Indiana Winning National Championship Turns Resurfaced Curt Cignetti Clip Into Pure Cinema
Coach Cig knew what was coming.
Curt Cignetti's ‘Google Me’ quote, which he delivered to reporters shortly after he was hired at Indiana before the 2024 season, has turned into a calling card for the 64-year-old head coach. While that particular comment has since turned iconic, he also delivered quite the speech at an Indiana basketball game after being hired that aged like fine wine after he led the Hoosiers to a stunning national championship victory.
Cignetti took over for the Hoosiers after posting an overall record of 52-9 in five seasons as the head coach at James Madison. Making the move to the Big Ten was a significant step up, and taking over an Indiana program that had won three total conference games in three seasons was going to be a challenge.
It turns out that Cignetti was up for said challenge, and before coaching a single game in Bloomington, he put the Big Ten on notice by delivering a passionate speech in the middle of an Indiana basketball game against Maryland in Assembly Hall.
"I'm super fired up about this opportunity. I've never taken a backseat to anybody and don't plan on starting now," Cignetti began. "Purdue sucks, but so does Michigan and Ohio State!"
Prior to Cignetti's arrival on campus, Michigan led the all-time series against the Hoosiers by a count of 62-10, while the Buckeyes dominated their all-time series against IU by a count of 80-12-5. In other words, nobody associated with Indiana football had any right to talk any form of trash to the Wolverines or Buckeyes. But Cignetti not only saw an opportunity to fire up a group of fans, he also set a never-before-seen expectation within that program.
Well, mission accomplished, because just 25 months after Cignetti walked onto the hardwood at IU to send a message, the Hoosiers are national champions. In just two seasons, Cignetti dragged Indiana football from the depths of the sport's basement to the mountaintop.