INDIANAPOLIS — Greg Farrall will be the first to admit his extreme superstition.
Lucky socks, mid-game t-shirt changes, whole outfits. Doesn’t matter. Farrall, whose 22 career sacks still rank him in the top five in Indiana football history, will go to whatever lengths necessary to avoid tempting the long, unforgiving hand of fate.
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That’s why Farrall refused to buy tickets to Saturday night’s Big Ten championship game until after the Hoosiers finished their 12-0 season with a Bucket game win against Purdue nine days ago.
“Wouldn’t jinx it,” he said.
An Ohio native, Farrall was born and raised a Buckeye. His 87-year-old mother still has season tickets at Ohio Stadium.
But there was no question of loyalties in the Farrall family Saturday night. He might have waited for absolute certainty to make his plans, but Farrall wouldn’t have missed this for the world.
Bill Mallory’s old linebacker was one of tens of thousands of Indiana fans combing the streets of Indianapolis during a once-in-a-lifetime moment for any college fan Saturday. This is the story of that day, through the eyes and words of the Hoosiers who lived it.
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Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson
1:54 p.m. Saturday
Scott Dolson stayed in Bloomington on Friday night after his football team got a police-plus-Indy car escort out of Memorial Stadium to Indianapolis. Dolson instead watched his volleyball team sweep Colorado in straight sets to advance to its first NCAA tournament round-of-16 appearance in 15 years, celebrating with Steve Aird’s crew before making it up to Indy around 10 p.m.
Dolson breakfasted with Indiana’s football team Saturday morning before joining Darian DeVries and the men’s basketball team ahead of the afternoon’s game against Louisville.
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His first dreams of this day started last summer when his deputy, Stephen Harper, ducked into his office to let him know Indiana had found a date for the Louisville game. It overlapped, Harper said, with the Big Ten championship down the street.
“We both said that could be one of the biggest days in IU history,” Dolson said.
Still, Dolson would not make any assumptions. As recently as the first quarter of the Hoosiers’ Bucket game at Purdue, he sat inside the visiting administration’s suite at Ross-Ade Stadium watching stressfully. Nothing guaranteed, nothing taken for granted.
Maybe that’s why Dolson wanted to spread gratitude wherever he could Saturday afternoon, moving from fan to fan, donor to donor, with a simple but — for him — important message, as the Fieldhouse waited for tipoff in the afternoon matinee: Thank you.
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“Trying to thank as many people as possible,” he said. “I know people have made a huge effort to be here. It costs a lot of money, a lot of time, and we have so much of our fanbase here. It’s such a big number that I’ve tried to reach out and touch as many people as I can.”
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7:41 p.m. Saturday
Dolson stood near the 40-yard line, chatting idly with Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti.
The two have been close since Petitti’s arrival in 2023. Among conference ADs, Dolson works intimately on the committee dealing with television and media rights, significant to Petitti’s professional experience before coming to the Big Ten.
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These have been heady days for Dolson, understandably. His decision to spend eight figures of what turned out to be university money to buy out Tom Allen might have seemed reckless at the time. For a football program invigorated like it never has been in its history, that decision turned out instead to be inspired.
As Dolson and Petitti spoke, an IU fan leaned over the railing along the front row of the Lucas Oil Stadium lower bowl.
“Scott Dolson!” the fan shouted. “You’re the man! Thank you so much for hiring (football coach Curt) Cignetti, you’re the best.”
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12:47 a.m. Sunday
Dolson stood in a puddle of confetti, fighting back tears as he explained what all this has meant.
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He had hugged everyone he could find. Taken photos with every member of his family. Shared quiet moments — as quiet as the Lucas Oil Stadium field can get right now — with players, coaches, colleagues, friends. His wife, Heidi, stood nearby.
Her brother, Andy Hipskind, was Indiana’s team physician for years. He served as IU athletics’ chief medical officer starting in 2014. Grew up in Bloomington. Ran track for Sam Bell.
