Curt Cignetti’s championship headset sells for record $112,500 at auction

After leading Indiana to a national title in January, Curt Cignetti decided to give fans a chance to own a piece of history. The Hoosiers leader put his game-used headset from the championship game up for auction, with the proceeds being used to help with NIL opportunities for his program’s athletes.

It went for $112,500 at auction, besting the previous record-holder in Bill Belichick’s game-worn Super Bowl 36 headset, which went for $10,200. According to cllct, Cignetti’s national championship headset is now the most expensive game headset in history.

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As you can see, Cignetti is making history left and right. All told, the headset was among multiple game-used items from the national championship that became available at Bison Drop, along with a Gatorade bottle and towel. Team-issued towels from the Rose Bowl and Peach Bowl were also up for auction.

Regardless, Cignetti’s headset – which included authentication documents – was the item that drew the most buzz. That’s certainly reflected in the price it went for.

Moreover, Bison Drop, a private company operated by Indiana-based Our Threads, LLC, acquires items from Indiana and auctions them, with drops every Monday. Athletes and coaches are compensated through NIL agreements, according to the company’s website. Bison Drop confirmed to On3 that Cignetti allowed the company to acquire the headset from IU and auction it.

Indiana completed a historic turnaround in just two years under Cignetti’s leadership, going from the losingest program in college football history before his arrival to 16-0 and a national champion. The Hoosiers are the second college football team to ever go 16-0 in a season, joining Yale in 1894.

Curt Cignetti: IU NIL ‘nowhere near where people think it is’

Throughout Indiana’s title run, Mark Cuban maintained a strong presence on the sidelines. The billionaire and Dallas Mavericks minority owner has also been a key part of his alma mater’s turnaround, donating as recently as this past transfer portal cycle. Cuban made clear the impact Curt Cignetti had on his decision to donate to the program, especially since the IU staff does not plan to get into “bidding wars.”

In fact, immediately after sealing the national championship win over Miami, Cignetti made it clear IU is not among the top spenders in college football. He quickly dispelled that narrative as he met with reporters postgame.

“I would like to say that our NIL is nowhere near where people think it is,” Cignetti said to start his opening press conference. “So you can throw that out.”

Indiana is preparing to lose some key pieces from the national title team, including quarterback Fernando Mendoza and wide receiver Omar Cooper. But the Hoosiers are doing work in the portal, landing the No. 1-ranked class, according to the On3 Team Transfer Portal Rankings. Former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover is the biggest addition as the No. 19 overall player in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings.

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.