Cignetti Believed Coming to IU Would Bring Him Closer to His Dad

Written By: Nick Gonzales (@nrgonzales_)

By now, many people know who Curt Cignetti is. The Hoosiers Head Football Coach is a champion that turns losing programs to winners. He was awarded seven, yes seven, Coach of the Year Awards in 2024 (Eddie Robinson, Home Depot, AFCA, Big Ten, Walter Camp, Sporting News, and AP Coach of the Year). He’s the man that shifted a football program that went 9-27 the previous three seasons, into an 11-1 team that made it to the College Football Playoff, in his first year But many may still be wondering why would he come to Indiana? During a special event on Tuesday that only allowed IU students to attend, Cignetti answered the questions that many were still wondering.

“Somebody said ‘why would you go to Indiana?’ Well, I had won everywhere I’ve been at. I was confident. And I was aware of Indiana being a coach’s kid, third grade college football fan. I knew Indiana had their good years, but more bad years than good years, and in this day and age with NIL and our share [of] that TV contract the Big Ten signed a couple years ago. In my mind I’m like, why can’t Indiana get it done. I’ve turned around programs in worse shape than this. It’s a bigger position, bigger stage, so let’s do it. And you know, I was too young to stop growing. I had to keep growing. I needed a challenge.” Coach Cignetti stated on why he chose to coach for the Hoosiers.

Cignetti started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Pitt from 1983-84. For the next 22 years, Cignetti bounced around teams as a position coach, mostly as a QB/WR/TE coach for teams like Rice, Temple, Pitt, and NC State. During his seven seasons with NC State from 2000-2006, he recruited and coached future pro bowl quarterbacks Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson. Then when 2007 came around, Alabama hired Nick Saban as their head coach, and he asked Cignetti to be the Crimson Tide’s wide receivers coach and recruiter. From 2007 to 2010, Cig recruited future Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram, and coached future All-Pro receiver Julio Jones. In 2009, he won a National Title by Saban’s side.

Following the 2010 season with Bama, Cignetti decided to take one of the biggest risks of his life to become the head coach of a Division II school with a similar name to his current school. His first head coaching job was with Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a university that his late father coached at just six years prior to retiring. Curt Cignetti’s father, Frank Cignetti Sr., finished his coaching career with the IUP Crimson Hawks where he coached for 20 years. Curt Cignetti was very close with his father before his passing in September of 2022, and one of Cig’s other motives for coming to Bloomington was his dad.

“I just figured maybe coming to [Indiana University] would bring me a little closer to my dad” Cignetti answered on what drew him to IU during A Conversation with Coach Cignetti on Tuesday.

Funny enough, on Tuesday it was announced that Curt Cignetti’s younger brother, Frank Cignetti Jr. was returning to IUP as the offensive coordinator, where he was a position coach and later OC from 1990-1998.

Now that Coach Curt Cignetti is locked into an 8-year contract with the Hoosiers, he plans to continue his dominance on the gridiron. His plan is to win and keep on winning to the point where “they’re going to have to build an upper deck in that stadium and skyboxes,” declared the IU Head Coach. Even after his excellent debut as coach of the cream & crimson, he’s still not satisfied. “We’re going to do something here at Indiana, and last year was a good start,” announced Cignetti on Tuesday night.

While it is still early in the offseason, make sure to revisit Hoosier Huddle for all your IU Football news.