Indiana Native and Two Time Major Golf Champion Fuzzy Zoeller Passes Away at Age 74 Fuzzy Zoeller, a two-time major champion and one of golf’s most gregarious characters whose career was tainted by a racially insensitive joke about Tiger Woods, has died, according to a longtime colleague. He was 74. A cause of death was not immediately available. Brian Naugle, the tournament director of the Insperity Invitational in Houston, said Zoeller’s daughter called him Thursday with the news. Zoeller was the last player to win the master’s on his first attempt, a three-man playoff in 1979. He famously waved a white towel at Winged Foot in 1984 when he thought Greg Norman had beat him, only to defeat Norman in an 18-hole playoff the next day.
But it was the 1997 master’s that changed his popularity. Woods was on his way to a watershed moment in golf with the most dominant victory in Augusta National history. Zoeller was praising the performance in a CNN interview when he ended it by saying: “So, you know what you guys do when he gets in here? You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not serve fried chicken next year. Got it?” He smiled and snapped his fingers, and as he was walking away he turned and said, “Or collard greens or whatever the hell they serve.” That moment haunted him the rest of his career. Zoeller wrote for Golf Digest in 2008: “I’ve cried many times. I’ve apologized countless times for words said in jest that just aren’t a reflection of who I am. I have hundreds of friends, including people of color, who will attest to that. Still, I’ve come to terms with the fact that this incident will never, ever go away.”
#2 Indiana University Football looks to complete a Perfect 12-0 Regular Season at Purdue The #2 Indiana Hoosiers look to rewrite the football record books when they travel to West Lafayette tonight to take on the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium at 7:30 PM with television coverage on NBC. The Hoosiers are 11-0 and 8-0 in the Big Ten and win tonight over their archrivals and Indiana will clinch a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game on December 6th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. In 1945 Indiana finished the season 9-0-1 and won the Big Ten Championship outright which is the only time in program history that the Hoosiers have finished a season with. The Hoosiers last won the Big Ten Championship in 1967 and went to their only Rose Bowl Appearance losing to USC. The Hoosiers last year went 11-2 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten under Curt Cignetti losing to Ohio State in the regular season and Notre Dame in the first round of the College Football Playoff in South Bend.
Cignetti and the Hoosiers have been on a mission since last season ended and have stayed the course showing that an historically bad program can turn it around. Cignetti is 22-2 since arriving in Bloomington and 16-1 in the Big Ten along with the Nation’s longest home winning streak at 15 games. Indiana has won 19 of their 22 games by double digits and have the programs highest ranking at #2 for the last six weeks and the College Football Playoff for the last four weeks. The Hoosiers are coming off a bye week after a 31-7 win over Wisconsin on November 15, on Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium to complete a perfect home regular season for the second straight season. Indiana will have Wide Receiver Elijah Sarratt and Defensive Lineman Mikail Kamara available after they have missed due to Injury. Offensive Lineman Drew Evans is questionable for the game, but Coach Cignetti said earlier the week that he is working his way back and they will know closer to game time if he will be available.
Indiana held Wisconsin to 70 yards rushing which sets a new single season record for the Hoosiers defense holding a team under 100 yards rushing for the ninth time this season. The Hoosiers are the only power four team to rank among the top 15 nationally in scoring defense-Number 2 11.6, total defense-Number 4 249.0 ypg, rushing defense-No 4 82.4 ypg, passing defense-Number 13 166.5 mpg and sacks-tied 10th-30.0. Louis Moore leads the Hoosier defense with 68 total tackles with 33 solos and five interceptions. Roljiah Hardy has 7 sacks to lead the Hoosiers. Jamari Sharpe has four forced fumbles, and Hosea Wheeler has 2 fumble recoveries. The Hoosiers have 33 sacks, 15 interceptions with 1 returned for a touchdown. 8 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries and 1 returned for a touchdown.