Less than a month before his death from cancer in 2021, Hipskind was awarded Indiana University’s prestigious bicentennial medal.
He received it on the Memorial Stadium field.
“My father-in-law, my brother-in-law,” Dolson said late Saturday, his voice shaking. “My brother-in-law, our team doctor, I think of him.
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“I’m so happy for Hoosier nation and all of our fans. They’ve just been with us. This is the biggest reward we can give them. It just means so much.”
He walked off into the Indianapolis night. There were miles and miles still yet to travel.
Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti celebrates with his team Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, after winning the Big Ten football championship against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Athletic director Scott Dolson, second from left, cheers with players and staff.
Former IU football player Greg Farrall
4:44 p.m. Saturday
The line at Kilroy’s downtown stretched down Meridian, those shades of red fighting for space and supremacy.
Pulling the basketball-football doubleheader, Farrall decided, was a bit much, but he and a handful of friends and former teammates eventually pointed themselves toward the Big Red Warm-Up, an $85-a-ticket event hosted by Indiana at the convention center.
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“Thousands of Hoosiers in one room,” Farrall said. “Home with our people.”
Eventually, dignitaries including IU president Pam Whitten joined the crowd. The marching band played ABBA’s Fernando, Indiana’s unofficial and progressively popular anthem in an ode to their Heisman-favorite quarterback. The loss to Louisville did nothing to dampen anyone’s spirits.
Closing in on 90 minutes from kickoff, IU fans across the city bubbled with hope.
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9:34 a.m. Sunday.
“Just a dream.”
Permanently superstitious, Farrall still reserved celebration with two seconds left on the clock Saturday night. The last 30 years, he admitted later, have been “so tough.”
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Phone out all night, Farrall snapped a picture with his wife, Liz, early on. Later, he captured another 34-second video from near midfield, as the Hoosiers flooded across the turf in celebration, captured a thousand moments at once.
Former IU football player Greg Farrall and his wife, Liz, pose for the camera inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.
Jubilation on the field, celebration and catharsis in the stands. Hugs, tears, smiles. Hoarse whispers of “go Hoosiers” between friends and loved ones still scarcely believing what’s unfolded in front of them.
All those tough years. All of them worth it, for a moment like this.
Indiana radio play-by-play announcer Don Fischer
8 a.m. Saturday
Don Fischer’s preparation for Saturday started a week ago. That’s not terribly uncommon, but football games take more time, and with basketball’s Minnesota trip midweek, Fischer didn’t want to waste time.
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The longtime voice of IU sports, of course, did the double dip Saturday. Just about everything he needed fit in his briefcase — Fischer had two producers Saturday, one to handle each game — and a man who broke into the business calling the Illinois state basketball finals (two games a day over two days) learned early how to manage tight turnarounds.
“That’s a pretty significant challenge,” Fischer said. “I learned at that point in time, you’ve got to be totally prepared. If you’re not, you’re dead in the water.”
Don Fischer’s broadcast notes are laid out ahead of Indiana’s basketball game against Louisville on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Fischer called both the Hoosiers’ basketball and football games Saturday.
He’s on record admitting he never quite envisioned anything like this, particularly in football. But like so many Indiana fans he’s loving every minute he’s living along the journey.
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Where exactly Fischer would find time for lunch remained to be determined.
“That,” Fischer said, “is a good question.”
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6:45 p.m. Saturday
Fischer estimated he’s called maybe 40 games inside either the old Hoosier Dome or Lucas Oil Stadium. But any of this magnitude?
“Are you kidding?” he replied with a smile.
The trek over from Gainbridge wasn’t too taxing, thanks to Ryan Skaggs. IUPD’s officer attached to the university’s men’s basketball coach, Skaggs knew a colleague driving from one game to the other, and he arranged a pickup so Fischer could make the trip more easily.
With his second producer on hand getting things set up for the football game, the transition actually turned out to be quite smooth.
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“The guy was waiting for me outside the media entrance,” Fischer said.
