Curt Cignetti
Encyclopedia
Curt Cignetti is an American football
coach who is currently the head coach for the IUP Crimson Hawks
of NCAA Division II, a position previously held by his father Frank Cignetti, Sr.
. He won the Lewis D. Meisel Award for academic excellence and the A.C. Whitey Gwynn Award for spirit and character that especially contributed to team success.
, Cignetti also coached at the University of Pittsburgh for Hall of Fame coach Johnny Majors. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant
at Pitt in 1983 under Foge Fazio
. He has also coached at Davidson College, Rice University, and Temple University.
After his second stint at Pittsburgh, Cignetti spent seven years at NC State
. In 2003, Cignetti coached ACC
Player of the Year Phillip Rivers. Rivers went on to be the 4th player picked in the NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. While there, the Wolfpack set a school record for wins in 2002 with 11 single-season victories, and also participated in five bowl games in seven years.
Cignetti was an original staff member of Coach Nick Saban's
coaching staff at Alabama
. The Crimson Tide
won the National Championship in 2009 and was back-to-back SEC West Champions in 2008 and 2009. During this span, Alabama won 29 regular season games in a row.
Cignetti coached the two leading wide receivers in school history at Alabama, DJ Hall and Julio Jones
. Hall broke school records for catches and yards with 67 receptions for 1,005 yards. In 2010, Jones broke Halls regular season record and finished out the season with 78 catches for 1,133 yards and as first-team All-SEC in 2010. On January 21, 2011, Cignetti was named to replace Lou Tepper
as IUP's 11th head football coach.
and Indiana University of Pennsylvania
. At IUP, the elder Cignetti had thirteen ten-win seasons. Curt Cignetti’s brother, Frank Cignetti, Jr., also coaches football, and currently serves as the offensive coordinator
at Rutgers
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach who is currently the head coach for the IUP Crimson Hawks
IUP Crimson Hawks football
The IUP Crimson Hawks football program represents Indiana University of Pennsylvania in college football at the NCAA Division II level. The Crimson Hawks play their home games at George P. Miller Stadium in Indiana, Pennsylvania....
of NCAA Division II, a position previously held by his father Frank Cignetti, Sr.
Playing career
Cignetti was a two-year letterman at West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia Mountaineers football
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
. He won the Lewis D. Meisel Award for academic excellence and the A.C. Whitey Gwynn Award for spirit and character that especially contributed to team success.
Coaching career
After graduating from West VirginiaWest Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
, Cignetti also coached at the University of Pittsburgh for Hall of Fame coach Johnny Majors. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant
Graduate assistant
A graduate assistant is a position who serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The individual typically assists professors or with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants, coaches with an athletic team, or university department...
at Pitt in 1983 under Foge Fazio
Foge Fazio
Serafino Dante "Foge" Fazio was an American former National Football League defensive assistant and college football head coach....
. He has also coached at Davidson College, Rice University, and Temple University.
After his second stint at Pittsburgh, Cignetti spent seven years at NC State
NC State Wolfpack football
The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
. In 2003, Cignetti coached ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
Player of the Year Phillip Rivers. Rivers went on to be the 4th player picked in the NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. While there, the Wolfpack set a school record for wins in 2002 with 11 single-season victories, and also participated in five bowl games in seven years.
Cignetti was an original staff member of Coach Nick Saban's
Nick Saban
Nicholas Lou "Nick" Saban is the head coach of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide football team. Saban has previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins and three other NCAA universities: LSU, Michigan State and Toledo...
coaching staff at Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. The Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
won the National Championship in 2009 and was back-to-back SEC West Champions in 2008 and 2009. During this span, Alabama won 29 regular season games in a row.
Cignetti coached the two leading wide receivers in school history at Alabama, DJ Hall and Julio Jones
Julio Jones
Quintorris Lopez "Julio" Jones is an American football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Falcons with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide...
. Hall broke school records for catches and yards with 67 receptions for 1,005 yards. In 2010, Jones broke Halls regular season record and finished out the season with 78 catches for 1,133 yards and as first-team All-SEC in 2010. On January 21, 2011, Cignetti was named to replace Lou Tepper
Lou Tepper
Lou Tepper is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a position he has held since the 2006 season. Previously, tepper served as the head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Edinboro University of...
as IUP's 11th head football coach.
Head coaching record
Personal life
Cignetti's father, Frank Cignetti, won 199 games as a head coach at West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
and Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA. The university is northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the largest university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is the commonwealth's fifth largest university...
. At IUP, the elder Cignetti had thirteen ten-win seasons. Curt Cignetti’s brother, Frank Cignetti, Jr., also coaches football, and currently serves as the offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
at Rutgers
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
.