ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â

When the Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes clash in Monday’s College Football Playoff national championship, the spotlight won’t just shine on the players and coaches. It will also reflect a connection to ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â, where several key figures in this game established roots in their careers.

Curt Cignetti, left, and former athletics director Frank Condino, on January 21, 2011, the day Cignetti was announced as ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â's new football coach.

For Indiana, head coach Curt Cignetti, defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan all spent time coaching the football team here. And for Miami, the university’s director of athletics is Dan Radakovich, a 1980 ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â graduate who has been instrumental in the Hurricanes’ run to the title game.

The Launchpad

Back in late 2010, Curt Cignetti had just about everything a coach could want. As an assistant at Alabama, he was part of the team that had just won the national championship and was on a long winning streak, making it the premier team in America.

But Cignetti, then 49, wanted more. After 28 seasons as an assistant coach at seven schools, he wanted the opportunity to be a head coach. Despite interviewing at a few schools, Cignetti didn’t get an offer until ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â called.

It took some gumption on his part to go from the game’s highest level to Division II, but Cignetti viewed it as a chance to bet on himself. He accepted the job, the same one his father, Frank, held from 1986 to 2005, and began the second chapter of his career—the one that 14 years later has him coaching the No. 1-ranked team in America for the national championship.

Curt Cignetti with former ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â quarterback Lenny Williams in 2015

“A lot of people would say, ‘Why would you leave Alabama and come to ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â when you’ve got one of the best jobs in America?’” he said when introduced to the community at a news conference in Memorial Field House on January 21, 2011. “I think that is a very fair question. We had won the national championship; we had won 29 regular-season games in a row. We had accomplished a lot. But I was just ready for a different challenge. I was ready to be the head coach. I was ready to wake up in the morning, set the agenda, and work the plan. And I really felt a special fit and bond with ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â.”

In six seasons, Cignetti led ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â to a 53-17 record, three NCAA Division II playoff berths, and one Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship. He left for Elon University in 2017 and, after two seasons, took a job at James Madison University. In 2024, he was hired at Indiana University in Bloomington, and in two seasons, he has transformed what had been the losingest team in football history into one that has gone 26-2 over the past two seasons.

In 15 seasons as a head coach, Cignetti has a career record of 145-37—and it all started here at ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â.

The Loyal Lieutenants

In his six years with ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â, Cignetti gave a handful of young coaches their start in the business, and two of them are still with him.

Bryant Haines (left) and Mike Shanahan

He brought in 29-year-old Bryant Haines to be his defensive line coach in 2014. Except for a one-year stint at California-Davis in 2016, the Piqua, Ohio, native has been on Cignetti’s staff ever since. Today, he serves as Indiana’s defensive coordinator, responsible for coaching, organizing, and planning one of the country’s top defenses.

Haines won AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year this season, and he is a finalist for the Broyles Award.

In 2016, Cignetti hired 26-year-old Mike Shanahan, a former player at Pitt, to be his wide receivers coach. Shanahan followed Cignetti to Elon the next year and has been by his side ever since.

The son of 1982 ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â graduate Michael Shanahan, he has risen to become Cignetti’s offensive coordinator, and he won the footballscoop.com Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2024. This season, he helped mentor quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy last month.

Teams at Elon, James Madison, and Indiana that have had Cignetti, Haines, and Shanahan on the staff have a combined record of 92-20.

The Director

Dan Radakovich, now the director of athletics at University of Miami, spoke during the 2021 ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Kovalchick Complex. Radakovich was included in the Class of 2021.

Dan Radakovich is proof that how you start isn’t important. It’s where you go once you get that opportunity that matters most.

Radakovich, a native of Aliquippa, began his journey at ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â, where he earned a degree in finance in 1980. A tight end for former head coach Bill Neal, Radakovich lettered as a sophomore in 1977, catching five passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. Though injuries shortened his playing career, he remained involved as a student coach during his senior year—an early sign of his future in athletic leadership.

After completing his MBA at the University of Miami in 1982, Radakovich launched a career that has spanned more than 35 years and seven institutions. His first role was as athletic business manager at Miami, setting the foundation for a trajectory that would take him to Long Beach State, South Carolina, American University, LSU, Georgia Tech, and Clemson. At LSU, he helped guide the Tigers to a national football championship in 2003. Later, as athletic director at Georgia Tech and Clemson, Radakovich oversaw growth in facilities, fundraising, and student-athlete development.

At Clemson, his nine-year tenure marked the most successful era in Tigers football history, with two national championships, six ACC titles, and six College Football Playoff appearances.

In December 2021, Radakovich returned to Miami as the university’s director of athletics, continuing his reputation as a visionary leader.

In 2009, ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â honored Radakovich’s career by giving him the Distinguished Alumni Award, and in 2021, he was inducted into the ÑÇÉ«Ó°¿â Athletics Hall of Fame.