Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber will be completely honest. He thought the new coach at his alma mater was out of his mind.
Here was an unknown dude who was an assistant for 28 years, got hired to be Indiana University’s head football coach at the age of 62, inherited a program that lost more games than any school in NCAA history and actually started mocking rival schools before he puts a whistle in his mouth.
Curt Cignetti had the gall to go to Assembly Hall where the Indiana basketball team was playing, and after being introduced to the crowd, grabs the mic, and yells: ‘Purdue sucks! And so does Michigan and Ohio State!’’
Whoa, you kidding?
Pardon the laughter that reverberated throughout the Big Ten.
Indiana was a football team that produced three winning seasons in three decades, spanning seven coaches.
A team that last won the Big Ten in 1967.
And now, all of a sudden, you’re taunting two of the greatest collegiate football programs in the country in Ohio State and Michigan?
“I saw that clip of him on the basketball court,’ Schwarber tells USA TODAY Sports, “and I’m saying, “OK, pump the brakes here buddy! Pump the breaks! We didn’t fare well in the Big Ten when I was I there, and historically haven’t played well. Now you’re going to call out Purdue and Michigan and Ohio State?’
Cignetti’s braggadocio became instant credibility when Indiana went 11-2 his first season in 2024. He took it to another level this year and has delivered the greatest collegiate turnaround in history. IU is 15-0 after pummeling Alabama (38-3) and Oregon (56-22) in the Hoosiers’ first two playoff games, and now are playing Monday for their first national championship.
“When you’re an athlete, that’s the mindset you have to have,’ says Schwarber, the finest baseball player to come out of IU, going onto become a three-time All-Star slugger, two-time home run champion and World Series champ. “I’ve never walked onto the baseball field and not think I’m going to win, no matter who you’re facing. If you do that, what’s the point?
“That’s the mindset (Cignetti) had, and he had the cojones to say it out loud. He got everyone fired up right away, got everyone in he right frame of mind, and set his sights at the highest level.’’
Schwarber, an All-America catcher who was elected to Indiana University’s Hall of Fame this past year, is now like every other IU alumnus these days.
Absolutely stoked.
Never in his life did he believe he’d ever see Indiana become a football power and playing for the national championship Monday against the University of Miami.
Schwarber, 32, who has had the most eventful month of his life – with the birth of a daughter, a new five-year, $150 million contract with the Phillies, and a wedding for his sister – has to make a quick detour before the game. He’s headed to Chicago on Thursday to attend a dinner party to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series championship with his old teammates and coaches.
“I’m really looking forward to it,’ Schwarber says. “You try to keep in touch, but there are a few guys I haven’t seen in ages. It’s going to be great to see everyone again, and I know most of the guys are coming.’
He will return home to Middletown, Ohio, for about 72 hours and then he’s flying out Monday with buddies from home and college teammates to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
It’s been hectic, and spring training starts in less than a month, with the World Baseball Classic mixed into his schedule, but there’s no way in the world Schwarber is going to miss a chance to witness Indiana history.
“This has been one heck of a ride,’’ Schwarber said. “If you had told me a couple of years ago we’d find ourselves in a national championship game, I would have told you that you’re crazy. But this has been so fun to watch. It’s so awesome.
“Really, it’s incredible.’’
Schwarber, who attended IU in 2012-2014, and like most students went to the stadium for tailgate parties before the football game, and headed back to the parking lot by halftime. The Hoosiers went 4-8, 5-7 and 4-8 in Schwarber’s three years at IU.
Schwarber, in fact, hadn’t been back to see a football game in person until October, 2024, when he was a guest picker on ESPN’s College Gameday. He watched them knock off the Washington Huskies, 31-17, to remain undefeated with an 8-0 record. He instantly became a believer.
“Just seeing them in person and watching it unfold,’’ Schwarber said, “you could tell there was something different going on. Their only two losses year were on the road to Notre Dame and Ohio State, who played for the national championship.
“I really looked forward to this year, but I didn’t want it to be a one-year wonder. I wanted to see them carrying this through.’’
So he kept watching in awe all season, seeing them embarrass Illinois, 63-10, knock off Oregon on the road, go to Happy Valley and pull off a zany comeback to beat Penn State, and then the grandaddy victory of the regular season, beating Ohio State for the Big Ten title.
“We all grew up as kids watching Ohio State,’ Schwarber says, “but I’ve got to tell you, all of the Ohio was taken out of me that day. I was home at a local bar with a couple of my friends. We were loud and obnoxious watching it.’’
Indiana took its first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1967, and it was as if the entire state came along with them. The stadium was filled with IU fans, many wiping away tears before the game at the mere idea the Hoosiers were there. They crushed Alabama, and during the game, the scoreboard showed pictures of famous IU grads, and the crowd wildly cheered when Schwarber was shown on the screen.
The ovation was so thunderous that when IU returned home, athletic department officials called Schwarber and asked if he would be an honorary captain for the Peach Bowl against Oregon in Atlanta. The words barely got out of their mouth before Schwarber could say yes.
“I had goosebumps just walking into the stadium,’ Schwarber says. “It had to be 90% Indiana fans. The only Oregon fans I saw were sitting in a section next to the band. You just a few spots of yellow otherwise in the stands. It was amazing.’
And, now, the big one.
Schwarber plans to meet up with former Cubs teammate Anthony Rizzo at the game. He has already traded messages with Phillies first base coach Paco Figueroa, who was born and raised in Miami and went to the University of Miami. Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who also has played at Miami, has been trash talking back-and-forth with Schwarber.
Oh, baby, it’s on.
“It’s going to be a tough one,’ Schwarber says. “Another top defense. They’re fast. They’re physical. Indiana just has to make sure they don’t let that noise seep in and get them. Don’t listen to the hype. Stay focused. They can do this.’
Schwarber, priding himself as a blue-collar dude, will be sitting in the stands. He wants no suite. No special privileges. He just wants to sit with the rest of the IU folks and hopefully witness history.
“I’ve been living and dying with these guys, and hopefully, this is just a run of many [titles],’ Schwarber says. “But you know, there’s nothing like that first championship.
“I’m going to take it all in and enjoy every second of it.
“So I’ll be wearing my Indiana gear, yelling and screaming, and be that super-fan.’
And if the Hoosiers win, don’t be surprised if he’s still wearing his Indiana jersey when he shows up to Clearwater, Florida, next month for spring training.
“Hey, I may never take it off,’ he says. “This is going to be something.’’
Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
