THE INDIANA HOOSIERS are having a historic run this college football season. They went 13-0 in the regular season, staking their claim as the only undefeated team headed into the College Football Playoff. The Hoosiers took home the Big Ten championship versus Ohio State. To cap their streak of success, their quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, also became the first Hoosier to win the Heisman Trophy.

This recent period of prosperity adds to Indiana’s storied legacy in sports. As the Hoosiers prepare to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in this year’s Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, only time will tell if the Midwest state can claim another championship in 2026.

Until then, let’s reflect on meaningful milestones across Indiana sports teams, from the original “Hoosiers” to Caitlin Clark, and everything in between.

March 1954 — Milan High School wins state basketball championship

On a last-second shot from senior guard Bobby Plump, Milan High School defeated Muncie Central 32-30, cementing its place in Indiana basketball history and beyond. The underdog team eventually inspired the beloved 1986 film “Hoosiers.”

January 1968 — Indiana football reached the Rose Bowl

Before the success of the current Indiana football team, there were the 1967 Hoosiers, coached by John Pont. After entering the season unranked, Indiana rose to No. 4 in the country and played in the Rose Bowl, where the Hoosiers lost to USC 14-3.

May 1973 — The Pacers win their third ABA championship

The Indiana Pacers became the most successful franchise in ABA history after defeating the Kentucky Colonels 88-81 in Game 7 of the ABA championship. In 1976, the Pacers were one of four ABA teams that merged with the NBA.

March 1976 — A perfect season

In 1976, Bob Knight coached the Indiana men’s basketball team to a 32-0 record, culminating in the national title with a win over Michigan. No Division I men’s basketball team has repeated the feat since.

May 1977 — Janet Guthrie breaks barriers at Indianapolis 500

In 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Guthrie finished 29th due to engine issues. The following year, Guthrie made history again by finishing ninth, the best by a woman until Danica Patrick came in fourth in 2005.

March 1979 — Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson

When Larry Bird‘s Indiana State faced Magic Johnson‘s Michigan State in the NCAA championship game, the much-anticipated matchup resulted in the highest TV ratings in college basketball history. It created the foundation for an expanded NCAA tournament and ignited a rivalry between the two players that eventually revitalized the NBA.

March 1984 — The NFL arrives in Indianapolis

After a stadium dispute with the city, Baltimore Colts owner Robert Irsay secretly moved the team to Indianapolis in the middle of the night, packing up the organization in over a dozen moving trucks. In a swift turn of events, the Baltimore Colts are now the Indianapolis Colts.

October 1993 — “Rudy” releases in Theaters

Based on the life of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, a scrappy walk-on who dreamed of playing football for Notre Dame, the inspiring movie starring Sean Astin as Rudy became an instant underdog classic.

May 1995 — Reggie Miller’s 8 points in 9 seconds

A flurry of points from Reggie Miller stunned the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden. Trailing 105-99 with 18.7 seconds remaining, Miller hit two 3-pointers and two free throws to steal a 107-105 win for Indiana.

April 1998 — Colts draft Peyton Manning

It was the beginning of an era. In 1998, the Colts selected quarterback Peyton Manning out of Tennessee with the No. 1 pick. The face of Indianapolis football for over a decade, Manning won a Super Bowl with the Colts and became the first player to be named MVP four times (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009).

February 2007 — Indianapolis Colts win Super Bowl XLI

More than two decades after Robert Irsay relocated the team, the Indianapolis Colts won their first Super Bowl. Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning led the Colts to a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears.

March 2010 & 2011 — Cinderella runs for Butler men’s basketball

Between 2010 and 2011, coach Brad Stevens led Butler University, a school with fewer than 5,000 students, to back-to-back Final Four runs. In the championship game against Duke in 2010, Gordon Hayward’s desperate half-court heave hit the rim, authoring one of sports’ greatest “what-ifs.”

October 2012 — Indiana Fever win first franchise title

Anchored by Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings, the Indiana Fever persevered against the defending champs, the Minnesota Lynx, winning the series 3-1.

December 2012 — Indiana Hoosiers men’s soccer team wins eighth NCAA title

Indiana defeated Georgetown 1-0 to win its eighth national championship. The Hoosiers have the second-most national championships in men’s DI soccer.

June 2013 — Indiana Hoosiers baseball clinches first CWS berth

The Hoosiers baseball team swept powerhouse Florida State in the Super Regional. Indiana earned its first trip to the College World Series.

April 2018 — Arike Ogunbowale’s buzzer-beater

Notre Dame women’s basketball prevailed over Mississippi State in the national title game on Arike Ogunbowale‘s electric buzzer-beater, her second of the tournament. Ogunbowale, who was named Most Outstanding Player, also hit the winner in the Final Four against UConn.

