Indiana football: Worst head coach hires in program history

Oct 28, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen reacts on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Indiana 33-24. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports /

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Oct 23, 2004; Columbus, OH, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Gerry Dinardo against Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers 30-7. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports (©) Copyright 2004 by Matthew Emmons /

Gerry DiNardo failed to “bring the magic back” to LSU, at least long term. He had some success down in Baton Rouge, but was fired after the 1999 season, and thus ended his climb to up the coaching ranks. His fall began with a one-year stint coaching in the XFL, before landing the Indiana job in 2002.

DiNardo began his tenure with a 3-9 season, followed by a two-win year in 2003 and another three-win campaign to cap off his time in Bloomington. He went 1-7 in the Big Ten all three years. He finished with a record of 8-27 overall.

It’s hard to have a tenure worse than the one that DiNardo turned in at Indiana, but his predecessor takes the top spot on this list as the worst coach in program history.

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