INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana made a strong showing on Time’s latest influential sports list.
Time released its “100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026” on Tuesday. Five people with Indiana ties made the cut:
- Indianapolis Colts CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon
- Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti
- Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark
- Las Vegas Raiders quarterback and former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza
- Sports analyst Pat McAfee
Curt Cignetti
Cignetti made the “Titans” section. Time said two words will forever be associated with him: “Google me.”
“That’s what Cignetti said at the national-signing-day press conference in 2023 when asked how he was going to sell his vision for the Hoosiers to high school recruits and players in the transfer portal,” Time wrote. “His point: he was a winner.”
“Indiana, known more for basketball, hadn’t done much in football, but Cignetti blew past all expectations,” according to Time.
With Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, Indiana went 16-0 and won the national title.
“After Indiana’s 27-21 victory over Miami in the title game, Google added a delightful Easter egg at the top of the results page for those who searched for Cignetti: ‘Yup, he won,’” Time reported.
Caitlin Clark
Clark made the “Icons” section. Time wrote that “when the history of women’s basketball is written, expect a chapter—or two or three— on Caitlin Clark.”
Time noted her “showmanship and three-point exploits, in both college and the WNBA, have brought unprecedented attention to the game.”
Fernando Mendoza
Mendoza made the “Leaders” section. Time called his success “one of the great surprise college-football feats.”
The Cal transfer “threw 41 touchdown passes, tops in the nation, and led the Hoosiers to a 16-0 record–the first 16-win season in college football since the 1894 Yale Bulldogs.”
Time mentioned that Mendoza donated $500,000 for multiple sclerosis research, citing his mother Elsa as inspiration.
Pat McAfee
McAfee landed in “Innovators.” The former Colts punter signed a five-year, $85 million ESPN deal in 2023.
Time noted McAfee “has awarded more than $5 million in cash and charitable contributions over the past two seasons” through College GameDay kicking contests.
Carlie Irsay-Gordon
Irsay-Gordon made “Leaders.” She became the Colts’ principal owner after her father Jim Irsay died in May 2025.
“She is so committed to the success of her team that she frequently wears a headset on the sideline during games so she can hear how the coaching staff communicates,” Time wrote.
She told Time: “I would suggest it for anyone else that has to pay coaches and GMs millions and millions of dollars. It helps you make a less expensive mistake potentially.
