Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Sports Calendar 2026: Final Four, Indy 500 & More
Indianapolis Sports Calendar 2026: Final Four, Indy 500 & More
Following a banner year in 2025, Indianapolis has solidified its reputation as a premier destination for major sporting events.
The city demonstrated exceptional capacity for hosting diverse competitions, from professional leagues to collegiate championships, setting a high standard for hospitality and logistical execution.
As the calendar turns to 2026, the “Circle City” is not slowing down; instead, it is gearing up for another year of world-class athletic showcases.
The success of 2025 was not accidental.
It was the result of decades of strategic planning that transformed Indianapolis into a hub built specifically for large-scale events.
The city’s compact downtown, connected by skywalks and anchored by top-tier venues like Lucas Oil Stadium and Gainbridge Fieldhouse, allows fans to navigate easily between hotels, restaurants, and arenas.
In 2025, the city hosted a series of high-profile events that brought significant economic impact and cultural vibrancy to the region.
Local businesses, from Black-owned restaurants on Indiana Avenue to downtown hotels, thrived on the influx of visitors.
The seamless execution of these events proved once again that Indianapolis is capable of managing the complex infrastructure required for national and international sports.
Looking ahead, 2026 promises to elevate this legacy further. With a calendar featuring the NCAA Men’s Final Four, the historic Indianapolis 500, and the return of the NFL Scouting Combine, the city is prepared to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors.
These events are more than just games; they are community gatherings that celebrate competition, diversity, and excellence.
Take a look below at Indianapolis Sports Calendar 2026: Final Four, Indy 500 & More.
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February 23 – March 2: NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL universe descends on Lucas Oil Stadium as top college prospects showcase their skills for professional scouts, coaches, and general managers.
This annual event remains a staple of the Indianapolis sports calendar.
March 2: WWE Monday Night RAW
Gainbridge Fieldhouse will host the drama and athleticism of the WWE, bringing global superstars to the city for a night of high-energy entertainment.
March 4–8: Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament
Gainbridge Fieldhouse welcomes the best women’s teams from the Big Ten Conference.
As women’s basketball continues to surge in popularity, this tournament is expected to draw significant crowds.
March 8–10: Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament
The action shifts to the Corteva Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, where the Horizon League crowns its champions and determines automatic bids to the NCAA tournament.
March 18–21: NCAA DIII Men’s and Women’s Swimming Championships
The IU Natatorium at IU Indianapolis, known as one of the fastest pools in the world, will host elite swimmers competing for national titles.
April: The Road to the Championship
April marks the climax of the college basketball season, with Indianapolis serving as the epicenter of the sport.
April 2 & 5: National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Semifinals and Championship
Hinkle Fieldhouse will host the semifinals, followed by the championship game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, showcasing top-tier programs battling for the historic NIT title.
April 3: College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships
Hinkle Fieldhouse hosts this fan-favorite event, featuring the nation’s top shooters and high-flyers in a showcase of individual skill.
April 4 & 6: NCAA Men’s Final Four and National Championship
The eyes of the sports world will turn to Lucas Oil Stadium for the conclusion of March Madness.
Hosting the Final Four is a prestigious honor that underscores Indianapolis’s elite status in the sports world.
April 5: NCAA DII & DIII Men’s Basketball National Championships
In a celebration of collegiate athletics across all levels, Gainbridge Fieldhouse will host the title games for both Division II and Division III men’s basketball on the same day.
Spring and Summer: Racing and Golf
As the weather warms, the focus shifts from the court to the track and the links.
May 9: Sonsio Grand Prix
The month of May kicks off at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the Sonsio Grand Prix, setting the stage for the weeks of racing ahead.
May 24: 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500
The “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
This iconic event is a cultural touchstone, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans for a day of speed and tradition.
Coaches and players from the expanded Big Ten conference gather to preview the upcoming college football season, bringing media attention from across the country.
July 26: Brickyard 400
NASCAR returns to the oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for one of the most prestigious races on the Cup Series schedule.
August 20–23: LIV Golf Indianapolis
The Club at Chatham Hills will host LIV Golf, bringing many of the world’s top professional golfers to the area for this unique team-based competition.
Fall and Winter: Football Focus
The year concludes with major football events that celebrate both heritage and championships.
