MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Don Fischer has seen a lot in his 53 years with Indiana Athletics.
IU’s legendary radio voice has called IU football and men’s basketball since 1973. He’s been on the microphone for all three of Bob Knight’s NCAA championships in 1976, 1981, and 1987. He’s broadcasted legendary moments along the way, like Keith Smart’s shot to clinch that final title, Christian Watford’s buzzer-beater against No. 1 Kentucky, Trayce Jackson-Davis heroics, and more.
But this Indiana football national championship run was something new, unlike anything else he’d experienced with the Hoosiers over the years.
“It is different, because nobody expected this,” Fischer said to a small group of reporters after the game. “When Curt Cignetti was hired, I went to 10 of their 13 spring practices his first year here, just to see what he’s like. I walked away from those 10 practices knowing full well we were gonna win. I watched what he did, how he did it, how he went about his business. I interviewed him, I talked to him about his philosophy and those kinds of things. I was convinced.”
IU football captured its first-ever title on Monday night, defeating Miami (Fla.) 27-21 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Fischer had called so many losing years of Indiana football, and he’d been on the microphone for any bright spots that came after the 1967 Rose Bowl appearance.
And now, he got to see the very same program reach the pinnacle of college football.
Fischer is happier for Indiana’s fans more than anyone else.
“Our fan base has been hanging in there all these years. And granted, there have been a lot of bandwagon-hoppers here — but I understand that. Some people just couldn’t take all the losing that we went through all these years. And this fan base, they bought in as soon as they started seeing Indiana winning like the (third) game of the year last year,” Fischer said. “When they recognized that this team was really good, they were on the bandwagon right off the bat.”
Fischer wasn’t surprised by how far this team went and the way it got there. At halftime of IU’s Peach Bowl win over Oregon, he said that the dominant 35-7 first half was simply the way the Hoosiers had played all season long.
And that’s what he’ll remember most about Monday night’s championship game. There isn’t one specific moment that stood out for him over everything else, not even Fernando Mendoza’s iconic touchdown run. It was the collection of big plays Indiana made to win the game defined the style of complementary football Curt Cignetti’s team played throughout the year.
“This football team is fantastic. I mean, look at the plays that were made in this ball game. All three facets of the football team made a play. The blocked punt by (Mikail) Kamara, the interception by (Jamari) Sharpe at the end of the ball game, and Fernando’s touchdown, the running touchdown, that was spectacular. I won’t forget any of that,” Fischer said. “It’s burnt in your memory. How do you not want to keep celebrating what they were able to do today?
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Instagram, X, and Facebook
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
