Curt Cignetti says what every college football fans can agree on fresh off Indiana’s title originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Indiana Hoosiers football coach Curt Cignetti never stays away from practically any topic, especially when it has to do with the success of his football team.
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It was no different after the Hoosiers beat the Miami Hurricanes in the national title game Monday, as they clinched a 16-0 season with a 27-21 triumph. Amid much scrutiny over Cignetti’s future in Indiana, he clarified that he will be in Bloomington for the long haul.
“Good question,” Cignetti told reporters, “Because I’ll be dealing with underclassmen going to the NFL tomorrow and who knows what else. And if I was smart, I’d probably retire. Then, I’d really be a story. But we need the money. What would I do? What would I do?”
What Cignetti will continue to do is coach, which he said he genuinely enjoys.
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“I’m a film junkie, and I like putting a team together, and we’re going to have a lot of challenges next season,” Cignetti said. “But I will have a chance to look back at what we got done. These guys made it happen. Let me tell you, we had some good senior leadership on this team.”
That leadership, of course, was led by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who has become a fan favorite almost overnight, before his fame ultimately skyrocketed after winning the Heisman Trophy.
“But this team was exceptionally close. And I think Fernando had a big part of that, and I think [Pat] Coogan and [Aiden] Fisher and going on the road with some of those guys — the Penn State game, what that did for this team, I can’t measure, when we were down and out and all the odds were against us, Second-and-17, running clock, one minute and 30 [seconds], and all of a sudden we recomposed and found a way to get that done. That was incredible.”
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There will be a lot of memories to look back on as the years go by. But if one aspect seems certain, Cignetti appears happy.
