This is the first in a series of how Indiana football coaches fared in their first season in Bloomington. After Bo McMillin left after the 1947 season, no coach since has left with a winning record. Clyde Smith was the first to fall short.
In the 1948 Indiana University Arbutus yearbook, no purple prose was spared when describing the legacy of departed football coach Bo McMillin.
Thirteen coaches have come and gone. What were their legacies and, most relevant to Cignetti’s maiden voyage, how did their first seasons set the stage for their regime?McMillin, who had also become Indiana’s athletic director, sought bigger challenges. He broke an Indiana contract that had seven years remaining to move to the NFL as coach and general manager of the Detroit Lions. It was front page news.
At the time, Smith had never been part of a losing season as a player or coach. Fondly remembered as a stocky and intense line coach in the 1930s, he was a popular hire. Indiana did have George Taliaferro, who would thrive in the single-wing attack Smith implemented. Taliaferro led the team in rushing and passing in 1948, part of his legacy as one of the greatest Hoosiers of all-time.Indiana opened the season as the underdog at Wisconsin, which had finished second in the then-Big Nine in 1947. The Hoosiers, forced five fumbles, and Taliaferro scored three touchdowns in a 35-7 upset of the Badgers.
A fraternity house scene taken from the 1949 Arbutus yearbook. Excitement was high for new coach Clyde Smith during the 1948 season. It would start well, but end poorly. / Indiana University Arbutus
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