Indiana
Indiana Quarterback Kurtis Rourke Finishes 9th In Heisman Trophy Voting
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke had one of the finest seasons of any quarterback in college football. While it wasn’t enough to make Rourke a Heisman Trophy finalist, Rourke did get consideration for the ultimate college football individual award.
Rourke finished 9th in Heisman Trophy voting. Colorado’s two-way standout Travis Hunter, who played both cornerback and wide receiver for the Buffaloes, won the award. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was runner-up and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel finished third.
Rourke received 22 points in the balloting – which includes a pool of 901 voters. Rourke received two first-place votes, three second-place votes and 10 third-place votes.
Rourke finished fifth among quarterbacks. Gabriel, Miami’s Cam Ward, Army’s Bryson Daily and Colorado’s Shadeur Sanders all finished ahead of Rourke.
Still, it was a huge accomplishment for Rourke, who transferred to Indiana from Ohio University after Curt Cignetti took over as Indiana’s coach late in 2023.
Rourke led the nation in pass efficiency with a rating of 181.38. Rourke threw for 2,827 yards, 27 touchdowns and threw only four interceptions.
Rourke led the Big Ten in yards per attempt (9.9) and yards per catch (14).
Most important of all for Indiana, Rourke led the Hoosiers to an all-time best 11-1 record and a place in the 12-team College Football Playoff field. The Hoosiers play Notre Dame at 8 p.m. ET on Friday in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Rourke joined Jeanty, Gabriel, Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo and Penn State tight end Tyler Warren as Heisman Trophy top 10 finishers who are also in the College Football Playoff.
Rourke played 11 of 12 games for the Hoosiers, missing one game with a thumb injury.
After one year at Indiana and four years at Ohio, the Oakville, Ontario native has excellent career numbers. Rourke has thrown for 10,478 yards, 77 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
Rourke became the seventh Indiana player to finish in the top 10 in Heisman Trophy voting.
Rourke is the first Indiana player to finish in the top 10 since Tevin Coleman finished seventh in the 2014 vote. Coleman, a running back, also earned two first place votes after his 2,036 rushing yards gained that season.
Anthony Thompson remains the only finalist in Indiana history. He finished second to Houston quarterback Andre Ware in 1989. Thompson finished just 70 points behind Ware after Thompson rushed for 1,793 yards and 24 touchdowns. Thompson also finished in the top 10 of the Heisman Trophy vote in 1988 (9th).
Other Indiana players who finished in the top 10 of the Heisman Trophy vote include quarterback Antwaan Randle El (6th in 2001 with 46 first-place votes), running back Vaughn Dunbar (6th in 1991 with six first-place votes), running back Pete Pihos (8th in 1945, no vote totals were announced) and running back Bill Hillenbrand (5th in 1942, no vote totals announced).
KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
Indiana
‘Foul play’ suspected in death investigation on Indiana-Ohio state line, Wayne County officials say
WAYNE COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating the death of a person who died in the emergency department of Reid Health in Richmond.
Wayne County Coroner Brent Meadows was notified of the death Wednesday evening, according to a media release. Evidence has reportedly indicated that foul play is involved.
Officials believe the incident may have occurred in the area of the Petro Travel Center in New Paris, Ohio, just across the Indiana-Ohio state line.
The coroner’s office said the deceased person has been transported to the Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, for a forensic autopsy and identification.
The office is still working the locate and identify the victim’s family.
This remains an active investigation.
News 8’s Michaela Springer contributed to this report.
Braden Smith spent four seasons with Purdue basketball proving all the power conference programs who overlooked him missed out.
Now the former Boilermaker point guard has a chance to do the same in the NBA.
Smith, a Westfield native, is headed to the Pacers after Indiana traded for him when the Chicago Bulls selected him with the 38th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, a source confirmed to IndyStar.
Smith is Purdue’s third draft pick in five years, joining lottery picks Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey among a group of now 11 NBA draft selections to play at Purdue under Matt Painter.
Here’s a look at Smith’s Purdue career and what he brings to the Pacers.
Before capping a career that includes two Big Ten regular season and two Big Ten Tournament championships, along with helping Purdue end a 44-year Final Four drought, Smith broke former Duke guard Bobby Hurley’s all-time NCAA assists record.
Along the way, Smith took home the 2025 Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard in a season where he also was the Big Ten Player of the Year. A two-time consensus first-team All-American, Smith finished his Purdue career eighth in career points (1,932), third in steals (249) and has the top three assist seasons in school history that helped add to his NCAA record total of 1,103.
Smith’s knock is his 5-foot-10 1/2 height measurement, but that didn’t deter him from being one of college basketball’s top players.
What Smith lacked in height, he made up for in basketball IQ. He’s lethal with a midrange jump shot and showcased an unblockable fadeaway that allowed him to shoot over lengthier defenders. He mastered manipulating defenses while playing with marquee big men the last four seasons.
His role in the NBA likely will be not require him to be the team’s primary playmaker immediately. Smith’s awareness of that fact pushed a more defensive-minded approach in preparation for the next level. At the NBA Draft Combine in May, Smith showed he’s capable of defending elite guards.
Smith is an elite competitor who never showed to shy away from the dirty work, which is something that can help him earn NBA minutes as a rookie while trying to find his footing in an unfamiliar backup role.
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar’s Boilermakers newsletter.
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