Fernando Mendoza Indiana Hoosiers Diving Touchdown Bobblehead Unveiled

This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled an officially licensed Fernando Mendoza Indiana Hoosiers Diving Touchdown Bobblehead. The new bobblehead joins the Indiana Hoosiers National Championship Bobblehead Collection that was unveiled on Tuesday morning following Indiana’s remarkable victory over Miami in the CFP National Championship Game on Monday night.

The Hoosiers Championship Bobbleheads are already on pace to shatter previous records for college championship bobblehead sales, and we anticipate the Fernando Mendoza Diving Touchdown Bobblehead to be one of the most popular that we have ever offered. The limited edition bobblehead is being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, an official licensee of Indiana University Bloomington and in conjunction with Fernando Mendoza.

Fernando Mendoza led the Indiana Hoosiers to the 2025 Football National Championship, capping off a perfect 16-0 season with a victory over Miami in Mendoza’s hometown. With the Hoosiers clinging to a 17-14 lead in the CFP title game, Mendoza delivered perhaps the biggest play in Indiana football history as he ran up the middle on a designed draw play, bounced off a few defenders, leaped from the 2-yard line and stretched out his hands to put the ball over the goal line while getting battered as he fell into the end zone. The touchdown with 9:18 remaining gave Indiana a much-needed two-possession lead that the Hoosiers held onto for the victory and one of the best stories in sports history.

• The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in August, are now available for pre-order at this link.
• Each bobblehead will be individually numbered.
• The bobbleheads are $40 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.
• On a football field-like base with actual turf and bearing his name, the Fernando Mendoza bobblehead is positioned on a spring making the quarterback airborne as he crosses the goal line while clutching the football in his outstretched arms. The backing of the crimson base features a scoreboard which reads: “HOOSIERS TOUCHDOWN!” along with two IU logos in white lettering.
• With the Hoosiers clinging to a 17-14 lead in the 2026 CFP National Championship game, Mendoza delivered perhaps the biggest play in Indiana football history. Facing a fourth-and-5 from the Miami 12-yard line, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti called a timeout. Instead of going for a field-goal attempt to put his team up by six points, the second-year coach put the ball in the hands of his Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. On a designed draw play, Mendoza ran up the middle, bounced off a few defenders, leaped from the 2-yard line and stretched out his hands to put the ball over the goal line while getting battered as he fell into the end zone. The touchdown with 9:18 remaining gave Indiana a much-needed two-possession lead that the Hoosiers held onto for the victory. “That’s one thing about our team,” Mendoza said on the field after the game. “We’re always going to put it all on the line. I had to go airborne. I’d die for my team. Whatever they needed me to do.”
• Born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Miami, Florida, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Mendoza was a two-year starting quarterback for the California Golden Bears before announcing his decision to transfer to play for Indiana on December 23rd, 2024. In 16 games this season, Mendoza completed 72 percent of his passes (273-of-379) for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He also rushed for 280 yards and seven TDs. While the Hoosiers faced Miami on its home field, the game was a homecoming for Mendoza, who attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami.
• In addition to becoming the first Indiana player to win the Heisman Trophy, Mendoza, a consensus All-American, also garnered other honors in an award-winning season. He was named first-team All-Big Ten and the Big Ten Most Valuable Player along with being selected as the Big Ten Championship Game MVP. Selected as the AP College Football Player of the Year, Mendoza also won the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and Davey O’Brien Award.
• “Fernando Mendoza helped cap the most memorable season in the history of Indiana Hoosiers football with one of the most memorable plays in program history,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “Fernando’s gutsy touchdown run in the fourth quarter epitomized the entire season for the undefeated Hoosiers. This bobblehead is sure to be a keepsake for fans of the Indiana Hoosiers and a collectible that is handed down to future generations of Hoosiers!”
• After Indiana’s CFP National Championship Game win, the Indiana Hoosiers National Champions Bobblehead Collection was released featuring the first Fernando Mendoza Bobbleheads, five bobbleheads of Indiana’s mascot, Hoosier the Bison, and the Curt Cignetti National Champions Bobblehead.
• Previous Indiana bobbleheads released include the original Hoosier the Bison Bobblehead, which was released when Indiana reinstated its mascot after a nearly 60-year hiatus, a Hoosier the Bison Motorcycle Bobblehead, a Coach Curt Cignetti Bobblehead, a Curt Cignetti Talking Bobblehead, a Top 25 Football Ranking Tracker Bobblehead, and a Hoosier the Bison Welcome to Miami Bobblehead.
• The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened to the public on February 1st, 2019. The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for retail sale as well as organizations, individuals, and teams across the country.