September 2–7: NHRA U.S. Nationals
Known as “The Big Go,” this drag racing event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park is the most prestigious drag race in the world.
Lucas Oil Stadium hosts the Circle City Classic, a celebration of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
This event is a cultural highlight, featuring not only the game but also the renowned battle of the bands, a parade, and community festivities.
The college football regular season culminates at Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Big Ten champion is crowned, often with College Football Playoff implications on the line.
Indianapolis approaches 2026 with a proven playbook.
For residents and visitors alike, the 2026 schedule offers opportunities to witness history and participate in world-class experiences.
Whether it is the roar of the engines at the Speedway, the buzzer-beaters of the Final Four, or the pageantry of the Circle City Classic, Indianapolis is ready to deliver another magnificent year in sports.
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Colts Select Ohio State Defensive End Caden Curry in Sixth Round of 2026 NFL Draft
Caden Curry is going home.
The Indianapolis Colts selected the Greenwood, Indiana, native with the No. 214 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL draft, making the former Ohio State defensive end the 10th Buckeye off the board in the 2026 NFL draft.
The Colts’ selection of Curry was years in the making, as Colts general manager Chris Ballard watched Curry play at Center Grove High School and actually called Ohio State coach Ryan Day to tell him the Buckeyes should recruit Curry.
When Caden Curry was a recruit at Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Indiana, Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard called Ryan Day and said Man, have you seen this kid?
Today, Ballard and the Colts selected Curry with the No. 214 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. pic.twitter.com/wvmCUqAtoq
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 25, 2026
It’s the second year in a row Ohio State has had double-digit draft selections.
Curry is the third Ohio State defensive end selected in the last two NFL drafts, joining JT Tuimoloau – also drafted by the Colts with the No. 45 overall pick in last year’s draft – and Jack Sawyer (No. 123 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025). Curry is the second Ohio State defensive lineman to be selected in the 2026 NFL draft, joining defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, who the Houston Texans drafted in Round 2 (No. 36 overall).
Ohio State’s 2026 NFL Draft Picks
- Carnell Tate: Round 1, No. 4, Tennessee Titans
- Arvell Reese: Round 1, No. 5, New York Giants
- Sonny Styles: Round 1, No. 7, Washington Commanders
- Caleb Downs: Round 1, No. 11, Dallas Cowboys
- Kayden McDonald: Round 2, No. 36, Houston Texans
- Max Klare: Round 2, No. 61, Los Angeles Rams
- Davison Igbinosun: Round 2, No. 62, Buffalo Bills
- Will Kacmarek: Round 3, No. 87. Miami Dolphins
- Lorenzo Styles Jr.: Round 5, No. 172, New Orleans Saints
- Caden Curry: Round 6, No. 214, Indianapolis Colts
Curry spent three years learning behind Sawyer and Tuimoloau at defensive end to start his Ohio State career, though he carved out rotational roles in the Buckeyes’ defense in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, Curry got his chance to start and capitalized.
Curry racked up 66 tackles with 16.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks for Ohio State’s No. 1-ranked defense in 2025. His relentless motor, athleticism and savvy gave offensive tackles headaches throughout the year, as he recorded a team-high 46 total pressures of opposing quarterbacks, per Pro Football Focus.
The Buckeyes have now produced 12 total draft picks at defensive end since Larry Johnson took over as defensive line coach ahead of the 2014 season and 2015 NFL draft, with three top-three selections headlining the pack: Nick Bosa in 2019 (No. 2 overall, 49ers), Chase Young in 2020 (No. 2 overall, Commanders) and Joey Bosa in 2016 (No. 3 overall, Chargers).
Curry might not have had the measurables to be an early-round pick, but his production could make him a steal for the Colts in the later stages of the draft. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the conference’s media and second-team All-Big Ten by its coaches in 2025.
Curry is the 10th Buckeye selected in the 2026 draft, joining first-round selections Carnell Tate (No. 4 overall, Titans), Arvell Reese (No. 5, Giants), Sonny Styles (No. 7, Commanders) and Caleb Downs (No. 11, Cowboys), second-round selections McDonald, Max Klare (No. 61, Rams) and Davison Igbinosun (No. 62, Bills), third-round pick Will Kacmarek (No. 87, Dolphins) and fifth-round pick Lorenzo Styles Jr. (No. 172, Saints).
