Proceeds will go to Riley Children’s Hospital
A second, limited-edition bobblehead of Indiana University head football coach Curt Cignetti is now available, capitalizing on unprecedented fan eagerness surrounding the team’s historic season, the Big Ten Championship and one coach’s commitment to charity.
Cignetti is donating a portion of proceeds from the sale of collectibles to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.
The announcement comes just days after the initial bobblehead, released by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, sold out in what the organization called “record timing.” This new version depicts Cignetti in a signature sideline pose, complete with a headset and a determined expression, standing on a football field base.
“We had a feeling that the first Coach Cignetti Bobblehead would be popular, but we were blown away by the response from fans,” co-founder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum Phil Sklar said. “The Coach Cignetti Bobbleheads are even more meaningful with the announcement that the coach is donating all of his proceeds from the sales to Riley Children’s Hospital.”
The surge in collector interest mirrors the trajectory of the Indiana Hoosiers football program under Cignetti’s leadership. Now in his second year, Cignetti has guided the team to a 12-0 record in the 2025 season, securing the No. 2 spot in the College Football Playoff, the AP Top 25, and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coaches poll. This follows a stunning 2024 campaign, in which the Hoosiers finished 11-2, earned their first-ever College Football Playoff berth, and achieved the program’s first 11-win season.
The 64-year-old Pittsburgh native, who was named Indiana’s head coach in 2023, has orchestrated one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent college football history. Midway through his first season, Cignetti received an eight-year contract extension. He concluded the 2024 season by collecting several national Coach of the Year awards, including honors from The Associated Press and the AFCA.
Cignetti holds a unique distinction in the sport: he is the only college football coach to start a season 10-0 with two different programs in consecutive years, achieving the feat with James Madison University in 2023 and Indiana in 2024.
The new bobblehead, an officially licensed product of Indiana University Bloomington produced by the Milwaukee-based Bobblehead Hall of Fame, shows Cignetti wearing a long-sleeved Hoosiers shirt. Each figurine will be individually numbered.
Priced at $40 each with an $8 flat shipping rate, they are available for pre-order and are expected to ship in May 2026.
The sold-out original bobblehead, limited to 2,023 numbered units, captured a defining moment of Cignetti’s tenure. It depicted him at his first National Signing Day press conference on Dec. 23, 2023, behind a podium. It commemorated his now-iconic response to a question about selling his vision to recruits: “It’s pretty simple. I win. Google me.” This version of the bobblehead is scheduled to ship in March 2026.
Pre-order the Coach Cignetti bobblehead here.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846 or email at noralp@indyrecorder.com. Parham is the owner of @HorsemenSportsMedia. For more sports, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver. He is also the owner and founder of Horsemen Sports Media.