Don Fischer’s game notes sit on the desk in front of his broadcast position Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium. Fischer began preparing for Saturday’s game a week in advance.
He still hadn’t answered the question of a meal, but the 50-person line by the buffet area in the press box suggested Fischer knew where to look.
“I could fall over at any time,” he joked.
In truth, like so many others, he was nestled in comfortably for the long night ahead.
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4:51 p.m. Sunday
Fischer’s wife, Susy, was waiting up for him when he got home during the dark hours of Sunday morning. Normally she’s long asleep when he walks in the door, but not this night.
It took IU’s radio broadcast about 45 minutes to track down Cignetti, because of the trophy lift and the Big Ten’s mandatory cooling off period. In truth, the celebration had begun on the broadcast before the final whistle.
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Once Charlie Becker hauled in the catch that bled the last of Ohio State’s timeouts, Fischer and analyst Buck Suhr — himself a longtime former IU assistant — started “having a little bit of fun on the air.”
Fischer’s brother, David, lives in Salt Lake City and listened to the radio broadcast via an app. David called Sunday and told Don he and Suhr had “sounded a little too cocky there at the end.” Don knew better. There would be no last-second letdown.
“Cig’s teams,” Fischer said, “don’t let that happen if they’re in that position.”
Curt Cignetti reserved a special shoutout for Fischer, now in his 53rd season calling IU sports, once he joined the radio crew.
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“Talking,” Fischer said, “about the fact that I hung around for this long, to be a part of something like this, which was kind of cool.”
Afterward, Fischer walked back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to pick up his car and drive home to Greenwood, where Susy was waiting for him.
They turned on the Big Ten Network coverage, by then into highlights and repeats, and stayed up until 3:30 a.m. soaking it all in.
“It was a long night,” Fischer said, “but a really, really fun night, to say the least.”
Indiana men’s basketball and football broadcaster Don Fischer also hosts a weekly coaches show for both programs.
IU alumnus, motivational speaker Michelle Maros
2:44 p.m. Saturday
Michelle Maros and her mother, Barb Schmidt, flew in from Boca Raton, Florida, with plans to take in the whole day.
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Maros, who graduated from IU in 2008, is one half of a mother-daughter motivational speaking team with a total social media reach in the hundreds of thousands. They co-founded Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life, a non-profit organization dedicated to mental health and wellness, and they co-host a podcast, Barb Knows Best, together.
They are also lifelong Indiana fans who spent their morning walking through downtown Indianapolis marveling at the sheer turnout around them.
“It’s so fun to feel the excitement for the football game tonight,” Maros said. “Growing up an IU fan, and my whole family going (to school) there, it’s always been basketball first, of course. Now, to feel like football is the star is such a new experience.”
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8:40 p.m. Saturday
Maros and her mother retreated to their hotel between games to rest, then attended IU’s alumni event before orienting themselves toward the stadium.
The line, Maros said, “was long, but not too bad,” ahead of what turned out to be not just a sold-out Big Ten championship but, in fact, a record crowd of 68,214 souls packed inside Lucas Oil Stadium for the first 1-2 matchup in the history of this game.
So much of this weekend was framed around the teams involved, and in particular, like this story, the experience of IU fans navigating two games back to back. It should not get lost that this will have been an absolute economic boon for a city fiercely proud of its ability to manage events of exactly this grand scale.
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Saturday will have been special for IU fans. Indianapolis happily shared in the fun.
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1:24 p.m. Sunday
There were, Maros said, a few Ohio State fans in their section sweating out the final minutes amid a sea of cream and crimson. They disappeared after the final “nerve-wracking” seconds ticked away, and the celebration began.
“So many were in disbelief, but so happy,” Maros said. “I lost my voice a bit from cheering, but definitely worth it.”
By Sunday afternoon, she was already checking flights to Los Angeles, where Indiana will play on New Year’s Day in its first Rose Bowl since 1968.
She was hardly alone.