March 2021 — Indiana hosts the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament

For the first time in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history, one city hosted the entire March Madness tournament due to COVID-19-related regulations. The games were held in a bubble-like format around the Indianapolis area. The Baylor Bears defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

April 2024 — Indiana Fever select Caitlin Clark with No. 1 pick

Fresh off another record-breaking year at Iowa, Caitlin Clark goes No. 1 in the 2024 WNBA draft. The face of women’s college basketball, Clark concluded her collegiate career with 3,951 points, the most in men’s and women’s Division I history. Armed with two consecutive No. 1 draft picks (the Fever selected Aliyah Boston the year before), Clark’s arrival brought hope to a basketball state whose last Finals appearance was in 2012.

August 2024 — Cole Hocker sets 1500-meter Olympic record

The 23-year-old Indianapolis native stunned track and field fans in the Paris Olympics when he surged past heavy favorites Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen on the homestretch to break the 1500-meter Olympic record in 3:27.65.

June 2025 — Pacers reach NBA Finals

After a 10-15 start to the season, the fourth-seeded Pacers clawed their way through the playoffs and into the Finals for the first time in 25 years. Tyrese Haliburton‘s late-game heroics ended in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder when the guard tore his right Achilles tendon in the first quarter. The Pacers ultimately fell to the Thunder 103-91.

October 2025 — Fever rally in playoffs

Despite injuries to key players, including Caitlin Clark and Sydney Colson, the 24-20 Fever surged to a winner-take-all semifinal game against the Las Vegas Aces, who went on to win the championship.

December 2025 — Fernando Mendoza wins Heisman

After leading the Hoosiers to a 13-0 record and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, quarterback Fernando Mendoza is awarded the Heisman Trophy, the first in program history. Entering the playoffs, Mendoza led the country in passing touchdowns (33) and was second in quarterback rating (181.39).

Louisa Frahm, Gueorgui Milkov and Alonzo Olmedo contributed to this story.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground’s seam-friendly pitch for the fourth Ashes Test was rated “unsatisfactory” on Monday by the International Cricket Council after it ended inside two days.

Under the world governing body’s four-tier rating system “unsatisfactory” is the second lowest, characterising a pitch “favouring the bowlers too much”.

It broke the venue’s streak of “very good” ratings for the past three Boxing Day Tests and earned it one demerit point.

“The MCG pitch was too much in favour of the bowlers,” said match referee Jeff Crowe.

“With 20 wickets falling on the first day, 16 on the second day and no batter even reaching a half-century, the pitch was ‘unsatisfactory’ as per the guidelines and the venue gets one demerit point.”

England beat Australia by four wickets in the final session of day two, with no batsman scoring more than 46 across the four innings.

The first Test in Perth also ended in two days, but that pitch was rated “very good” by the ICC.

MCG curator Matt Page and his team left 10 millimetres (0.4 inches) of grass on the wicket, providing the seamers with movement and bounce and making batting treacherous.

The carnage left Cricket Australia facing Aus$10 million (US$6.7 million) in revenue shortfall, with tickets for day three and four needing to be refunded.

“We were disappointed for the fans holding tickets for days three and four, and also the millions of fans excited to watch the action in Australia and around the world, that the pitch did not provide the MCG’s customary balance between bat and ball,” said Cricket Australia’s chief of cricket James Allsopp.

“We appreciate the outstanding work the MCG staff have done over recent years producing excellent Test match pitches,” he added.

Before the ICC decision was handed down, Australia coach Andrew McDonald came to the defence of Page and warned against authorities meddling in pitch preparation.

McDonald said Page had done an “outstanding” job over the years and the batsmen should also shoulder some of the blame for not scoring enough runs.

“The perspective that I always use is we have bad Test matches as well — this Test we weren’t at our best and sometimes these things can happen.

“We support him in what he’s done and are really proud of the evolution of the MCG.

“He’s found a nice balance for a long period of time.”

Cricket Australia are set to undertake their own end-of-season review of the management of Test wickets.

Chief executive Todd Greenberg has suggested a more interventionist approach might be needed, with shorter Tests “bad for business”.

But McDonald said he was not in favour of any interference, with curators in Australia traditionally independent when preparing pitches, both from captains and Cricket Australia.

“I don’t want to get to a situation […] where we are asking for specific surfaces and tailor-made,” McDonald said.

“I don’t think Australia will ever go there, and I don’t think they’ve ever been there, to my knowledge.”

Australia led the series 3-1 with the fifth and final Test in Sydney starting Sunday.

Napoli want Real Madrid midfielder Franco Mastantuono on loan, but he won’t be allowed to move this month, while Fulham are interested in signing USMNT and PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.

