Long before Angelo Pizzo penned the scripts for two of America’s most iconic sports movies, he and his father would make the one-block walk from their home to Indiana’s football stadium. The strolls home usually seemed to take a bit longer because even then, in 1955, losses were the norm. Eventually, the man who introduced the world to such motivational flicks as “Hoosiers” and “Rudy” accepted the reality Indiana’s program may be permanently stuck in mediocrity — or worse. Pizzo found himself in good company in these parts. Seventy-one years later, he — like so many other long-suffering Indiana fans — has a new perspective. Suddenly, the Bloomington native is bursting with excitement,...