Fernando Mendoza threw four touchdown passes against Wisconsin to become the all-time single season leader in program history with 30 touchdown passes passing Kurtis Rourke who threw 29 in 2024. Mendoza is completing 73% of his passes 203-278 for 2,641 yards 5 interceptions and sacked 15 times. Alberto Mendoza is 16-22 passing for 210 yards with 4 touchdown passes and 1 interception. Grant Wilson has completed 1 pass for 5 yards. Indiana’s rushing attack has 453 carries for a combined 2,402 yards and 24 touchdowns. Roman Hemby, Kaleon Black, Fernando Mendoza and Khobie Martin all have five rushing touchdowns each. Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt have combined for 1,349 yards and 20 touchdowns along with 100 receptions. E.J. Williams Jr has 5 touchdown receptions as the Hoosiers have 220 receptions for 2,856 yards and 34 touchdowns.
It’s been a tough season for Purdue and first year coach Barry Odom. The Boilermakers started season 2-0 with a 31-0 win over Ball State and 34-17 win over Southern Illinois both at home. Purdue has lost 9 in a row and are 0-8 in the Big Ten have been outscored 309-157 during the losing streak. Leading Rusher Devin Mockobee went down with an Injury and is done for the season Mockobee had 125 carries for 521 yards and 4 touchdowns and suffered the injury the October 25, game at home against Rutgers. The Boonville, Indiana Native completed 1 of his 2 passes for 14 yards with a touchdown and interception. Quarterback Ryan Browne is 174-291 for 1,915 yards with 9 touchdown passes, 9 interceptions and has been sacked 15 times. Malachai Singelton is 38-64 for 439 yards with 5 touchdown passes, 2 interceptions and been sacked 4 times. Michael Jackson III has caught 57 passes for 504 yards and a touchdown as Nitro Tuggle leads the team with 4 touchdown catches. On Defense Mani Powell leads the Boilermakers with 103 tackles and Myles Slusher has an interception. Purdue has 24 sacks, 4 interceptions, 6 forced fumbles and 5 fumble recoveries.
Indiana won this game 66-0 in Bloomington a season ago the largest margin of victory and the most points ever in the series for the Hoosiers. This is the 127th all-time meeting between the two teams that began in 1891 as Purdue leads the series 77-43-6 and this will be the 100th meeting for the Old Oaken Bucket since it started in 1925. This will be the second time in a row the teams have played under the lights and the second time playing on a Friday and the first was 1995. Indiana is 7-5 in Friday Games and the stakes for the Hoosiers could not be any higher with a trip to the Big Ten Championship and a perfect regular season. For Purdue they would love nothing more than to pull what would be considered the biggest upset in the rivalry if the Hoosiers stay the course which they are a massive favorite and Hoosier Nation could be celebrating a 12-0 record and a trip to the Big Ten Championship which many have thought that would always be a dream is about to become a reality.
Indiana University Women’s Basketball Continues Its Three game Florida Trip with Gonzaga The Indiana Hoosiers play their second of three games in Fort Myers Florida this afternoon at 1:30 PM against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the GIECO Coconut Hoops Tournament at Alico Arena with the game streaming on Flo Hoops. This will be the first meeting between the two programs. The Hoosiers beat Florida Gulf Coast 82-64 on Tuesday afternoon as they are 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in road games both coming in the State of Florida. Shay Ciezki and Lenne Beaumont led the way with 49 of the Hoosiers 82 points. Ciezki scored 26 and Beaumont tied her career high with 23 points tying her total at Florida State.
Ciezki is the Hoosiers leading scorer at 22 points per game. The Buffalo, New York native has scored 20 or more points in four games. Ciezki is shooting 52 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 91 percent from the free throw line. Ciezki leads the Hoosiers with 1.5 steals per game. Beaumont has scored 67 points in the last three games shooting 69 percent from the field, 92 percent from three-point range and 9-10 from the free throw line for 90 percent in the last three games. Beaumont is averaging 15.2 points and leads the Hoosiers with 3 assists per game. The Lisle, Illinois native went 5-5 form beyond the arc against Florida Gulf Coast, 4-5 against Butler and 3-3 at Florida State after she started 0-7 from downtown in the first three games.
