If there is one thing that Curt Cignetti has proved in his coaching career, it is that he knows how to win no matter where he is. In the four head coaching positions that Cignetti has held, he has never had a losing record with a program. Here are each of Cignetti's records as a head coach:
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania: 53-17 (0-3 bowl record)
- Elon University: 14-9 (0-2 bowl record)
- James Madison: 52-9 (0-3 bowl record)
- Indiana University (current position)
When taking the position at Indiana, Cignetti was taking over a program that was 3-9 in 2023, and now, in 2024, the Hoosiers are 8-0 on the season and putting together one of the most magical seasons in program history in their head coach's first season.
Cignetti has been vocal about his mentality when it comes to winning, and his latest statement his winning mentality has to make Indiana fans very happy.
Curt Cignetti: "I wasn’t going to take four or five years to win. Like, back in the day, you just try to build a program by your fourth year. Nowadays you’ve got to win now. ... I’m not used to *not* winning, so we were going to win now."
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 1, 2024
For @NBCSports: https://t.co/cRxSFROD6S
Clearly, Cignetti wasn't ever planning on waiting to build his winning program, and that is what has set him apart from other coaches this season and even first-year head coaches of the past. Some fans around college football even wish their coach would have the same mentality, the first that comes to mind are Florida fans who wish Bill Napier would have the same mindset at Cignetti.
Having the "win now" mentality at Indiana has worked for Cignetti, but his past success shows this isn't the first time he has been successful with a new team. As a head coach, Cignetti has yet to have a record below .500 with his teams and only came close to a .500 record twice in 14 seasons.
Why wait to become a winner? Cignetti has proved there is no reason to wait to bring that "win now" mentality to a program within the first season and the Hoosiers being 8-0 this season is the most recent proof he has.