Curt Cignetti’s Leadership

What Curt Cignetti Taught Me About Turnarounds (and Why IU Football Feels Personal)

Listening to the game

By Glenn Haggard – Gruntworks Technology

I grew up listening to IU football games on the radio with my grandfather. We would sometimes listen to basketball too, though there was a much better chance of those games being televised. In basketball, we expected a real chance to win. Not in football.

We didn’t expect to win football games. Losing wasn’t a phase—it was tradition. We listened anyway. We loved IU. Always have. I stayed up past bedtime to watch Keith Smart hit the shot in 1987. I own a signed Bobby Knight jersey.

Basketball gave Hoosiers plenty to be proud of. But football? Football was different. Year after year, hope faded fast. Indiana became the program everyone measured themselves against because beating IU was considered inevitable.

For most of my life, that perception wasn’t unfair. Indiana football held the most all-time losses in NCAA history. Until this season, we had not beaten a Top-5 team since 1967—not in my lifetime. Our record against Top-5 teams stood at 1–72.

And suddenly, here we are:

• 13–0 undefeated season

• Beat Ohio State for the first time since 1988

• Big Ten Champions for the first time since 1967

• Victories over three Top-10 teams, and two Top-5 teams, in one season

For the first time in my life, IU football isn’t a punchline—it’s a program that expects to compete at the highest level. We were underdogs against 9th-ranked Illinois. IU beat them by 50.

It Wasn’t a Talent Miracle

What makes this story truly remarkable isn’t the winning, it’s how the winning happened. Indiana didn’t suddenly assemble a roster full of five-star recruits. Most talent evaluation models still rank IU well below the programs they’ve dominated this year. For example, 247Sports ranks the IU roster 72nd nationally. The 72nd ranking is the lowest by any team to ever receive a first place vote in the AP Poll.

This wasn’t David finding Goliath’s budget. This wasn’t importing a roster of five-star transfers. Fernando Mendoza—a player with a legitimate chance at the Heisman—was a three-star transfer. This was leadership out-executing raw talent.

Curt Cignetti didn’t chase star rankings. He recruited specialized fits, built roles, disciplined fundamentals, and turned individual ability into collective strength.

From a systems perspective, the world I professionally operate in, this is textbook turnaround leadership:

• You define the system first.

• You recruit and assign for fit.

• You demand excellence in basics.

• You eliminate confusion.

• You hold everyone accountable immediately. Not “after the rebuild.”

The Timeline Proves the Point

Look at what IU was the three seasons before Cignetti arrived:

• Nine wins total.

• Three conference wins.

Cignetti exceeded both totals before suffering his first loss. He won a conference championship before his third loss. At his introductory press conference, Cignetti said, “I win. Google me.” He was right.

IU Football is now a wildly successful program. How did that happen?

Only leadership changed.

Culture shifted faster than infrastructure ever could.

Culture Beats Credentials. Every time.

I’ve spent my career watching failing and recovering teams, from cybersecurity operations to governance programs, and the pattern is always the same:

Turnarounds are almost never about tools first. They’re about expectations.

Dysfunctional teams normalize mediocrity:

“We just don’t have the talent.”
“We aren’t built for this tier.”
“Once resources improve, we’ll compete.”

Winning cultures sound different:

“This is our standard.”
“Execution is non-negotiable.”
“We compete now—with what we have.”

The mindset shift alone raises the floor. Discipline and clarity raise the ceiling.

Why This Season Means More

I lost my grandfather years before this season unfolded. But I still picture him by the radio, listening to those same losses we took as a given for so long. I wish he were here to hear these calls now.

This isn’t just winning football for me. It’s watching belief finally replace resignation.

Coach Cignetti’s leadership didn’t just change statistics; it changed a football program’s identity.

Indiana is no longer the team hoping not to be embarrassed. Indiana is the team keeping opposing coaches and coordinators up at night.

And for this lifelong fan who learned loyalty through decades of defeat, that shift is profound.

The Lesson Beyond Football

Cignetti’s turnaround isn’t unique to sports. It’s what happens wherever:

• Leaders reset expectations.

• Teams are built for cohesion instead of prestige.

• Processes matter more than hype.

• Accountability replaces excuses.

Culture compounds quickly when leadership truly means it. And whether you lead a football program, a technology team, or a governance organization:

Turnarounds don’t start with talent. They start with standards.