BY Rosemary
Mark Cuban understands success, patience and the cost of building something that lasts. As a billionaire entrepreneur and minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, he has lived through championships and crushing losses. As an Indiana University alumnus, he has also witnessed decades of frustration tied to one of college football’s most historically unsuccessful programs. That is why Indiana’s rise to the doorstep of a national championship carries special weight for him.
Cuban, who graduated from Indiana’s Kelley School of Business in 1981, has invested millions into his alma mater over the years, well before head coach Curt Cignetti arrived in 2024 and transformed the football program into a national powerhouse. Among his earlier contributions was a $5 million donation in 2015 to help establish a sports media center. In recent seasons, however, Cuban has emerged as one of the program’s most significant football donors, directing substantial funds toward name, image and likeness initiatives and the transfer portal. Earlier this year, he said he had increased his giving again to support the latest transfer cycle.
Even with that commitment, Cuban admits he never imagined a rise quite this dramatic. Indiana will enter Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game against Miami as the top-ranked team in the country, riding the best season in school history and chasing a title that once seemed inconceivable.
“I’ve literally had centenarians tell me how unimaginable this has been,” Cuban said in an email. “Players from the 1968 Rose Bowl team tell me the same thing. It’s all unreal.”
Indiana’s ascent comes at a time when college football is being reshaped by NIL money and player mobility. Cuban’s visible backing illustrates how financial resources, combined with strong leadership and a unified vision, can rapidly alter a program’s trajectory. Cignetti has been candid about that reality while stressing that money alone does not win games.
“It takes a village. It takes money,” Cignetti said over the weekend. “But it’s not all about money. We’ve got a lot of alumni, a lot of successful alumni. Mark Cuban is a very visible guy, and that recognition helps. We connected right away.”
Cuban has followed the Hoosiers closely throughout their playoff run, including watching from close range as Indiana overwhelmed Oregon in the Peach Bowl to secure its place in the championship game. While he has enjoyed the ride, he has also made clear that merely reaching the final is not the ultimate goal.
“An appearance is fun. It’s been an amazing run,” Cuban said. “But as someone who has lost two NBA Finals and won one, I can tell you losing hurts a lot more than winning is fun.”
Indiana has shown little sign of slowing down. Since Cignetti took over, the Hoosiers are 26-2 and have gone a perfect 15-0 this season. They earned the first No. 1 ranking in program history and captured their first Big Ten title in nearly 50 years. In the playoff, they dismantled Alabama 38-3 and routed Oregon 56-22, winning those games by an average margin of more than 34 points.
Much of the success has flowed through Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who has thrown 41 touchdown passes this season and has been nearly flawless in the postseason, completing 31 of 36 attempts. Indiana’s defense has also been among the nation’s most suffocating, consistently limiting explosive plays and controlling games from the opening kickoff.
At the center of it all is Cignetti, the blunt, measured coach who has been named national coach of the year in consecutive seasons. Cuban has become one of his most vocal admirers.
“He is CigGPT,” Cuban said. “He and athletic director Scott Dolson have redefined how to build a winning team in the NIL era. For Indiana fans, this is everything.”
Cignetti, who is close in age to Cuban and was born in the same western Pennsylvania hospital, has returned the praise with characteristic humor and perspective.
“If Mark Cuban wanted to give $10 million, that would be like me donating $10,000,” Cignetti said. “We’re glad he’s involved. If he keeps doubling his donation, it’ll be big one day.”
For Indiana, the moment is already enormous. A program once synonymous with futility now stands one win away from a national championship, powered by belief, bold leadership and the backing of alumni who always thought something like this might one day be possible—even if they never imagined it would arrive so soon.