IU’s Curt Cignetti wins ‘Bear’ Bryant Coach of the Year award

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — The recognition keeps rolling in for IU football head coach Curt Cignetti, who won the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year award on Wednesday.

Cignetti helped lead the Hoosiers to their first national championship in program history, defeating Miami, 27-21, on Monday.

IU went undefeated with a 16-0 record this season.

Cignetti and the Hoosiers won the Rose Bowl for the first time in program history, which was also the program’s first bowl win since 1991.

IU beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, winning the Big Ten title for the first time since 1967.

The Hoosiers have set the program record for wins in a single season in both years of Cignetti’s tenure in Bloomington.

News release

“HOUSTON, January 21, 2026 — Curt Cignetti, head coach at Indiana University, was named national college football Coach of the Year at the American Heart Association’s Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant Awards, presented by Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System. The 40th annual awards program benefits the American Heart Association, devoted to changing the future to a world of healthier lives for all.

“‘We are honored to recognize coach Cignetti with this year’s Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant Coach of the Year Award,’ said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. ‘This award upholds coach B...