Transfers home page | Men’s summer grades | Women’s grades

TOP STORIES

– Iraola on Semenyo: If he can play years for us, it’s much better!
– Frank: Spurs will sign only ‘fully committed’ players in January
– Amorim: United ‘cannot make same mistakes’ with transfers

TRENDING RUMORS

– Napoli have been heavily linked with a loan move for Real Madrid midfielder Franco Mastantuono, but Madrid have closed the door on any departure, according to Marca. Mastantuono, 18, only moved from River Plate for €45 million in the summer and has already become Los Blancos‘ second-youngest debutant in the Champions League and their fourth youngest goal-scorer in LaLiga history. Napoli had been enquiring about a loan deal as they seek midfield reinforcements, but their interest was quickly quashed before any concrete offer was made.

– Fulham are interested in signing USMNT and PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi, according to The Daily Mail. Fulham boss Marco Silva is in the market for more firepower up front alongside Raúl Jiménez, 34, and Rodrigo Muniz, who is on his way back from injury. Pepi, 22, has scored nine goals so far this season and was a target for Fulham and West Ham United last summer. He is now the preferred option ahead of Fiorentina striker Moise Kean, but PSV value his transfer at around €40 million.

– Bournemouth are expecting a late bid to sign winger Antoine Semenyo from Liverpool, says The Telegraph. The Ghana forward has seemingly been destined for a move to Manchester City in recent days and wants his future resolved by Jan. 1, as he has a release clause of £65 million that expires in a few weeks. But Semenyo could still be a target for Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes and could have a big decision to make soon. Meanwhile, Bournemouth are set to replace Semenyo with Leicester City’s Abdul Fatawu, 21, who is expected to be available for transfer at around £30 million, according to The Daily Mail.

– Tottenham Hotspur will be active in the January transfer window, and the club have been linked with a host of players. TEAMtalk says Spurs will attempt to beat the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid to the signing of Crystal Palace Adam Wharton, while Bayern Munich‘s Leon Goretzka is also a target as his contract expires in the summer. The Evening Standard suggests that Manchester City winger Savinho appears to be off limits, but lists other targets including Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush, FC Porto forward Samu Aghehowa, Juventus star Kenan Yildiz and Barcelona wantaway keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

– Barcelona are looking to find a new left-footed center back in January, with Manchester City reportedly willing to part with Nathan Aké for a fee of around €25 million, according to Sport. Ake, 30, hasn’t played as much first-team football as he would have liked in recent weeks and wants to solidify his chances of playing for Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup. His ability to play at full back would be beneficial to Barcelona, but a number of English clubs are interested in him too.

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OTHER RUMORS

– Galatasaray are hoping to sign Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte on loan, with a permanent clause added for around €25 million, though Lyon and Napoli are also interested. (Fotomac)

– AC Milan are hoping goalkeeper Mike Maignan will extend his stay at San Siro beyond the end of the season. The 30-year-old France international is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with Chelsea, among others. (Mirror)

– Barcelona are monitoring the situation of Deportivo La Coruna’s 23-year-old left winger Yeremay Hernandez. (Marca)

– A number of Italian and Spanish clubs are keeping tabs on Flamengo right back Emerson Royal. The 26-year-old defender, who can also play in the center, is out of contract in 2028. (Ekrem Konur)

– Olympiacos are monitoring Cruzeiro’s 17-year-old left back Kaua Prates and could offer a fee of around €10m in an effort to fend off interest from Napoli, Juventus, FC Porto and Benfica. (Ekrem Konur)

– Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry is expected to extend his stay beyond next summer and stay until 2028. (Florian Plettenberg)

– Girona are hoping to beat Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa to the loan signing of Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 33. (Sport)

– Celtic are contemplating making a move for Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan, amid interest from Leeds United and Nottingham Forest. (Daily Mail)

– Spanish side Cadiz have agreed to sign 19-year-old winger Antonio Cordero on loan from Newcastle United. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Ajax have made contact with Burnley about the availability of 24-year-old left back Quilindschy Hartman. The Netherlands defender has four assists this season, more than any other Burnley player. (Fabrizio Romano)

– Roma have offered striker Artem Dovbyk to Leeds United, Sunderland, Everton and West Ham United, as the 28-year-old Ukraine international has been told he’s not in Gian Piero Gasperini’s plans. (TEAMtalk)

– Sunderland are looking to consolidate their position in the top half of the Premier League with the signing of two midfielders; Lille’s 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi and Monaco’s 21-year-old Lamine Camara. (TEAMtalk)

– West Ham United are considering parting ways with boss Nuno Espirito Santo after just 13 games in charge. The Hammers are in the bottom three and could opt for a change in the dugout if their form doesn’t improve. (TalkSPORT)