A Familiar Last Name Will Be Coaching at Memorial Stadium as a Visitor Friday Night

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Mallory is a name that brings back great memories of Indiana football. On Friday night a Mallory will be the head coach of a football team in Memorial Stadium once again. Curt Mallory, the son of legendary Indiana head coach Bill Mallory, brings his Indiana State Sycamores to Bloomington for a week two matchup.

“It's not about myself or my father, but obviously gonna have a lot of family back so that'll be special to see my mom, see my sister, see a lot of familiar faces. so that's always unique but,  focus is on the game and looking forward to that.” Mallory said trying to deflect attention off of himself.

Curt’s coaching journey began in Bloomington as a graduate assistant under his father from 1993 to 1994. IU went 14-9 in those two seasons and played in the 1993 Independence Bowl. He returned to IU in 2002 under Gerry Dinardo as the defensive backs coach. That staff was let go after the 2004 season. Mallory has worked his way up the ranks and was named head coach of the Sycamores in 2017.

The Hoosiers are supposedly honoring the 1993 Independence Bowl team on Friday. Unfortunately, the ceremony will be missing Bill who passed away in May of 2018.

“I was very blessed in 1993 that was my first year coaching and I was a graduate assistant. I got off to a great start. That's the team they're honoring so that's very special being around knowing the coaches that I was around at that time and the players it means a lot.” Mallory said.

Despite being fired by Indiana after the 1996 season, Bill Mallory never lost his love for IU and that has carried on to Curt.

“He never lost his love for Indiana. It was always about the players he was always supportive of whoever the coach was I was fortunate to come back and go back there and coach and unfortunately was on a staff that was let go. My brother Doug went back and coached there but we would have never gone back there if it weren't for my dad and his love and continued love for a program and that's probably as big a lesson that you can learn is that it's not about you it's about the program it's about the young men that he has a special relationship with.” Mallory explained.

Current Indiana head coach Tom Allen has formed his own relationship with Curt Mallory and spoke about it earlier this week.

“I've always talked with Curt a lot, but during the pandemic we talked a lot. He was just kind of had a lot of questions about what was next, this and that, what are we saying in our meetings with coaches in the Big Ten and knew that would kind of affect them, and how are we doing this, how are we doing that.” Allen said. “He and I have talked a lot. Just highly respect him. When I was a high school coach, he was a college coach way back then. He and I are the same age. So just obviously close with his dad before we lost him, and then just Ellie's relationship with this whole town and so many people here and our program.”

There will always be a connection between IU and the Mallory family. On Friday night, those worlds collide one more time.