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KMOX TV sports director Tom Ackerman
2:59 p.m. Saturday
Tom Ackerman drove from his home in St. Louis to Bloomington on Friday, where he stayed with a friend near Lake Monroe before migrating up I-69 Saturday morning.
A 1997 IU-Bloomington graduate now working as sports director at KMOX, the Cardinals’ flagship station, he’s been as invigorated by football’s rise as any of his fellow alumni. Ackerman started Saturday with a stroll around Monument Circle and a lengthy wait in the line at Kilroy’s.
Waiting for some friends, Ackerman heard someone shout his name from the back room. He turned and found two of his old Sigma Pi brothers, Jason Williams and Brad Boycks, staring him down. Ackerman estimated he hadn’t seen the pair in at least 20 years.
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“You could say it’s random,” he said. “Or so IU.”
Tom Ackerman, right, sits with friends during down time Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Indianapolis. Ackerman, an IU alum who works as sports director at KMOX in St. Louis, attended both Indiana’s basketball and football games.
Ackerman gladly blended new friends and old, the group spending pregame together before migrating over to Gainbridge Fieldhouse before tipoff.
The Louisville game didn’t go as planned, but that dampened no one’s spirit.
“It’s been,” he said, “a tremendous day already.”
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1:46 a.m. Sunday
Ackerman got back to Bloomington a little before 2 a.m. Before driving back to a friend’s house to crash, he stopped at the Jimmy John’s on Kirkwood downtown. He needed a bite to eat, and more than that he needed to see the celebration.
“I had to see what Kirkwood was like,” he said.
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The city of Bloomington blocked off parking spots near the city’s most popular downtown bars, just in case things got too … jubilant.
Nothing was on fire, at least not yet. Just thousands of students and fans flooding the main thoroughfare cutting through the heart of a town that’s never known or loved college football quite like this.
Normally, Ackerman hosts a Sunday morning show on KMOX. He had someone else anchor this one and called in remotely. A worthwhile arrangement.
Ackerman admitted entering Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night was like “walking into a dream.” It was nothing compared to walking out.
“I’ve attended and covered a lot of sporting events in my life,” he said. “That one will be up there forever.”
IU football diehard fan Josh James
11:30 a.m. Saturday
Josh James’ traveling party decided to park at Lucas Oil Stadium late Saturday morning and make base camp there. His wife, Kate, his father and a friend made the drive up for the Louisville game. That cast would change slightly for football, but there was a lot of Saturday to navigate before that happened.
It turned out they beat the crowd — the only person they found in the lot was an Ohio State fan tailgating solo, more than eight hours from kickoff.
“Admire the commitment!” James said in a text.
The same could be said for James, who meal plans for football tailgates weeks in advance with his wife. Once they receive their season tickets and parking passes, in the grass lots just south of Memorial Stadium, they start building out menus.
A day like this has been a long time coming.
Warring shades filled whatever downtown establishment they tried, Louisville red, Indiana crimson and Buckeye scarlet weaving an enormous tapestry of collegial color. James, a financial planner based in Bloomington, eventually landed on Pearl Street Pizzeria & Pub, where he ran into a college friend he hadn’t seen in 15 years.
All three fanbases blended peacefully, finding common ground in watching Purdue get buried at home by Iowa State.
“Just an incredible energy downtown,” James said.
His party headed to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the basketball game.
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6:48 p.m. Saturday
That basketball lost limply dampened no one’s mood, as James “beelined” for the Whistle Stop Inn after the final horn.
“Needed to wash that one off,” he said, laughing, “and move forward to the main course.”
Like everywhere else, it was full to bursting with a mix of Indiana and Ohio State fans trading “OH-IO” and “HOO HOO HOO HOOSIERS” back and forth. The word up and down Meridian was waits of 2-3 hours at most downtown restaurants and bars. Even Indy’s famous Steak ‘n Shake had a line snaking to the door.
The energy downtown, James said, was “awesome.”
For IU fans, it would only improve.
