Curt Cignetti built champion at Indiana with what he knew — good players from his ...

MIAMI — He had to start somewhere. So, when coach Curt Cignetti started his rebuilding project at Indiana, he turned to what he knew. Cignetti recruited 13 players from his old school, James Madison, over to his new program with the Hoosiers. They formed the backbone of at what he called “one of the greatest sports stories of all time” — the rise of college football’s losingest program into a national champion. Former James Madison players Elijah Sarratt, Kaelon Black, Aiden Fisher and Mikail Kamara were among the baker’s dozen — some call them “Cignetti’s Dozen” — who contributed to Indiana’s undefeated season and the national title. The players came in dribs and drabs, starting shortly...