It seems unbelievable — but it’s true. The college football program that started this season with the most losses all-time of any major college football team just went undefeated and won the College Football National Championship.
It sounds more like a movie than a true story. How did it happen?
Indiana University hired a new coach two years ago. Curt Cignetti had never been the head coach of a major college program. Cignetti was an assistant coach for almost 30 years before he got his first head coaching shot. He did not even become a head coach until he was 50 years old.
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His first head coaching job was at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Division II school. He was an assistant coach at Alabama and had to take a pay cut just to get the job.
He then went to coach Elon College, a Division I FCS school. And from there he coached at James Madison University, a Division I FBS school. He had success at every school, reaching the playoffs at each school and playing for the FCS National Championship at James Madison before they became an FBS school.
The man who couldn’t get a head coaching shot compiled a 119-35 record, taking his teams to the postseason nine times in 13 seasons. Cignetti proved he was a winner, a program builder, a culture changer and a coach who had been overlooked for years.
When Indiana hired him, he was 62.
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He made waves when he first arrived in Indiana by telling people, "Google me — I win!" And he has won big. In just two seasons at Indiana, he has won 27 games, the most by a coach in his first two years at a school since the AP Poll debut in 1936.
In 136 years of playing college football, Indiana’s winning percentage was .419 — in Cignetti’s two years it is .931. Indiana had never had a 10-win season. Cignetti has won over 10 games in both his seasons.
He won the first Big Ten title for Indiana in 58 years. He led them to their first undefeated regular season ever. And he won their first National Championship.
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He has done it by building a culture. A leader who prepares relentlessly, sets standards and models exactly what winning looks like. He’s created belief through consistency, confidence and clarity. He is fond of saying, "You get freedom of choice, but not freedom of consequence."
Cignetti waited a long time to be a major college head football coach. Maybe you’ve been waiting a long time for your dream to come true. Have you ever wondered why some things have not happened as you hoped? You have done what is right, but there are no results.
Preparation takes time. And success happens when preparation meets opportunity. Cignetti’s background prepared him for this moment. His dad was a college head coach; he worked for other great coaches — including Nick Saban. He came up through the lower divisions and proved his systems and philosophy work. It took him years to become an overnight success.
We are often too hard on ourselves. We think we should be somewhere, reach a certain level, accomplish personal goals. But we aren't there yet. This brings unnecessary pressure, anxiety and self-doubt. Each person’s journey is different.
Ray Kroc, Vera Wang, Colonel Sanders, Martha Stewart all experienced success later in life. President Donald Trump is 79 years old, one of the oldest presidents in American history. You’re not too old. Time has not passed you by. Age is just a number; you determine your destiny.
It’s not too late for you. Sometimes we must wait longer than we want, but it is worth it. Sometimes there is rejection, but it is really redirection.
Maybe there are desires in your heart — hopes that are not being realized. Perhaps you believe that no matter how hard you work, no one seems to notice. Don’t grow tired of doing the right things. There will be a moment when all your hard work will be recognized.
Your time will come.