Zania Socka-Nguemen averages 13.5 points and leads the Hoosiers with 9.2 rebounds per game. Socka-Nguemen had 9 points and 7 rebounds against the Eagles Tuesday afternoon as which ended a five-game streak of scoring double digits points. Socka-Nguemen has three double-doubles on the season and shoots 68 percent from the field. Edessa Noyan leads the Hoosiers with 0.5 blocks per game. Indiana is averaging 73 points and commits 15 turnovers per game. The Hoosiers are shooting 49 percent from the field, 39.8 from three-point range and 70 percent from the free throw line. Head Coach Teri Moren is 451-242 in her 23rd season overall and 252-112 in her 12th season in Bloomington.
Gonzaga is 3-3 on the season with road wins at North Dakota State 81-66 And Toledo 72-69 and a home win over Eastern Washington 79-60. The Bulldogs Lost to Colorado State 70-66 and Stanford 65-52 at home and South Dakota State 72-63 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Freshman Lauren Whittaker leads the Bulldogs with 17 points, 7.8 rebounds and 0.3 blocks per game. Whittaker is 6-3 as the Christchurch New Zealand native was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week. 5-8 Sophomore Allie Turner averages 14 points and leads the Bulldogs with 4 assists per game. Zeryhia Aokouso averages 10.5 points per game. Ines Bettencourt averages 7.2 points and leads the Bulldogs with 1.3 steals per game. Gonzaga averages 68.8 points and commit 18.5 turnovers per game. The Bulldogs shoot 45% from the field 38% from three-point range and 72% from the free throw line.
The Bulldogs have a 13 Player Roster that Represents Washington, North Dakota, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Missouri, California, Portugal, Turkey, Spain and New Zealand. Gonzaga has 3 Seniors, 3 Juniors, 3 Sophomores and 4 Freshman. Head Coach Lisa Fortier is in her 12th season at Gonzaga with a 292-77 record. The 44-Year-Old has led the Bulldogs to 8 NCAA Tournament Appearances including the Sweet 16 in 2015 and 2024 along with the second round in 2019 and 2022. The Bulldogs made the WNIT Second Round in 2016 and WBIT Quarterfinals in 2025. Under Fortier Gonzaga has had 10 seasons of 20 wins or more along with 19 wins in 2016. Fortier is a California native who played at Placer HS in Auburn, California and played her college basketball at Butte Community College in Montana from 2000-02 and Cal State Monterey Bay from 2002-04 when she was Lisa Mispley. Fortier was the Coordinator of Basketball Operations at Gonzaga from 2004-06 and an Assistant Coach at Northern Colorado from 2006-07 and Gonzaga from 2007-14.
Indiana University Volleyball Sweeps Illinois in Champaign The Indiana volleyball team has ended a number of long streaks this season as a historic 2025 campaign roars on. For the first time since 2007, the Hoosiers picked off Illinois in Champaign with a sweep (25-18, 25-21, 25-18) on Wednesday evening at Huff Hall. IU’s win over the Fighting Illini moved its road conference record to 7-2 on the year, breaking a single-season program record for Big Ten wins away from home. The Hoosiers had one of their most impressive serving nights of the year. IU provided nine aces in the victory, led by three from freshman setter Teodora Krickovic. On top of her outstanding serving night, Krickovic worked a fantastic night offensively with her senior opposite hitter Avry Tatum. The connection helped Tatum to 13 kills on 24 swings and a .417 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles went for 12 kills. The veteran duo is now 26-8 in the last three years when both players reach double figures in the same contest.
Freshman outside hitter Jaidyn Jager had seven kills on 12 attempts (.500 hitting percentage) but added 12 digs and two aces. Alonso-Corcelles and freshman libero Hannah Leftridge each had six digs. Senior middle blocker Madi Sell helped turn the tides in game three with a solo block – part of a four-block night for IU. The win made Alonso-Corcelles the winningest player in program since the NCAA made women’s volleyball a varsity sport in 1981. She has 75 wins and counting in her career to go along with her already program-record 42 Big Ten victories. IU’s 23 wins this season are tied for a single-season program record. IU will have the chance to finish off the regular season in style on Saturday. A win over No. 11 Purdue at Mackey Arena would give the Hoosiers their best Big Ten finish (3rd or T-3rd) in program history. It would also be an outright, single season record for wins (24).
