A few thousand IU fans lined up Saturday mid-morning at Memorial Stadium with the outside temperature was 14 (6 with the windchill figured in) and filed into the stadium and waited another 90 minutes to glimpse and celebrate the National Championship Football team, coach and staff for perhaps the last time this year.
Even the snow held off, in deference to the National Champions.
The cheerleaders, Marching Hundred and red steppers took the field to entertain before the team came out one last time from the weight room and marched to the opposite endzone where a stage was set up.
On the back of the stage was all their trophies, the Big Ten Championship, Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl and the National Championship trophy with the new ones.
The Voice of the Hoosiers, Don Fischer served emcee and President Pam Wallen was there on stage with AD Scott Dolson and even Hoosier Fan and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Melloncamp joined the team on stage sing a bit of “Hurts So Good” with a couple of team members.
““There simply aren’t enough adjectives in the dictionary to quantify what this coach, his coaching, the support staff, the managers and the administration have done to resurrect a program that was on life support two years ago,” Fischer said. “And now, they are the national champions of all of college football.””
The Hoosiers literally beat every opponent and went not only 16-0 for a perfect season but won the National Championship when many predicted against them.
“The greatest university in the country is now home to the greatest football team in the United States of America,” Whitten said. “I want to give a special shoutout to all of those who are enrolled as students right now. You’re the center of our universe. We love you guys.”
The team was presented with three awards —
- 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.
“I guess we need a new trophy case,” Cignetti shouted to the delight of the crowd after the AFCA’s presentation.
Dolson recounted when he called to hire Cignetti and said, “Words can’t adequately express how much we appreciate all you’ve done.”
“It’s not just that you’ve won, but you’ve won every game with class and humility and representing this university in the best possible way we could ever imagine,” said Dolson. “Look at these players today. Future generations are going to honor these players as the greatest team in the history of college football — this team right here.”
Cignetti kept his comments short, likely because of the freezing temps, which he admitted to one of the announcers a bit later on the Big 10 Network, “I’m friggin’ freezin'”
Cignetti reminded the crowd of the “tremendous leadership” from his seniors and complemented the fans for showing up at the Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl and even at Hard Rock Stadium.
“Chapter Three begins tomorrow,” he said.
As the team left the stage and some going separate ways, we will see IU Football – in one form or another – back on the field on September as the Hoosiers take on North Texas.
