Fernando Mendoza on how Curt Cignetti kept team ready during time off
Fernando Mendoza explains how coach Curt Cignetti kept the team prepared during extended time off.
Curt Cignetti has Indiana football two wins away from winning its first national championship in program history.
Say that again? Indiana football, the once program leader for most losses in Division I FBS college football history, is two wins from hoisting a national championship trophy in a non-basketball sport? Yes, and it’s just one of many impressive feats on the overarching laundry list that Cignetti has led the Hoosiers to in less than two seasons.
It’s also a piece of his coaching career that stands out, as he had not been a Power Four Conference head coach before being hired at Indiana.
The hiring of Cignetti in November of 2024 marked a return to the Power Four level for the longtime college football journeyman since his time in Tuscaloosa on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama. The Hoosiers have been on a roll — literally — since then, as they’ve had back-to-back seasons of at least 11 wins, have won a Big Ten title and have produced a Heisman Trophy winner in Fernando Mendoza.
To make what Cignetti has done at Indiana even more impressive, he’s done it as one of the oldest coaches in the sport and is adapting to the ever-changing climate of college football.
The Hoosiers will now look to advance to their first CFP title game with a win over No. 5 Oregon in the CFP Peach Bowl semifinal on Friday, Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the home of the Atlanta Falcons.
Here’s what you need to know about Cignetti’s age and where he now ranks among the oldest active college football coaches in the FBS:
How old is Curt Cignetti?
Cignetti is 64 years old. He was born on June 2, 1961, and is the third-oldest head coach in the Big Ten behind Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz and newly appointed Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham.
Oldest college football coaches
With North Carolina’s Bill Belichick being the oldest coach in college football at 73 years old, Cignetti is the sixth-oldest active coach in college football.
Here’s an updated full list of the oldest active college football coaches:
Ages listed as of Wednesday, Jan. 7
- Bill Belichick (North Carolina): 73 years old
- Kirk Ferentz (Iowa): 70 years old
- K.C. Keeler (Temple): 66 years old
- Kyle Whittingham (Michigan): 66 years old
- Willie Fritz (Houston): 65 years old
- Curt Cignetti (Indiana): 64 years
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