Indiana University Swimming and Diving Trio Collects Big Ten Weekly Awards Indiana swimming and diving swept the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week honors, and Liberty Clark captured her fourth Big Ten Freshman of the Week as the conference office announced its weekly awards Wednesday following midseason action. Junior Miranda Grana earned her third Big Ten Swimmer of the Week award after winning three events at the Ohio State Invitational, including all three of her individual events as well as a sweep of the backstroke events. Grana swam a program record 49.98 in the 100-yard butterfly and a 49.89 in the 100-yard backstroke to become the fifth woman to go sub-50 seconds in both events, joining Olympians Claire Curzan, Maggie MacNeil, Regan Smith and Gretchen Walsh. Her times in the 100 back, 100 fly and 200 back (1:49.06) all rank No. 3 nationally this season.
Senior Zalán Sárkány won the Big Ten Men’s Swimmer of the Week honor after setting the nation’s fastest times in the 500-yard freestyle (4:09.57) and 1,650-yard freestyle (14:23.85). Sárkány narrowly missed program record in those events but achieved the school standard in the 400-yard IM (3:39.73), finally beating the 11-year-old record after tying it last season in a third-place finish. Clark won five events at her first midseason meet. In the 50-yard freestyle, Clark set a program record (21.54) in a second-place performance as well as IU’s best-ever relay leadoff (21.61). In the 100-yard freestyle, the freshman broke the program record twice with an individual-event winning 46.87 before trimming it to a 46.83 in a relay leadoff. Her 200-yard freestyle performance earned “Arena Swim of the Week” honors from SwimSwam.com, as Clark’s 1:41.27 made her the 16th-fastest woman all-time and No. 6 American in the 17-18 age group. Clark also split 45.87 as Indiana’s 400-yard medley relay anchor, becoming the 10th woman in NCAA history to split sub-46 seconds.
IHSAA State Football Finals Take over Lucas Oil Stadium for the Next Two Days It’s officially state championship week in high school football. Six schools will be crowned state champions today and tomorrow at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
6A: Westfield vs. Brownsburg; 7 p.m. on Saturday-It’s a rematch of last year’s 6A state championship game. Westfield (11-2) and Brownsburg (13-0) have played each other three times in the last two seasons, with Brownsburg winning all three matchups. However, all of them have been decided by five points or less. Brownsburg is looking for back-to-back state championships, while Westfield is looking for its first state title since 2016.
5A: Merrillville vs. New Palestine; 7 p.m. This Evening-New Palestine (13-0) has won 27 straight games. The Dragons shut out Bloomington South to make it to state for the second straight year. New Palestine is looking for back-to-back state titles and its fifth state championship in school history. Merrillville (11-2) has won 10 straight games. The Pirates are looking for their first state championship since 1976.
4A: Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger vs. Roncalli; 3:00 p.m. on Saturday-The season is ending with the same opponent it started with for both schools. Roncalli beat Bishop Dwenger, 3-0, in Week 1. Roncalli (11-3) took down Heritage Hills to make it to state. The Royals are looking for their 11th state championship, and first since 2020. Bishop Dwenger (12-2) is looking to win its sixth state championship and first since 2018.
3A: Fort Wayne Bishop Luers vs. Cascade; 3 p.m. Today-Cascade (14-0) is averaging 54.6 points per game this season and has scored at least 37 points in every game. This is the Cadets’ first ever state championship appearance. Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (9-5) was just 4-5 in the regular season but rattled off five straight wins to make it to state. The Knights shut out Knox win semi-state and make it to its third straight state championship game. Fort Wayne Bishop Luers is looking for its 13th state championship.
2A: Andrean vs. Brownstown Central; 11 a.m. on Saturday-Andrean (12-1) has won 12 straight games. Its only loss this year is to 5A Merrillville, who is also playing for a state title. Andrean is looking for its third state championship and first since 2021. Brownstown Central (14-0) took down then-undefeated Lapel to make it to state for the first time in school history. The Braves are averaging 54.8 points per game this season.
1A: Pioneer vs. South Putnam; 11 a.m. Today-Pioneer (13-1) has won 12 straight games. This is its first appearance in a state championship game since 2018, and Pioneer is looking for its fourth state title in school history. South Putnam (12-2) made it to state for the first time since 2002. The Eagles are looking for their first state title since 1986, and second in school history.