This season the IU men’s basketball team is wearing a jersey patch commemorating the 50th anniversary of the last undefeated team in college hoops.
Across the parking lot, the IU football team is 11-0 and has a chance to match the magical feat of Bob Knight’s 1976 national championship team.
The late Knight and IU football coach Curt Cignetti don’t have exactly the same personality, but it’s hard not to notice some similarities.
Cignetti says he hears the comparison often in Bloomington.
Cignetti told Nicole Auerbach in an interview for NBC Sports, “There are a lot of people here (in Indiana), I get along with a lot of them, that you and Coach Knight remind me of each other.” “People who knew him really well.”
Cignetti, 64, was 14 when IU went 32-0 in 1976, so he was in his prime as a budding young sports fan as Knight led Indiana basketball into its golden era.
Knight was a polarizing figure for sports fans outside the IU fan base. But Cignetti, who grew up in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, admired Knight from a distance.
“I liked Bobby Knight,” Cignetti said. “The way he trained, his intensity, his presence, he said exactly what was on his mind.”
Cignetti spoke his mind a year ago, believing it was necessary to boost confidence in what was possible at IU after decades of futility.
But 2025 has been different. Cignetti has been less vocal, and his Hoosiers have been widely acknowledged as one of college football’s elite.
And now IU football has its chance to put together a perfect season.
At 79.2%, Cignetti’s all-time winning percentage as a head coach is better than Knight’s 70.9%. But Cignetti has yet to do what Knight did three times — win a national title.
Could this be Cignetti’s breakout season on the 50th anniversary of Knight’s crowning achievement?
“I think what you’re asking is can we match the accomplishment of the basketball team,” Cignetti said. “I guess we’re going to find out.
“We’re going to have to spend a lot of days.”
For complete coverage of IU football, go here.
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