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Rock legend and lifelong Indiana football fan John Mellencamp cheered on the Hoosiers ahead of their national championship showdown against the Miami Hurricanes.
On Monday, the 74-year-old musician decked himself out in cream and crimson, sporting an IU Letterman jacket in a photo that he shared hours before the 2026 CFP National Championship Game kicks off at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
In the image, Mellencamp, who is one of the Hoosiers’ biggest philanthropic supporters, paired his Letterman jacket with black pants, dark sunglasses and white sneakers as he stood in a snow-covered path at night.
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“Go Hoosiers! #Hoosiers #Football #championship #miami,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, alongside the photo.
Longtime Hoosiers fan John Mellencamp geared up ahead of the team’s historic championship game on Monday night. (Gary Miller/Getty Images/ John Mellencamp X)
The Hoosiers head into the championship clash with Miami following one of the most improbable rises in college football history — and Mellencamp has been there every step of the way.
Long considered one of the Big Ten’s worst teams, the Hoosiers have never won a national title and rarely played in prestigious bowl games throughout the program’s history. However, this season been like any other for the Hoosiers. The team is currently undefeated, maintaining a 15-0 season record after dominating its path through the playoffs, including major wins over rivals Alabama and Oregon.
While taking on Miami Monday night, the Hoosiers will be led by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who became the first Heisman Trophy winner in Indiana football history last month.
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Meanwhile, Mellencamp’s journey with the Hoosiers began decades before its historic turnaround. According to the Wall Street Journal, the “Jack & Diane” hitmaker grew up in Bloomington, which is home to IU’s main campus, and he began attending games as a child while his older brother studied at the university.
Mellencamp continued to support the team following his rise to music stardom in the 1980s. In 1996, Mellencamp donated $1.5 million toward constructing the John Mellencamp Pavilion, the primary indoor athletics training facility for the Hoosiers football team. The facility includes a full-size football field with turf and serves as the team’s indoor practice venue.
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John Mellencamp standing next to a bronze statue of himself after an unveiling ceremony at Indiana University. (Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The musician’s donation came at a time when the team lacked major donors as few had faith in the program’s ability to become competitive.
“It was a bunch of down years,” Mellencamp told the WSJ. “That’s just the way it was.”
However, Mellencamp, who still lives in Bloomington and received an honorary doctorate from IU in 2000, continued regularly going to Hoosier games, which were often poorly attended.
Mellencamp, a longtime cigarette user, told the WSJ that he found an upside to the thin crowds since the empty seats allowed him the freedom to smoke without drawing much attention.
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Mellencamp attends a college football game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Indiana Hoosiers on October 19, 2024. (James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
According to the WSJ, IU honored Mellencamp in recent years by building him a “wooden shack” on top of the Hoosiers’ Memorial Stadium where the self-described “anti-social” singer can watch the games and indulge his habit in peace.
“I set up there, nobody bothers me,” Mellencamp said. “And I can smoke.”
IU president Pam Whitten noted that the shack’s limited space ensures that only a few hand-picked guests could join Mellencamp in cheering on the Hoosiers.
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John Mellencamp performs during the Farm Aid Music Festival at the Coastal Credit Union Music Park on September 24, 2022 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)
“It’s tight quarters,” Whitten told the WSJ. “So that he can make sure the only people in there with him are all-in for football.”
Billionaire entrepreneur and IU alum Mark Cuban, who has donated millions of dollars to his alma mater over the years, told the WSJ that he has yet to receive an invitation from Mellencamp.
“Which I’m fine with,” Cuban told the outlet, explaining, “I’m not a smoker.”
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 8, 2025. (Matthew O’Haren/Imagn Images)
While perched in his shack, Mellencamp has borne witness to the Hoosiers’ journey from perpetual underdog to championship contender — a transformation that began in 2024 when Indiana replaced its previous coach with Curt Cignetti, formerly of James Madison University.
In December, Mellencamp appeared in a CBS “60 Minutes” special that chronicled the Hoosiers’ historic season. In the segment, Mellencamp reflected on what he believes is one of Cignetti’s strengths as a leader, noting that the coach maintains his composure and does not display his emotions during games.
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“Not outwardly. Not outwardly,” Mellencamp told sports journalist Jon Wertheim.
“Jon, I’ve made my worst decisions being emotional,” he added. “And I bet you have, too.”
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Sept. 27, 2025. (Jeffrey Becker/Imagn Images)
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Wertheim pointed to Mellencamp’s decades of dedication to the team, noting that the singer did not appear to be a “bandwagon” fan.
“No, no, I’ve been around through thick and thin,” Mellencamp said.
Mellecamp has been a fan of the team for decades. (Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Mellecamp told the WSJ that he won’t be in the stands for the championship game as he is preparing to embark on his Dancing Words Tour — The Greatest Hits this summer.
However, the outlet noted that the Grammy winner may need to free up his schedule for a performance at the Hoosiers’ championship parade should the team emerge triumphant on Monday night.
