At a Glance
- Billionaire Mark Cuban has funneled millions into Indiana football ahead of Monday’s national-title clash with Miami
- The Hoosiers are 26-2 under coach Curt Cignetti and 15-0 this season, riding their first-ever No. 1 ranking
- Cuban, who lost two NBA Finals with the Mavs, says “losing hurts a lot more than winning is fun”
Why it matters: The story shows how a single deep-pocketed alum, paired with savvy coaching, can vault a long-downtrodden program to the sport’s summit in the NIL era.
Indiana football’s stunning rise from Big Ten afterthought to College Football Playoff champion-elect is powered by more than a Heisman-winning quarterback and a stingy defense-billionaire Mark Cuban has poured millions into the program since long before coach Curt Cignetti arrived in 2024, and the timing has proven perfect as the Hoosiers prepare to face Miami on Monday night for the national title.
From Business School to Big Checks
Cuban, a 1981 business-school alum and minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, started donating well before the current surge. In 2015 he gave $5 million for a sports-media center, and earlier this year told Front Office Sports he has upped his football giving to fund the current transfer cycle. The goal: turn Indiana into a title contender.
Even Cuban, though, didn’t expect this speed. The Hoosiers enter the championship No. 1 nationally, riding the best season in school history.
- 26-2 record since Cignetti took over
- 15-0 mark this season
- First Big Ten title since 1967 secured last month
- Average 34.5-point margin over Alabama (38-3) and Oregon (56-22) in the CFP
“I’ve literally had Centenarians tell me how unimaginable this has been,” Cuban wrote via email. “Players on the ’68 Rose Bowl team tell me the same thing. It’s just all unreal.”
NIL, Portal and the Power of One Voice
Cuban’s visibility underscores how one prominent backer can reshape a roster in the NIL era. Coach Cignetti notes the roster overhaul required more than cash; it required credibility.
“It takes a village. It takes money,” Cignetti said Saturday. “But it’s not all about money. We’ve got a lot of alums, a lot of rich alums. Mark Cuban is a very visible guy … We kind of hit it off right off the bat. He’s got instant recognition, which only helps.”
The pair-born three years apart in the same western Pennsylvania hospital-now trade public praise. Cignetti jokes that if Cuban ever gave $10 million, “that would be like me donating $10,000,” while Cuban calls the coach “CigGPT” for the way he and athletic director Scott Dolson “redefined how to build a winning team in the NIL era.”
Championship Perspective
Cuban has lived title runs and heartbreak with the Mavericks-losing two NBA Finals and winning one-and he warns the Hoosiers that merely reaching Monday’s game isn’t the endgame.
“An appearance is fun. It’s been an amazing run,” he said. “As someone who has lost (two) NBA Finals and won one, I can tell you losing hurts a lot more than winning is fun.”
Indiana, however, keeps piling up style points. Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza has thrown 41 touchdowns and completed 31 of 36 passes in the playoff, while a lock-down defense has stifled every opponent since September.
Cuban watched the Peach Bowl rout of Oregon in person and has stayed vocal on social media throughout the surge. To long-suffering Hoosier fans, he says, “this is everything.”
Key Takeaways
- Cuban’s early and escalating donations provided the financial backbone for roster upgrades
- Cignetti’s 26-2 record and back-to-back AP coach-of-the-year awards validate the investment
- Indiana’s transformation offers a blueprint for other dormant programs: combine NIL money with transfer-portal savvy and relentless recruiting
- The Hoosiers can finish the ultimate turnaround with a win Monday night
