, 2023 — when he said Purdue, Michigan and Ohio State all suck — inside the same venue Knight used to patrol the sidelines.
“I liked sort of the shenanigans and the faces at the press conferences and throwing the chair across the court,” Cignetti said Sunday. “I thought that was pretty cool.”
Cignetti has become a beloved coach by the Hoosier faithful in just over two years. He led the Cream and Crimson to a historic 11-2 season in 2024 before reloading the roster via the transfer portal and constructing the program’s greatest team in 2025.
The Hoosiers have met every test this season, including road victories over Iowa, Oregon and Penn State, a Big Ten title and two New Year’s Six bowl game victories. The Hurricanes are Indiana’s next challenge.
But for all the history Cignetti has made and his Knight fandom, he explained it doesn’t influence the Hoosiers chasing their first national championship in football. Cignetti and the Hoosiers have an opportunity to leave a legacy and elevate the football program to even more impossible levels.
“But it was 50 years ago,” Cignetti said, “and if we're able to climb that mountain, it'll be a unique coincidence.”
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.
