Indiana Governor Mike Braun awarded Indiana University’s football coach Curt Cignetti the 2026 Sachem Award, the state’s top honor, recognizing every member of the undefeated 2025 Indiana University Hoosiers championship team with the Sagamore of the Wabash.
The ceremony at the Statehouse recognized Cignetti’s transformative season leading the Hoosiers, which culminated in a perfect 13-0 record and the program’s first national championship.
The award citation emphasized not merely the victories but the manner in which they were achieved.
“Never daunted, Coach Curt Cignetti represented the state of Indiana on the national stage and showed the world that the Hoosier values of grit, perseverance, and no-excuses hard work are the way to victory,” Braun said. “I’m honoring Coach Cignetti with Indiana’s highest award, and awarding the whole championship Hoosiers team with the Sagamore of the Wabash to celebrate their historic achievement for our state.”
First Lady Maureen Braun, an Indiana University alumna who graduated in 1976 — the last year a Hoosiers football team went undefeated before this season — joined the governor in presenting the award.
“The Sachem Award is reserved for individuals who have profoundly shaped Indiana through character, leadership and service,” according to a press release.
Only one award is presented annually, selected solely by the governor. Previous recipients have included humanitarian figures, civic leaders and individuals whose contributions transcend their professional accomplishments.
Cignetti accepted the honor on behalf of the program, with Indiana University President Pamela Whitten present to receive the Sagamore of the Wabash recognition for the team. The Sagamore, a long-standing Indiana tradition dating to the 1940s, recognizes distinguished service to the state.
After arriving from James Madison University, Cignetti engineered a historic turnaround that saw the Hoosiers rise to national prominence. The undefeated season marked the first in program history since the Hoosiers joined the Big Ten in 1899.
The Sachem Award, established in 2005, is named after the Algonquian word for “chief” or “leader.” It sits above the Sagamore of the Wabash in the state’s hierarchy of civilian honors, reserved for those whose lives demonstrate the highest standards of integrity and character.
For Cignetti and his team, the recognition adds an exclamation point to a season already etched in history.
Contact Multimedia Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more news, visit indianapolisrecorder.com.
Noral Parham is the multi-media 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.