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1:34 a.m. Sunday
James and Kate pulled back into Bloomington long past midnight, still processing what all they’d witnessed.
Josh James, right, and his wife, Kate, celebrate Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium. They spent the day in Indianapolis, attending both the Hoosiers’ basketball and football games.
Ohio State fans around them were subdued through the fourth quarter, as the Buckeyes fell behind for the first time in a second half all season and ultimately never recovered.
James admitted the Buckeyes’ 15-play, 81-yard drive in the fourth quarter “seemed like it took an eternity.”
“When they shanked the kick,” he said, “we were in disbelief.”
They were also in a moment of pure catharsis, for what might be college football’s most snake-bitten fanbase.
“The overturned fourth down, the missed field goal, the clutch catches to keep the chains moving,” James said. “It just felt like all these moments that have always seemed to be our ‘what ifs’ were suddenly falling our way.”
When Becker’s third-down catch on Indiana’s last drive effectively sealed the Hoosiers’ first Big Ten championship since 1967, it felt, James said, “like something out of a dream.”
“I know it’s just a ball game,” he said, “but what this means to the community, the state and the alumni base as a whole is extraordinary.”
Josh James, left, stands outside Lucas Oil Stadium with his father, Steve, center, and his brother, Jonathan on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. James attended both IU’s men’s basketball and football games in Indianapolis.
He and his wife were already making Rose Bowl plans during their late-night drive back down I-69 to Bloomington. The column of red taillights pulling off the interstate at the North Walnut Street exit snaked in an “insane line” back onto the highway.
“Hoosiers showed up today,” James said, “on and off the field, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.”
Homefield Apparel founder Connor Hitchcock
4 p.m. Saturday
Indianapolis-based Homefield Apparel has become synonymous with college fan culture across the last several years.
It started when eventual founder Connor Hitchcock printed t-shirts following IU’s 2015 Pinstripe Bowl loss famously declaring “the kick was good.”
“It was just me in my basement,” Hitchcock said.
Now, Homefield produces licensed apparel for more than 200 schools.
In recent years, its has run sprawling retail setups inside Lucas Oil Stadium for Big Ten championship games. Now, Hitchcock got to experience it as a fan. He planned to help run a Homefield event at the downtown Brothers franchise pregame, before heading to Lucas Oil Stadium, but eventually just made his way over to the game.
“The run lately has felt surreal,” Hitchcock told IndyStar. “Like we woke up one morning and won the lottery.
“I’ve been on the optimistic side of the football fanbase for a decade now, and even I never imagined we’d be undefeated in a 1-vs-2 matchup against Ohio State. It’s fever dream material.”
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12:45 a.m. Sunday
The game had ended. Indiana won. Big Ten champions. Dreams come true.
Hitchcock promised to check in again, just as soon as he “finished booking (his) L.A. flights and watching the game for times.”
Everyone was bedded in for a long night.
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11:18 a.m. Sunday
“Dawg,” the text read. “I can’t believe it.”
Hitchcock had already watched the game again. He was surely not alone.
Homefield had a Big Ten champions line available before midnight Saturday. God knows how wide the river of money pumping north from Bloomington in celebration eventually grew.
Heads and eyes might have felt a little heavy Sunday, but fans across the country and the world still raced to make plans for Los Angeles. For this fanbase, the Rose Bowl — for one last year a Big Ten tie-in — has always been the holy grail. The symbol of a status Indiana football craved, lusted after, dreamed of, but could never reasonably expect to achieve.
There is, of course, a journey beyond that. Cignetti deadpanned Saturday night that he has 3⅟₂ weeks to humble his team sufficiently to prepare them for either Alabama or Oklahoma, with a Peach Bowl semifinal berth on the line.
These are historic days. Few more special than the once-in-a-lifetime Saturday Indiana fans got to walk through together, turning their capital city into the stage for one of the greatest glories any of them has ever known.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How Indiana fans, Scott Dolson, Don Fischer spent Big Ten championship
