Indiana Hoosiers


The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, nicknamed Hoosiers after the demonym for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 24 sports and became a member of the Big Ten Conference on December 1, 1899. The school's official colors are cream and crimson.
The Indiana Hoosiers have won 24 NCAA national championships, one Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women national championship, and one College Football Playoff championship, in addition to 145 NCAA individual national championships. Titles won by teams include eight by the men's soccer team, a record-setting six straight in men's swimming and diving, five by the men's basketball team, three in men's cross country, and one each in men's track and field, wrestling, and football.
The Hoosiers' athletic program is perhaps best known for its basketball program, with its five NCAA Championships tying for fourth in history. Indiana's 1976 squad remains the last undefeated NCAA men's basketball champion. A 2018 study listed Indiana as the second most valuable collegiate basketball program in the country. Additionally, Hoosiers' athletics is well known for its soccer program; by a number of indicators, it is one of the greatest college soccer programs in the history of the sport. Since the program began in 1973, Indiana owns more National Championships, more wins, has appeared in more College Cups and has a higher winning percentage in both regular season and post-season play than any other school in Division I soccer.
Indiana has two main rivalries, an in-state feud with the Purdue Boilermakers, and a border rivalry against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Traditions

School colors

The school's official colors are cream and crimson. The official IU Crimson is Pantone 201. However, in the 1970s former basketball coach Bob Knight and football coach Lee Corso started using uniforms that were more scarlet or bright red.
During the same time, cream gave way almost universally to white. But those colors reverted mostly to cream and crimson in the early 2000s, after then-athletics director Michael McNeely decided that the team uniforms needed to reflect the school's official colors of cream and crimson. Indiana cheerleaders still chant "Go Big Red".
The changes over the years has led to some clashing of colors in some varsity sport uniforms, as is the case with the baseball team's jackets being a different color than their caps and uniforms. Athletic Director Fred Glass said, "My view is that we're an awfully big and diverse place. I think cream and crimson and 'Go Big Red' can survive in one place." Only four other major college programs claim crimson as their dominant color: Alabama, Harvard, Oklahoma and Washington State, and only Oklahoma pairs crimson with cream.

Mascot

IU student-athletes are known as "Hoosiers", a nickname for natives or residents of Indiana. A bulldog named Ox served as the football team's mascot from 1959 to 1965. Indiana had a bison as its mascot in the late 1960s and introduced a mascot named Mr. Hoosier Pride in 1979. The mascot did not go over well with fans and was quickly abandoned.
On May 27, 2025, after several teaser videos posted on IU Athletics' social media, "Hoosier the Bison" was revealed as the official mascot of Indiana University. The name "Hoosier the Bison" was used in 1965 when a student-led group first picked the mascot.

School songs

The Indiana Hoosiers have two fight songs – "Indiana, Our Indiana" and "Indiana Fight!" – along with an alma mater song, "Hail to Old IU". Indiana's most recognized fight song, "Indiana, Our Indiana", was first performed by the IU Band in November 1912 at a football game against Northwestern. The song has since been played at every Indiana football and basketball game.Indiana's popular fight song melody is "Indiana Fight!", though the words are rarely sung at an Indiana sporting event. The crowd usually just sings "GO! IU! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! Indiana, we're all for you!" at the end of the song. Indiana's official Alma Mater song, "Hail to Old IU" was first performed on March 10, 1893, in Indianapolis. J.T. Giles, who organized the IU glee club wrote the words to a Scottish song in order to give the Hoosiers a school song for a performance at a state contest. The song has been a mainstay at Indiana events since that day. An additional school song, "Chimes of Indiana," was written by alumnus Hoagy Carmichael, and was presented to the university in 1937 as a gift from the class of 1935.

Sports sponsored

Baseball

The Hoosiers have appeared eight times in the NCAA Tournament, in 1996, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019 including one College World Series appearance.
They have won the regular season conference championship seven times – 1925, 1932, 1938, 1949, 2013, 2014 and 2019. The current head baseball coach of the Hoosiers is Jeff Mercer.
Beginning in 2013, the Hoosiers play in Bart Kaufman Field.

Basketball

Men's basketball

The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University.
The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on the IU campus. Indiana has won five NCAA Championships in men's basketball — the first two under coach Branch McCracken and the latter three under Bob Knight. The Hoosiers' five NCAA Championships are tied for fourth with Duke, trailing North Carolina, UCLA, and Kentucky. Indiana's 1976 squad remains the last undefeated NCAA men's basketball champion.
The Hoosiers are also sixth in NCAA Tournament appearances, sixth in NCAA Tournament victories, seventh in Final Four appearances, and 11th in overall victories. The Hoosiers have won 22 Big Ten Conference Championships and have the best winning percentage in conference games at nearly 60 percent. No team has had more All-Big Ten selections than the Hoosiers with 53. The Hoosiers also rank seventh in all-time AP poll appearances and sixth in number of weeks spent at No 1. Every four-year men's basketball letterman since 1973 has earned a trip to the NCAA basketball tournament. Additionally, every four-year player since 1950 has played on a nationally ranked squad at Indiana.
A 2012 study listed Indiana as the third most valuable collegiate basketball program in the country. Indiana has ranked in the top 15 nationally in men's basketball attendance every season since Assembly Hall opened in 1972, and often in the top five. When asked if Indiana basketball fans were the most passionate in the country, ESPN commentator Dick Vitale said, "I don't think there's any doubt about it. They eat, sleep and drink the game." Basketball sportscaster Gus Johnson called Assembly Hall, "the Carnegie Hall of basketball."
Indiana has intense rivalries both in-state, against the Purdue Boilermakers, and out-of-state, against the Kentucky Wildcats. Darian DeVries was named Indiana's head coach in 2025.

Women's basketball

Women's basketball began as a varsity sport in the 1971–72 season. The Hoosiers were co-Big Ten champions the 1982–83 season, won the Big Ten Tournament in the 2001–02 season, and won the WNIT in the 2017–18 season. The current head coach of the Hoosiers is Teri Moren.

Football

Indiana began playing football in 1884 and currently plays in the 52,656-seat, open-air Memorial Stadium, built in 1960. Curt Cignetti was hired as Indiana's head football coach beginning in the 2024 season. The team has won the Big Ten Championship three times—in 1945, 1967, and 2025. It has appeared in 16 bowl games, including the Rose Bowl in 1968 and 2025, as well as the 2026 national championship.

Men's soccer

By a number of indicators, the Hoosiers are one of the greatest soccer programs in the history of the sport. The Hoosiers have won eight national championships in men's soccer, second only to St. Louis' 10. Indiana owns more wins, has appeared in more College Cups and has a higher winning percentage in both regular season and post-season play than any other school in Division I soccer.
The Hoosiers have also dominated conference play. Since the Big Ten began sponsoring men's soccer in 1991, Indiana has won 11 Big Ten tournament titles. Indiana has also been crowned regular season champion 14 times, including nine-straight seasons from 1996 to 2004. A league-record 11 Big Ten Players of the Year come from Indiana.
Indiana players have won six Hermann Trophies and three Missouri Athletic Club Player of the Year awards. The Hoosiers have produced 13 United States men's national soccer team players, six Olympians and six World Cup players. In addition, Hoosier players have earned All-America honors 52 times.
Every year since the NCAA began tracking men's soccer attendance in 2001, the IU program has ranked among the top three in average or total attendance. Indiana led the nation in average attendance in 2004 and 2005 and in total attendance in 2003. The Hoosiers are currently coached by Todd Yeagley, the son of former Indiana Hall of Fame coach Jerry Yeagley.