Curry is the seventh player from Ohio State’s 2025 defense to be selected in the 2026 NFL draft. Ohio State has now had 15 defensive players selected in the last two drafts.
You can’t get to millions of fans without making a few enemies.
And that was certainly true for the hosts of “The Bob & Tom Show,” an Indianapolis WFBQ’s talk radio program that’s now nationally syndicated. Longtime listeners celebrated more than 40 years of laughs in the wake of former host Bob Kevoian’s death from stomach cancer April 17 at age 75.
But in the early years of the show, not everyone was a fan of the signature suggestive humor of Kevoian and cohost Tom Griswold.
Two years after the 1983 premiere of “Bob & Tom,” an outspoken conservative lawyer launched a campaign to tone down the show.
According to IndyStar archives, Indianapolis lawyer John Price waged a five-year war against the duo and their contribution to Indianapolis’ “dirty radio” problem. Price took offense to Kevoian and Griswold’s raunchy humor, which often manifested itself in off-color skits and banter between the hosts and guests.
Through his Decency in Broadcasting watchdog group, Price outlined a three-pronged plan of attack in a Sept. 10, 1985 IndyStar article, which would culminate in publishing the show’s list of advertisers and calling for a boycott. Kevoian and Griswold fired back in an interview with IndyStar on Oct. 15, 1985, maintaining that they had a “right to make people laugh.”
“What’s more important than making people laugh?” Kevoian said in the interview. “Should we teach them to blow each other’s heads off?”
Phase Three of Decency in Broadcasting’s plan materialized in an ad in the Oct. 20, 1985 Star imploring readers to stop supporting sponsors of “The Bob & Tom Show.” The ad featured a question-and-answer section arguing why the show wasn’t fit for air and a coupon-style cutout that allowed readers to send away for a list of sponsors to avoid (and donate to cover the cost of postage).
“Bob and Tom regularly and persistently focus on masturbation, human waste, comparative sizes of male and female body parts, sodomy, adultery and other sacrilegious material,” Price’s ad read. “Bob and Tom are both talented, but their ‘humor’ is totally inappropriate for our community.”
Days after the ad ran, 18 sponsors pulled their advertisements from the show. A petition to defend the show’s right to free speech quickly followed and garnered more than 500 signatures from fans of the show.
Price’s gripe with Kevoian and Griswold wasn’t just a matter of taste, he argued: The show, Price said, broke the law. He pointed to Miller v. California, a 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case that ruled obscene material isn’t protected under the First Amendment’s free speech provisions. In addition, he argued, the federal Communications Act prohibited stations from broadcasting “obscene, indecent or profane material” on public airwaves.
Price had more to gain than just the moral high ground in the crusade. He was gearing up for an Indiana Senate run.
Decency in Broadcasting’s first official complaint filed in 1985 failed, but another attempt in 1987 led to the FCC launching an obscenity probe into WFBQ. Five years after Price’s first barbs at “Bob & Tom,” the lawyer gained a victory: The FCC levied a $10,000 fine against the show in 1990, finding four of its broadcasts had violated obscenity law.
But Kevoian and Griswold struck the final blow, and it was a low one. On May 8, 1990 — primary Election Day — Griswold and around 200 “Bob & Tom” listeners rallied outside Price’s campaign headquarters in Carmel and chanted Nazi slogans. Kevoian and Griswold also read material on-air calling Price “Yankee Doodle Hitler.”
Price lost the Republican primary for District 29 in the Indiana Senate to incumbent Sen. William Soards. A 1998 U.S. Senate campaign and a 2000 gubernatorial run were also unsuccessful, according to Price’s 2017 obituary.
Price filed a defamation lawsuit against Kevoian and Griswold for the demonstration incident that was ultimately struck down, according to an August 1991 IndyStar story. Kevoian and Griswold were suspended for two days after the Election Day incident, and they invited Price to appear on “Bob & Tom” after the fact, but Price declined — too little, too late, he said.
Contact IndyStar Pop Culture Reporter Heather Bushman @hbushman@indystar.com. Follow her on X @hmb_1013.
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