IU director of athletics on why Curt Cignetti was the right fit

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — IU head coach Curt Cignetti is leading the football program to unprecedented levels.

The Hoosiers are ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in program history. They have set a program record for wins in each of the past two seasons. Plus, IU won its first bowl game since 1991 this season, winning the Rose Bowl.

“The first time I talked to Coach Cig on the phone, I could tell I just felt like, boy, this is someone who’s different,” IU director of athletics Scott Dolson said.

The reason Cignetti is a Hoosier is because of Dolson.

“We wanted a coach that really had the qualities that we felt could could win consistently,” Dolson said. “We wanted an existing head coach. That’s kind of the science part. The art part, is we wanted someone that really fit with us, that was authentic, that our fans could embrace, that really wanted to be here.”

It’s turned out to be a home run hire.

Cignetti was introduced as head coach in December of 2023, and few thought he would be able to turn this program around so quickly.

“I would say by day three, I remember saying to my wife, ‘It feels like he’s been here six months, because it feels like he’s just worked tirelessly already,'” Dolson said. “I know he said it from the we interviewed him to the time he arrived, he’d say there’s no self-imposed limitations, that he came here expecting to...