BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WDRB) — The wind was cruel. The crowd was loyal. And history, once again, showed up wearing crimson.
It was 11 degrees (wind chill of 4 degrees) in Memorial Stadium, a chill so sharp it could cut through stone, or at least the warm layers of around 10,000 fans who refused to let frostbite rob them of a final chance to cheer.
Indiana celebrated its national football championship Saturday with a half-hour ceremony that defied both forecast and feeling. There were trophies, tears, tributes and even a tune from John Mellencamp. No, really. The man sang “Hurts So Good” with a grin and a growl as thousands of Hoosiers did their best to clap through mittens.
This wasn’t Pasadena. It wasn’t Atlanta. It wasn’t Miami. But it was home. And that made all the difference.
A cold day, but a warm sendoff
Don Fischer emceed the event like only he can, his voice cutting through the chill like a familiar radio jingle. He called this team “the greatest example of complementary football” he’s ever seen. He might’ve stopped short of comparing them to the ’72 Dolphins, but his tone said enough.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti holds the national championship trophy presented by the American Football Coaches Association at a celebration held by the school in Memorial Stadium on Jan. 24, 2026.
President Pamela Whitten called Coach Curt Cignetti “a dude,” a term of endearment in 2026, not a diminishment. She thanked “Captain Fun,” aka athletic director Scott Dolson, who stood beside her like a man watching a vision unfold in goosebumps.
Mellencamp took the mic like the mayor of Monroe County and told the crowd, “I hear you’ve been singing this song,” before belting it out himself, a little raspy, but just right.
And then came the hardware. Not just one trophy, but three:
- The MacArthur Bowl, presented by the National Football Foundation, etched with the immortal phrase “There is no substitute for victory.”
- The AFCA Coaches’ Trophy, all crystal ball sparkle and cold-fingered reverence.
- A second Heisman Trophy, this one gifted to the university to keep, as a twin to the one handed to Fernando Mendoza in New York.
The voices of victory
“I guess we need a new trophy case,” Cignetti shouted to the delight of the crowd after the AFCA’s presentation.
Cignetti kept his comments short, likely because his microphone hand was frozen stiff. But he reminded the crowd of the “tremendous leadership” from his seniors and of the Rose Bowl crowd that turned Pasadena into a Bloomington borough. “Chapter Three begins tomorrow,” he said, a warning to the Big Ten that winter may be over, but the Hoosiers aren’t.
Fernando Mendoza addresses fans at a celebration to honor the 2026 National Champions at Indiana's Memorial Stadium on Jan. 24, 2026.
New faces are already walking the halls. New goals are already taking shape. Chapter Three waits for no one.
Then came the players.
Edge rusher Mikail Kamara was first to the mic, repeating like a mantra: “Man, it is cold out here. But man, it’s really been an honor. Y’all have made my college experience nothing short of amazing.” Linebacker Aiden Fisher, the soul of the defense, choked up. “Thank you God for making me a Hoosier,” he said, the words hanging like frost in the air.
Center Pat Coogan called it the “privilege of my life.” Receiver Elijah Sarratt, ever the highlight reel, said the love from the fans made everything possible. And Fernando Mendoza, Indiana’s quarterback and its compass, summed up what everyone felt:
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you Hoosier Nation. Playing in front of you guys has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Myself, my teammates are forever indebted to you guys.”
When it was all over, Fisher led the crowd in a chant: “Hooooosiers!” One last time. One last cheer.
They came to freeze. They came to feel. They came because no one ever thought this day would come, and when it finally did, not even a coming winter storm could keep them away.
There are warmer places than Memorial Stadium. But on Saturday, no place in America burned brighter.
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