Lucy Himstedt

Passion for people, purple, and picture taking!

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

@WEHTWTVWlocal What is the status of restoration? No notification to customers for hours!

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

@CenterPoint checking for power status in Evansville, Indiana. No notification for HOURS!

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

The World Cup begins tomorrow, and many will watch the matches. Soccer reminds us of something we must not forget: life is not a race to show off on our own, but a path we learn to walk together. Anyone who does not know how to pass the ball, even if they have talent, has not yet understood the game. Anyone who does not know how to live with and for others has not yet understood life. #ApostolicJourney

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

@frpatrickop I had the great blessing of attending her canonization with members of her community. St. Katharine Drexel, pray for us.

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

@DavidBegnaud I love this story & tribute to your mentor. I like to think I had a good eye for talent during my days as a news director. And as important as the raw talent was, so too was the desire & work ethic. I’ve enjoyed watching those I felt were the whole package grow in their careers!

[DK🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 @1Nicdar]

130 schools said no.
He led the losingest program in college football history to a national championship anyway.
Fernando Mendoza was a 2-star recruit from Miami.

He tried to walk on at his hometown school. They passed.
So did FIU.
So did FAU.
So did everyone else.

At 17, he was sitting in his bedroom, crying over a silent recruiting inbox—after driving to 18 camps with his dad and sending highlights to more than 100 programs.
Not one FBS offer.
His only option? Yale. No scholarship. No NFL path.

Everyone told him to be “realistic.”
“Know your place.”
“Be grateful.”
He didn’t listen.
Because Mendoza understood something most people miss:
The worst outcome isn’t failing.
It’s never getting the chance to try.

Two weeks before signing day in 2022, his phone rang.
Cal needed a body. One offer. Out of 134 schools.
He took it.
He arrived as the third-string quarterback.
Spent a year on the scout team.
Lost his first four starts.
Got sacked 41 times behind a broken offensive line.

Still got up. Every time.
Then Cal brought in a transfer instead of building around him.
So Mendoza left the only school that had ever said yes.
He transferred to Indiana—the losingest program in college football history.

People laughed.
“Career suicide.”
“Graveyard program.”
“Nobody wins there.”
One coach told him something different:
“I’m going to make you the best Fernando Mendoza possible.”
That was enough.
Mendoza wasn’t just playing for football.
His mother has battled multiple sclerosis for 18 years.

Before every snap, he thought of her.
“My mother is my why.”
Indiana went 16–0.
Beat six Top-10 teams.
Won their first Big Ten title since 1945.
Mendoza threw 41 touchdowns.
Won the Heisman—first in school history.
First Cuban-American to ever do it.

Then came the title game.
Miami. Near his hometown.
Fourth-and-4. Season on the line.
Quarterback draw.
The kid 134 schools rejected spun through defenders and dove into the end zone.

Game over.
Indiana—national champions.
The losingest program became the best team in America.
All because a 17-year-old refused to believe “no” was the end.

Rankings don’t decide your ceiling.
Gatekeepers don’t write your ending.
Being overlooked isn’t a verdict—it’s a starting point.

Sometimes all you need is one shot…
and the courage to bet on yourself when nobody else will.
Don’t quit.

Credit: Barclay Mullins

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

@JeffreyUtzinger Congrats from Evansville on the amazing season! I’m friends with your granddad.

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

Jane Pauley is a class act and a great storyteller! I’m honored to have served on a foundation’s board with her and a proud Hoosier transplant.

[Hoosiers Connect @HoosiersConnect]

IU alumnus Jane Pauley's CBS Sunday Morning segment on Indiana Football will make you feel things. A must watch for Hoosiers.

Hail to Old IU. 🥹

[Jeff Rabjohns @JeffRabjohns]

Miami native Fernando Mendoza when asked if his favorite team to play for would be the Colts or the Dolphins: “My favorite team to play for would be the Indiana Hoosiers, and especially on Monday night." #iufb #CFBPlayoff

https://t.co/O5ii7RcXFA

[Indiana Football @IndianaFootball]

🚨 National Championship Rally Towel info! 🚨

[Fr. Patrick Hyde, OP @frpatrickop]

St. Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University is raffling off two tickets to the CFP National Championship Game. Tickets may be purchased until 5 pm on Wednesday, January 14. All proceeds will support our Campus Ministry.

Purchase a ticket here: https://t.co/WBSu4Qnl3t

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

@IndianaFootball Will there be rally towels given away in Bloomington?

[Indiana Hoosiers @IUHoosiers]

It's not our home stadium, but it is our home crowd.

Hoosier Nation SHOWED OUT.

[Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl @CFAPeachBowl]

The pick is in!

We took a trip to @ZooATL to have one of their Malayan Sun Bears, Xander, make his first ever #CFAPeachBowl pick!

Does Xander know ball? 🏈 🐻

#CFAPeachBowl

[Fr. Patrick Hyde, OP @frpatrickop]

We had a special visitor come by the parish before Christmas. He told us “This Church and you all are a major reason why this happened.”
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Congratulations, Fernando and a Merry Christmas!

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

That’s what it’s all about - FAMILY who support you!

[WISH-TV News @WISHNews8]

The moment @IndianaFootball QB Fernando Mendoza found his family following tonight's game. 🥹

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

@shanebishop Beautiful decor! Congrats.

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

Great items for Colts & Pacers fans and other experiences! I’ve bid. It’s easy. You can, too!

[Kalen Jackson @KalenIJackson]

Silent auction for Beyond the Sidelines benefitting @KickingStigma is now live!! Check out all items here

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

@Itzhak1803 Happiest of birthdays and best wishes for many more to come. Thank you! 🎶❤️

[Lucy Himstedt @televisiongm]

@Law_Hawg He was my dad’s uncle. I was a little kid when he died, but I know our family didn’t talk about it. He was very nice. I have a number of photos of him during his playing days.