There are all sorts of donors in college football. Some are completely hands-on, while many others just throw money at the problem. Mark Cuban has a different philosophy. He says a few words and allows more qualified people to do their job.
Cuban has made two major donations to the Indiana Hoosiers since they hired Curt Cignetti as their head coach in November of 2024. The program has seen a complete turnaround in the last two years.
The Hoosiers are currently playing in the Peach Bowl against the Oregon Ducks. The semifinal matchup, in its second quarter, is being dominated 21-7 by the unbeaten Indiana team. If they end up winning, they’ll play Miami in the final for the national title.
While the credit for this successful run belongs to Cignetti and his team, what role has Mark Cuban played in this journey? As per Jeff Rabjohns, Cuban had a simple message for the Hoosiers during their CFP run.
“I say, ‘Just win motherf****rs’,” Cuban said.
He doesn’t like to micromanage his NIL donations. It’s not only because Cuban has multiple businesses to run and oversee, but because he understands that there are better and more qualified people already at the job.
Cuban is widely regarded as one of the most successful team owners in the NBA for his run with the Dallas Mavericks. He took over a struggling team, invested time and money into it, and with the help of Dirk Nowitzki, brought an NBA title to Dallas.
He bought a majority stake in the Mavs in 2000 for $285 million, and 25 years later, he sold it for a whopping $3.5 billion.
Mark Cuban Praised Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Organization
Cuban is in attendance for the Peach Bowl semifinal matchup between Indiana and Oregon. The billionaire IU graduate was seen soaking in the atmosphere, feeling proud of what his alma mater has been able to achieve this year.
While speaking to WDRB’s Dalton Godbey, Cuban stated that the credit for this success belongs to everyone in the university’s leadership and coaching staff.
“As much as I’d like to take credit, it’s all about the organization,” Cuban said. “There’s a lot of people who can throw money at a problem. But if you don’t know how to solve your problems, if you don’t know how to put together a team and organization, it doesn’t matter.”
In his opinion, athletic director Scott Dolson, president Pam Whitten, and head coach Curt Cignetti deserve all the praise, along with the players who have executed the unbeaten run.
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