I grew up in a Hoosier household. My dad was born in Columbus, Indiana. My grandfather, Richard Stoner, served on the IU Board of Trustees for 20 years—twelve of them as president. I have deep respect for the legacy of Indiana University.

When I was a student, Bobby Knight was still coaching, and even after he was ousted, we made the Final Four in 2002. We were a basketball school steeped in tradition.  You walked inside Assembly Hall and saw the NCAA championship banners (1940, 1953, 1981, 1987), including a special banner for the legendary 1976 undefeated team (32-0), the last men’s Division I team to complete a perfect season.

Our soccer team was back-to-back national champs in 2003 and 2004. But, IU Football…winning seasons were rare. Bowl appearances were inconsistent. And some of those came from .500 records, more than dominance. We even had Antwaan Randle El, who was pure electricity, finishing sixth in Heisman voting. But even then, IU football was the sideshow. I only went to a handful of games. The team didn’t give us many reasons to believe.

This year? We ripped the whole map up.

What Cignetti Built

What Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers have done isn’t just a sports story. It’s a blueprint for leadership, for belief, for building something real when no one’s watching.

Indiana used to be a punchline. Now we’re setting the tone.

Crushing Oregon and Alabama back-to-back isn’t luck. It’s what happens when vision meets discipline. When you stop playing for validation and start playing with conviction.

And yeah, it feels good. But what’s real is what it reveals:

Brand is built in the dirt. Like center Pat Coogan said: “The secret’s in the dirt.” Not magic. Not hype. Just compounding effort. That’s the same truth behind every great product, pitch, or team I’ve seen. My grandfather knew that. This team proves it.

Belief beats optics. This team wasn’t waiting for the world to call them contenders. They already believed it behind closed doors. Brands that win don’t wait to be crowned—they show up like they belong. You don’t wait for proof to start acting like a winner.

Culture is your operating system. Fast. Physical. Relentless. That’s not a slogan. That’s a code. One that bleeds into every rep, every decision. Cignetti didn’t just recruit talent. He built a standard. The same goes for startups. Your culture is your strategy.

The Question That Matters

Watching Indiana made me think: how often do we pull back when we should be stepping on the gas?

This team didn’t settle for a Rose Bowl. They bulldozed through it. They’re not just showing up to the national championship. They’re coming to win it.

I’ve shared this ride with 805,000 alumni around the world. But more personally, I’ve shared it with my dad—in the stands, in the texts, in the belief. Watching IU rise feels like more than a win. It feels like a full-circle moment.

No matter what happens Monday night, I’m grateful. For the ride. For the reminders. And for a team that didn’t need a legacy to build a new one.

We aren’t just proud. We believe.

Let’s finish the job.