Curt Cignetti
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Current position | |
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Elon |
| Conference | Colonial Athletic Association |
| Record | 12–5 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | June 2, 1961 |
| Playing career | |
| 1979–1982 | West Virginia |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1983–1984 | Pittsburgh (GA) |
| 1985 | Davidson (QB/WR) |
| 1986–1988 | Rice (QB) |
| 1989–1992 | Temple (QB) |
| 1993–1999 | Pittsburgh (QB/TE) |
| 2000–2006 | North Carolina State (QB/TE/RC) |
| 2007–2010 | Alabama (WR/RC) |
| 2011–2016 | IUP |
| 2017–present | Elon |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 65–22 |
| Tournaments | 4–4 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
|
1 PSAC (2012) T-1st PSAC (2015) | |
| Awards | |
| CAA Football Head Coach of the Year (2017) | |
Curt Cignetti (born June 2, 1961) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach for the Elon Phoenix football team of NCAA Division I Football Championship (FCS). He previously served as the head coach for IUP Crimson Hawks football and was an assistant coach for the University of Alabama for four years.
Playing career
Cignetti was a two-year letterman at West Virginia University.[1]
Coaching career
Early coaching career
After graduating from West Virginia, Cignetti 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.[1]
NC State
Cignetti joined Chuck Amato’s new staff at NC State in 2000. The 2002 team set a school record with 11 wins. In 2003, Cignetti coached Quarterback Philip Rivers, the ACC Player of the Year. In seven seasons, the Wolf Pack participated in five bowls, winning four. In 2006, Cignetti recruited future Super Bowl Champion quarterback Russell Wilson to the Wolfpack before joining Nick Saban's new staff at Alabama.
Alabama
Cignetti was an original member of Nick Saban’s Alabama coaching staff in 2007, serving as wide receiver coach/recruiting coordinator. The 2008 team finished the regular season 12–0 and the 2009 team finished 14–0 and won the national championship. The Tide won 29 regular season games in a row between 2008–2010. Cignetti coached Wide Receiver Julio Jones, recruited Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram and linebacker Dont'a Hightower, all members of the 2008 recruiting class, which featured 6 first round NFL Draft choices.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Inheriting a program in 2011, with a 4–10 conference record, Cignetti quickly turned things around. His first team won 6 of its last 7 games by an average of 28 points per game to finish 7–3. In 2012, The Crimson Hawks won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals finishing 12–2. Cignetti’s 2013 team finished 9–2 and he led IUP to the NCAA Playoffs in both 2015 and 2016. His 2016 team finished 10–2. Cignetti finished 53–17 at IUP with 3 NCAA Playoff appearances and 2 Conference Championships. On December 31, 2016, he accepted the head coaching position at Elon University.
Elon
Cignetti’s first Elon squad was one for the record books, as the Phoenix won eight games in a row after an opening season loss to MAC Champion Toledo. It was remarkable considering the Phoenix had a 4–20 conference record and suffered through six straight losing seasons prior to Cignetti’s arrival. The Phoenix were ranked as high as 6th nationally, played James Madison for the conference championship and were selected for the NCAA Playoffs for the first time since 2009. Cignetti was rewarded by being named CAA coach of the year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IUP Crimson Hawks (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) (2011–2016) | |||||||||
| 2011 | IUP | 7–3 | 5–2 | 3rd (West) | |||||
| 2012 | IUP | 12–2 | 6–1 | 1st (West) | L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal | ||||
| 2013 | IUP | 9–2 | 5–2 | 2nd (West) | |||||
| 2014 | IUP | 6–5 | 5–4 | 5th (West) | |||||
| 2015 | IUP | 9–3 | 6–1 | 1st (West) | L NCAA Division II Second Round | ||||
| 2016 | IUP | 10–2 | 6–1 | 2nd (West) | L NCAA Division II Second Round | ||||
| IUP: | 53–17 | 33–11 | |||||||
| Elon Phoenix (Colonial Athletic Association) (2017–present) | |||||||||
| 2017 | Elon | 8–4 | 6–2 | 3rd | L FCS Playoffs First Round | ||||
| 2018 | Elon | 4–1 | 2–0 | ||||||
| Elon: | 12–5 | 8–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 65–22 | ||||||||
Personal life
Cignetti and his wife Manette have three children, Curtis Jr., Carly Ann, and Natalie Elise. Cignetti's father, Frank Cignetti Sr., is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and won 199 games as a head coach at West Virginia University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.[2]
References
- 1 2 IUP Athletics. "Staff Directory: Curt Cignetti". IUPAthletics.com. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
- ↑ Bob Fulton. "Geography Lesson". IUP Magazine. Retrieved January 30, 2011.