 Cignetti in 2024 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Indiana |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| Record | 11–2 |
| Annual salary | $8 million[1] |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1961-06-02)June 2, 1961 (age 63) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 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 | NC State (QB/TE/RC) |
| 2007–2010 | Alabama (WR/RC) |
| 2011–2016 | IUP |
| 2017–2018 | Elon |
| 2019–2023 | James Madison |
| 2024–present | Indiana |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 130–37 |
| Bowls | 0–1 |
| Tournaments |
|
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
Curt Cignetti/kɜːrtsɪɡˈnɛti/(born June 2, 1961) is anAmerican football coach and former quarterback, currently serving as the head football coach atIndiana University. He has previously held head coaching positions atJames Madison University,Elon University, andIndiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). He is a five-time conference coach of the year and the 2024national coach of the year.
Cignetti was a two-year letterman atWest Virginia University.
After graduating fromWest Virginia, Cignetti began his coaching career as agraduate assistant atPitt in 1983 underFoge Fazio. He has also coached at Davidson College, Rice University, and Temple University.[2]
In 2000, Cignetti joinedChuck Amato's staff atNorth Carolina State University (NC State). During his tenure, the Wolfpack achieved significant success, including a school-record 11-win season in 2002. In 2003, he coached quarterbackPhilip Rivers, who earned ACC Player of the Year honors. Over seven seasons, NC State participated in five bowl games, securing victories in four. Notably, in 2006, Cignetti recruited future Super Bowl champion quarterbackRussell Wilson to the Wolfpack.[1][3]
In 2007, Cignetti became part ofNick Saban's inaugural coaching staff at the University of Alabama, serving as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. Under his guidance, the Crimson Tide achieved remarkable success, including a 12–0 regular season in 2008 and a 14–0 national championship season in 2009. During this period, Alabama won 29 consecutive regular-season games. Cignetti played a pivotal role in recruiting and developing key players, such as wide receiverJulio Jones, Heisman Trophy winnerMark Ingram II, and linebackerDont'a Hightower. The 2008 recruiting class featured six future first-roundNFL Draft selections.[1]
When Curt Cignetti became head coach at IUP in 2011, the program was coming off a 4–10 conference record in the previous 2 seasons. In his first season, he revitalized the team, which won six of its final seven games by an average margin of 28 points, finishing 7–3. The following year, IUP won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title and advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals, ending the season 12–2. In 2013, Cignetti’s team posted a 9–2 record, and he guided IUP to NCAA playoff appearances in both 2015 and 2016. His 2016 team finished 10–2. Across six seasons, Cignetti compiled a 53–17 record at IUP, with three NCAA playoff appearances and two conference championships. On December 31, 2016, he accepted the head coaching position at Elon University.[1][3]
At Elon, Cignetti inherited a program with a 4–20 conference record and six consecutive losing seasons. In his first year, the Phoenix turned their fortunes around, winning eight straight games after an opening loss to MAC champion Toledo. The team was ranked as high as sixth nationally and competed against James Madison for the conference championship, earning their first NCAA Playoff berth since 2009. For this turnaround, Cignetti was namedColonial Athletic Association (CAA) Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year award. In 2018, Cignetti led Elon to a historic 27–24 victory over James Madison, snapping JMU's 22-game CAA winning streak and 19-game home winning streak. This marked Elon’s first win over a top-five FCS opponent and helped the team secure back-to-back NCAA playoff appearances for the first time in program history.[4]
Cignetti was named head coach at James Madison on December 14, 2018. In his first season, he orchestrated a dramatic turnaround, leading the Dukes to a 14–2 record—a seven-game improvement over the previous year—and an appearance in the FCS National Championship game, where they fell to North Dakota State.[1][3] In thepandemic-affected 2020 season, delayed and shortened to spring 2021, JMU finished 7–1 and reached the FCS Semifinals. The 2021 season saw further success, as the Dukes finished 12–2 and announced their move from theColonial Athletic Association (CAA) to theSun Belt Conference. In their first season at the FBS level in 2022, JMU made a seamless transition, finishing 8–3 and earning a share of the Sun Belt East Division title.[1][3]
Cignetti was named head football coach at Indiana University on November 30, 2023, to replace the recently dismissedTom Allen.[5] Cignetti guided Indiana to its first 8–0 start since 1967, then to a 9–0 record, marking a program milestone, and finally to a 10–0 start, the best in Indiana football history. The Hoosiers achieved their first-ever 11-win season, highlighted by a victory over defending national champions Michigan, earning the team national recognition, a top-five ranking, and aCollege Football Playoff berth.[1][6]
Indiana University extended Cignetti partway through his first season with a new eight-year contract. The deal doubled his salary to $8 million annually and included commitments to upgrade the football program, such as stadium enhancements and increased athlete and staff compensation.[1]
Cignetti and his wife, Manette, have three children, Curt Jr., Carly Ann, and Natalie Elise.[7] His brother,Frank Jr., also coaches and was most recently the offensive coordinator atPittsburgh.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | LNCAA Division II Quarterfinal | 7 | |||
| 2013 | IUP | 9–2 | 5–2 | 2nd(West) | 24 | ||||
| 2014 | IUP | 6–5 | 5–4 | 5th(West) | |||||
| 2015 | IUP | 9–3 | 6–1 | T–1st(West) | LNCAA Division II Second Round | 19 | |||
| 2016 | IUP | 10–2 | 6–1 | 2nd(West) | LNCAA Division II Second Round | 12 | |||
| IUP: | 53–17 | 33–11 | |||||||
| Elon Phoenix(Colonial Athletic Association)(2017–2018) | |||||||||
| 2017 | Elon | 8–4 | 6–2 | 3rd | LNCAA Division I First Round | 21 | 20 | ||
| 2018 | Elon | 6–5 | 4–3 | 6th | LNCAA Division I First Round | 19 | 19 | ||
| Elon: | 14–9 | 10–5 | |||||||
| James Madison Dukes(Colonial Athletic Association)(2019–2021) | |||||||||
| 2019 | James Madison | 14–2 | 8–0 | 1st | LNCAA Division I Championship | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | James Madison | 7–1 | 3–0 | 1st(South) | LNCAA Division I Semifinal | 3 | 3 | ||
| 2021 | James Madison | 12–2 | 7–1 | T–1st | LNCAA Division I Semifinal | 3 | 3 | ||
| James Madison Dukes(Sun Belt Conference)(2022–2023) | |||||||||
| 2022 | James Madison | 8–3 | 6–2 | T–1st(East)[a] | |||||
| 2023 | James Madison | 11–1 | 7–1 | 1st(East)[a] | Armed Forces[b] | ||||
| James Madison: | 52–9 | 31–4 | |||||||
| Indiana Hoosiers(Big Ten Conference)(2024–present) | |||||||||
| 2024 | Indiana | 11–2 | 8–1 | T–2nd | LCFP First Round† | 10 | 10 | ||
| 2025 | Indiana | 0–0 | 0–0 | ||||||
| Indiana: | 11–2 | 8–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 130–37 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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