Indiana football can join these past IU programs as national champs
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MIAMI — Indiana basketball is the most recent Division I men’s team with a perfect season.
The school is one win away from capturing that title in multiple sports.
Indiana football (15-0) will play Miami on Monday night in the CFP championship game with a chance to bring home the school’s first title in football. They would also become the first program to go 16-0 in a single season with the CFP expanding to 12 teams in 2024.
Here’s a look at school’s championship history and when its programs last won a team title:
Indiana basketball had Hoosiers’ lone undefeated season
Indiana football could go undefeated 50 years removed from the basketball team accomplishing the feat in 1976 with a perfect 32-0 record under former coach Bob Knight. Knight turned Assembly Hall into a cathedral of championship banners by winning three titles.
He won his final title in Bloomington in 1987 thanks to heroics from Keith Smart in the NCAA finals. Smart knocked down the game-winner in the final seconds to propel IU to a 74-73 win over Syracuse. He scored 10 of the team’s final 13 points and his final two baskets helped the Hoosiers erase a 73-70 deficit in the final 60 seconds.
It was IU’s most recent title by a revenue-generating sport.
Indiana men’s soccer is athletic department’s most recent title winner
Indiana men’s soccer has remained a perennial contender since the days of Jerry Yeagley. He led the Hoosiers to six titles during his three decades at the helm from 1973-2003 and twice won back-to-back championships.
After he retired, his son Todd maintained that championship standard and won two titles with the most recent of those coming in 2012. He’s also led the program to the NCAA finals three other times.
Indiana football came close to winning national title in 1967
The Hoosiers had a shot at winning a national title in 1967 after earning a spot in the Rose Bowl. They went out to Pasadena after winning a share of the Big Ten title that year and played a No. 1-ranked USC team.
Indiana had an eight-win turnaround that season with quarterback Harry Gonso, receiver Jade Butcher, running back John Isenbarger and All-American linebacker Ken Kaczmarek anchoring the roster.
While the Hoosiers did a nice job of bottling up former USC running back O.J. Simpson — he had 128 yards rushing, his third-lowest total of the season — they couldn’t get anything going offensively in the 14-3 loss.
“They were tough and they never quit,” USC linebacker Adrian Young said at the time. “I’d say they were as good as any other team we played.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana football chasing a spot among IU’s past national champions
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