Indiana’s Curt Cignetti Honored Again for Football Success
Curt Cignetti of Indiana University has once again been named the Associated Press coach of the year in college football. This marks the second year in a row he has received this honor.
Cignetti is now the first coach since the award began in 1998 to win it two years running. He joins a small group of coaches who have won it twice, including some of the best in the sport.
At 64 years old, Cignetti has led the Hoosiers to a remarkable 24-2 record in his two seasons. He took over a program that had struggled for many years and has turned it into a winning team. Last year, the Hoosiers won their first 10 games and reached the College Football Playoff.
This year, Cignetti has done even better. Indiana is undefeated at 13-0 and won the Big Ten championship for the first time since 1967. The team is ranked number one in the AP poll and is the top seed in the College Football Playoff. He also coached Indiana’s first Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Cignetti won the coach of the year award by a large margin. He received 47 first-place votes from a panel of 52 media members.
Cignetti’s success at Indiana is especially impressive considering the program’s history. In 2022, the Hoosiers became the first major college football program to lose 700 games. Before Cignetti arrived, the team had never won more than nine games in a season. Now, they have won at least ten games for two years in a row and completed a perfect regular season.
After winning the Big Ten championship against Ohio State, Cignetti said that the victory was another step forward for his program. He believes that with the right people, a good plan, and dedication, anything is possible.
