The University of Indiana’s inaugural football season was in 1885 under head coach Evan Wollen. The Hoosiers didn’t have much success until the 30s, when coach Bo McMillin stepped onto the scene. Coach McMillin remains the lone coach in Indiana history to win a Big Ten Championship outright. McMillin additionally led the Hoosiers to their lone, undefeated 1945 season, going 9-0 during that time. He’s renowned as the best coach in Hoosier football history. The Hoosiers had winning seasons ten out of his fourteen seasons as coach. McMillin went on to become the team’s athletic director in 1946. McMillin still has the best winning percentage in team history at .562.

The 50s and the first half of the 60s weren’t too kind to the Hoosiers. In 1960 the Hoosiers were accused of paying players and recruits. The Hoosiers were given four years of probation, during which they couldn’t participate in the postseason, and wins against other Big Ten teams wouldn’t count.

John Pont coached the Hoosiers from 1965-1972 and had some success. In his second year at the helm, the Hoosiers went 9-2 and won the Big Ten (shared) in 1967. The Hoosiers also got their lone Rose Bowl invitation, where they lost to USC Trojans. Pont was awarded coach of the year after the historic season. Pont didn’t have much success after this season, and he resigned.

Coach Bill Mallory had success in his tenure from 1984-1996. He led the team to six bowl games, including a 34-10 win in the Liberty Bowl over South Carolina. He was also the first coach in the conference to win Coach of the Year two years consecutively. He has the most wins in the Hoosiers’ history.

From 1997-2011 the Hoosiers went through a series of coaches and didn’t enjoy much success.

In 2011, Kevin Wilson became head coach. Wilson was formerly the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. He brought his knowledge to the Hoosiers, since he maximized the offense and improved them immensely. The team seemed to show plenty of upside every year. In 2015, they earned an invite to the Pinstripe Bowl against Duke. The offense was on display big time, since they scored 41 points in a 44-41 loss to Duke.

Current coach Tom Allen has been at the helm since 2016. Allen was previously the team’s defensive coordinator. In 2019, the Hoosiers had one of their better seasons finishing 8-4 and clinching a trip to the Gator Bowl against the University of Tennessee. They lost an absolute nail-biter 23-22 to the Vols. In 2020, the Hoosiers got perhaps their biggest win in school history after beating #8 Penn State 36-35 to kick off the season. The Hoosiers also beat Michigan that season. Unfortunately, the Hoosiers lost 26-20 in the Outback Bowl to Ole Miss.