IU alum Tyler Cleary shows off his "cigs in bloom" shirt his girlfriend made.
(Isabella Vesperini/WTIU News)
Memorial Stadium was rocking as the final minutes ticked down in the Indiana-Maryland football game. It’s what first-year coach Curt Cignetti has been pleading for after seeing students arriving to games late and leaving early.
Now, students say, the energy around IU football is starting to resemble basketball, with a packed stadium and fans staying for the entire game.
“It’s at a point now where Memorial Stadium is so packed that it's impacting the players on the field," IU sophomore Issac Perlich said. "It's helping the offense, helping the defense. It's hurting the other team's defense or offense, and it's getting in their head.”
Indiana’s 6-0 record is its best since 1967 when the Hoosiers made the Rose Bowl. IU is ranked 16th in the nation and hasn’t trailed in a game at any point this season.
Cignetti is being celebrated as the reason for the success.
IU hired Cignetti in November 2023 after he led the James Madison Dukes to a 52-9 record over his five-year stint as head coach.
Unaccustomed to the Hoosiers’ sudden rise in football, fans have created various “Coach Cig” T-shirts in honor of the man who came to IU from James Madison University.
Indiana University sophomore Issac Perlich sports his Cignetti shirt he got at the Florida International University game. (Devan Ridgway/WTIU News)
The original Cignetti T-shirt, depicting the Marlboro logo with the name Cignetti, was given out at the first football game of the season. Now, Perlich says he sees people wearing them everywhere.
“I see it all the time, whether it's at games on campus just around Bloomington," he said. "I can't believe that IU football is where it's at right now, getting national attention.”
Senior Elle Unfried made herself and her boyfriend, recent graduate Tyler Cleary, matching shirts. Their shirts read “Cig’s in Bloom,” and were inspired by different designs she’d seen around.
“I'm just being an artist," she said. "I try to find so many different things I can do and like, paint personally for myself, and seeing all like the Cig’ merch on campus, I'm like, ‘Well, I can make a cool spin off of that.’”
Senior Elle Unfried made herself and Cleary matching "Cigs in Bloom" shirts. (Isabella Vesperini/WTIU News)
Asked about the t-shirts, Cignetti said fans liked that he made brash comments when he was hired — and that he and his team are backing them up on the field.
“You know, I made a couple comments when I first got hired, I was out there on a limb a little bit, felt like that's what I needed to do," Cignetti said at a press conference. I think it's more of a reflection on how the team has played and the success that they've had on the field that's gotten people excited, and this is just a byproduct of that.”
Unfried started watching football when she got into college. In her first three years, IU’s record was a combined 9-27. She is excited to finally have a good team to watch.
“I've newly gotten into football in college," she said. "I mean, in high school, I never really watched. But no, I'm newly getting into it and I love it. Having a team that you can root on and cheer for is amazing.”
Cleary graduated from IU in 2024 but remains an avid IU football fan.
“I’m a big tailgate guy," Cleary said. "We were always out in the parking lot, but now that the team is really great and coach Cignetti, he's bringing the vibes, I'm always in the games.”
Cignetti has sent two letters to students, the first of which urged them to attend the Maryland game, and added, “The tailgates can wait. The parties can wait. If you need to study, that can wait too.”
That last sentence inspired t-shirts, too. One says, “Studying can wait.” Another says, “Things that can’t wait, winning.”
After that game, Cignetti sent a second letter thanking the student body for its support.
Student Athletic Board Vice President of Communications Francisco Cáceres thinks that, aside from winning, Cignetti’s interaction with students is why they are attending and staying at games.
“Normally for games, even when it's like a Big 10 opponent in the past, people leave after the first quarter," Cáceres said. "It was pouring down rain the whole game, we were winning, so it was fun, but people stayed past the final whistle, which I've never seen before in my three years at IU.”
Francisco Cáceres is the vice president of communications at the IU Student Athletic Board. (Devan Ridgway/WTIU News)
Cáceres is optimistic about the rest of the Hoosier football season.
“I never in my life thought that IU would be leading the charge on anything football related," he said. "I do think there's a chance for us to get to the college football playoff.”
Cáceres isn’t the only student picturing a notable postseason. Perlich said that the team is bound for more success.
“I can't believe I'm saying that, but Coach Cignetti, he's, I mean, what can't this guy do? You know, I'm starting to think we could win the Big 10. We could make the college football playoff. It's just, the sky’s the limit for this team and for coach Cignetti as well.”
The No. 16 Hoosiers' undefeated season will be tested at the sold-out Homecoming game against No. 27 Nebraska Saturday.
