Curt Cignetti enters his sixth year at the helm of the IUP football program in 2016. Through five seasons, Cignetti has a record of 43-15, going 26-9 in PSAC West play and 3-2 in the NCAA playoffs. He has a record of 23-6 at home and 20-8 on the road.
The Crimson Hawks finished the 2015 season ranked No. 19 in the final American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll after posting a 9-3 record which included a trip to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. It was the third time in the last four seasons IUP was ranked in the top 25, coming in at No. 7 in 2012 and No. 24 in 2013.
After finishing the regular season with an 8-2 record, IUP, the fifth seed traveled to play Charleston, the fourth seed, in the opening round of the the NCAA Division II playoffs. Falling behind at halftime by a score of 14-6, IUP exploded for 41 second-half points en route to the 47-21 victory.
In that game, dual-threat redshirt freshman quarterback Lenny Williams finished with 252 total yards and five touchdowns, while sophomore running back Chris Temple added 116 yards rushing on 28 carries. The Crimson Hawks, who averaged the fifth-best ground attack in the nation at 293.6 yards per game, totaled 347 rushing yards against Charleston.
For their efforts, left guard Ethan Cooper was named a Football Gazette third-team All-American, while Williams was named the Super Region One and PSAC West Freshman of the Year. Eleven Crimson Hawks were named given all-conference honors, while six were named to the all-region second team.
IUP entered 2015 ranked fifth in the PSAC West preseason coaches’ poll, before finishing the year with a share of the division title with a 6-1 conference record.
In 2014, three receivers etched their names into the IUP record books, as seniors Drew Carswell and Brock DeCicco caught 15 and 11 passes respectively against California in the sixth annual Coal Bowl. Freshman wideout Walt Pegues also set records with 13 catches and 193 yards against Gannon.
Cignetti led the Crimson Hawks to a successful season in 2013 with a 9-2 record overall, 5-2 in the PSAC West. IUP was ranked 10th in the preseason AFCA Division II Coaches’ Poll going into the season and remained in the top 25 until late October, where they had been ranked for 18 consecutive weeks.
The Crimson Hawks finished 2012 with a 12-2 overall record, advancing to the Super Region One Championship (NCAA quarterfinals) at Winston-Salem State, ultimately falling to the Rams 21-17.
IUP went 6-1 in PSAC West play, with its only loss at then sixth-ranked California 26-24 on Sept. 22. The record was good for first in the division, earning the right to host East champion Shippensburg in the PSAC “State Game.” The Crimson Hawks would use a 27-10 first half lead in the game en route to a dominating 41-10 victory over the Red Raiders for the program’s first championship game win since 1987. (Note: The “State Game” was not played from 1988-2007)
The Crimson Hawks earned the third seed in Super Region One and defeated sixth-seeded Shepherd 27-17 at home in the first round. They’d go on to defeat second-seeded New Haven (Conn.) on the road in the second round before the loss at top seed Winston-Salem State.
The postseason appearance was the first for IUP since 2007 and the first NCAA quarterfinal appearance since 2002.
For his efforts, Cignetti was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year, helping 14 of his players to All-PSAC West honors after the season. That includes PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year Harvie Tuck, who finished his senior season with 1,660 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns.
Cignetti also boasts six all-region players and two student-athletes – seniors Johnny Franco and Anthony DiPasquale – who were named Capital One Academic All-America’s. In 2012, the Crimson Hawks were the top defense in the nation, leading Division II in scoring defense (12.5 points per game) and total defense (257.9 yards per game). IUP was also third in the nation in turnover margin with a +21 (1.50 per game).
The rushing offense was also one of the best in the nation, as Tuck teamed with De’Antwan Williams to help IUP rush for 259.3 yards per game, 10th in the nation (as of 12/1). The Crimson Hawks 3,630 net rushing yards broke the single-season program record of 3,211 set in 1993. IUP averaged 33.6 points and 417.5 yards of total offense. They were also second in the nation in time of possession, keeping the ball an average of 34:16 per contest.
The 2012 season also marked Cignetti’s 30th year of coaching.
Cignetti boasted a very successful head coaching debut in 2011, leading the Crimson Hawks to a 7-3 overall record, including a 5-2 mark in the strong PSAC West.
Hired prior to the 2011 season, Cignetti put together one of the finest seasons for a first-year head coach at IUP since his father, Frank Cignetti, led Indiana to a record of 9-2 and a PSAC Championship in 1986.
Cignetti’s first signature win at IUP came in early October, when the Crimson Hawks shut out nationally-ranked Edinboro 19-0 on Homecoming. IUP capped off the season with another impressive victory when the Crimson Hawks trounced PSAC East foe West Chester 34-7 on the road.
Under Cignetti’s guidance, eight players received All-PSAC West honors in 2011, including punter Grant Schallock, who was also named to the Daktronics Super Region One First Team.
Prior to IUP, Cignetti spent four seasons as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama and helped the Crimson Tide win the 2009 BCS National Championship with a 14-0 record. He brought in the consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the country in 2008, the first of three straight classes which finished in the top five nationally.
In addition to the national title, Cignetti was part of Alabama teams that posted a record of 33-3 over the past three regular seasons, including 29 consecutive regular season victories, won the 2008 and 2009 SEC West championship and earned a berth in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. Among his recruits was Mark Ingram, who won the 2008 Heisman Trophy, and Cignetti also coached Julio Jones, the Associated Press SEC Freshman of the Year and Columbus Touchdown Club National Freshman of the Year.
Cignetti joined the staff at Alabama after spending seven seasons (2000-06) as the recruiting coordinator at North Carolina State while also coaching tight ends from 2000-02 and 2005-06 and quarterbacks during the 2003 and 2004 campaigns. The Wolfpack qualified for five bowl games during that time, including the 2002 Gator Bowl when N.C. State set a school record with 11 wins. One of his last recruits before moving to Alabama was quarterback Russell Wilson out of Virginia, who committed to NC State before moving on to Wisconsin as a senior. He finished his collegiate career with a 60.9 completion percentage, 11,720 yards and 109 touchdowns before getting drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round 2012 and leading them to a Super Bowl XLVIII victory.
Two of his recruiting classes ranked in the top 10 in the nation, and Rivals.com named him one of the top 25 recruiters in the nation in 2004. While working with the Wolfpack quarterbacks, Cignetti had the opportunity to coach 2003 ACC Player of the Year Philip Rivers and help prepare him to become the fourth pick in the NFL draft the following spring.
Cignetti first served as a recruiting coordinator during a seven-year stint (1993-99) at the University of Pittsburgh. Cignetti also coached the Panthers’ tight ends and quarterbacks at various times under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Johnny Majors. Cignetti began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Pitt during the 1983 and 1984 seasons and was part of the team’s Fiesta Bowl participant his first year. He coached quarterbacks and receivers at Davidson in 1985 and was the quarterbacks coach at Rice (1986-88) and Temple (1989-92).
Cignetti earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from West Virginia in 1982.
Cignetti is married to the former Manette Lawer and the couple has three children – Curtis John, Carly Ann and Natalie Elise.
