Gene and Judy Hedrick have had Indiana football season tickets since 1959. Imagine what they’ve had to sit through in that time.
Their early days were a brutal stretch, but a 9-2 season in 1967 sent the Hooisers to the Rose Bowl for the first time. After that, another decade-plus of futility until head coach Lee Corso led 8-4 Indiana to the Holiday Bowl in 1979. Bill Mallory’s tenure in the 1980s and 1990s seemed like the salad days of Indiana football, with six winning seasons and six bowl games. However, since 1997, the program has spent most of its existence as a Big Ten basement dweller, serving to help Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and others pad their stats.
Curt Cignetti changed all of that, and in a hurry. Following an 11-2 rookie season that took the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff, he led Indiana to an undefeated 16-0 season that included wins over Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama, and Miami, culminating in the program’s first national championship.
It feels like a truly unthinkable outcome to most college football fans. But what did it feel like to someone who’s been showing up for Indiana football games since the Eisenhower administration?
WTHR’s Dustin Grove spoke with Gene and Judy Hedrick, Indiana season-ticket holders since 1959, about the school’s first national championship. pic.twitter.com/O3eWZZAzsG
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 20, 2026
“Well, it’s a privilege, actually,” Gene told WTHR’s Dustin Grove following Indiana’s championship victory. “It’s just a blessing that I’ve been here this long, and I could witness something like this. I have so many friends that are up in heaven right now looking down, and would love to have been here, and I think of them all the time.
“They’re really great people at Indiana University, and that’s what the university is, great people. That’s what makes a good University.”
As for whether or not the lifetime fan ever thought he’d see the day when Indiana hoisted a national championship trophy, Hedrick couldn’t pretend that he did.
“Well, you always just think, wait till next year, wait till next year,” he said. “But no, I never thought anything like this would ever happen.”
As for Cignetti, Hedrick had nothing but admiration for the way he accomplished something that seemed impossible not too long ago.
“I’d say he did perform something that no one thought would ever happen. No one. No one. And he did it.”
Thankfully, the Hedricks were able to appreciate other Indiana victories while toiling away as fans of the football program for so many decades. They’ve also had basketball season tickets for just as long, which means they’ve gotten to celebrate several national titles.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.