Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
There is a very big market for memorabilia connected to Indiana’s first-ever national championship in football. That is certainly the case with the headset Curt Cignetti wore while leading the Hoosiers to a win over Miami in the title game, which obliterated the record for the most expensive piece of gear in that particular category after hitting the auction block.
It’s still a bit hard to believe Indiana’s footbal team is currently the reigning national champion, as the Hoosiers were historically an afterthought in the national conversation and played second fiddle to basketball at their own school just a few years ago.
However, Curt Cignetti managed to stage one of the most impressive turnarounds in the history of sports after replacing Tom Allen ahead of the 2024 season.
The former James Madison skipper posted an 11-2 record during his inaugural campaign while leading his new squad to the College Football Playoff for the first time, and they returned in 2025 en route to winning the first title in the history of the program by capping off a perfect 16-0 run with a victory over Miami.
The school made the sage decision to leverage some keepsakes from the season to fortify its NIL fund, and the headset Cignetti was rocking when they vanquished the Hurricanes has given them a very sizeable injection.
Someone paid $112,500 for the headset Curt Cignetti wore in the national championship game
Cignetti was responsible for yet another masterful coaching performance while clinching the title with a 27-21 win, and it was orchestrated with the help of the AT&T headset he was wearing on the sideline.
That headset recently hit the auction block at a sale organized by Bison Drop, the platform where Indiana fans can buy items that have been authenticated by the university while benefiting its NIL endeavors with the proceeds.
The opening bid came in at $450 when the auction began on January 26th, and that number was significantly higher by the time it wrapped up on the evening of February 8th. According to The Indianapolis Star, the high bid was sitting around $20,000 when the day began, but a slew of offers flooded in around an hour before the auction concluded as it ultimately sold for $112,500.
So uhhh… That just happened.
Cig’s headset just went for $112k.
The last hour of the auction saw nearly a $90k increase in the top bid. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JpD2x42lvi
— Bison Drops (@BisonDrops) February 9, 2026
If there’s anyone who would know what was previously the most expensive headset ever sold, it would be Darren Rovell, and he said the record previously sat at a relatively paltry $10,200 courtesy of the one Bill Belichick wore in Super Bowl XXXVI while ushering in the Patriots dynasty.
What a world.