In 2004 the Indiana football program was stuck in a rut. They hadn’t been to a bowl game since 1993 and had just fired head coach Gary DiNardo who had won eight total games in three years. They needed to rejuvenate a dormant program. They needed someone with enthusiasm and thought Indiana was a dream job. They turned to Terry Hoeppner to try and do that and it paid off.
Hoeppner was two years removed from a 13-1 record at Miami (OH) and a number 10 ranking in the final AP polls. He helped Ben Roethlisberger get on the map and drafted and had the Redhawks going in the right direction.