INDIANA, Pa. – Frank Cignetti Jr. returns to IUP as offensive coordinator, football head coach Paul Tortorella announced Tuesday afternoon.
"I am excited to return to Indiana University of Pennsylvania as the offensive coordinator, a place that holds great meaning for both me and my wife, Ellen. I give thanks to Coach Tortorella for the opportunity to come back to the program that gave so much to me as both a player and coach", said Frank Cignetti Jr.
"I am ecstatic to be able to hire Frank Cignetti Jr. as our new offensive coordinator. I have known Frank for over 30 years and have had the privilege of working with him in the past at IUP. His experience in both the NFL and FBS football surpasses that of anyone else in Division II football so I am excited to see where he will take our offense this spring and fall", said head coach Paul Tortorella.
Cignetti Jr. returns to IUP bringing a wealthy 34 years of coaching experience – 23 in college and 11 in the National Football League. He has coordinated offenses at eight different schools and in the NFL and has been a part of 15 teams.
"The more impressive dynamic is that Frank wants to be here and is an IUP guy", said Tortorella.
Cignetti Jr. returns to his alma mater, where he was an all-conference safety before he earned his bachelor's degree in 1988.
Cignetti Jr. previously spent time as a coach at IUP from 1990-98 under his father, Frank Cignetti. He served IUP as receivers, secondary and quarterbacks coach before being elevated to offensive coordinator for his final two seasons. During his tenure, IUP advanced to the NCAA Division II national title game twice and earned a berth in the semifinals four times.
Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator for the University of Pittsburgh for two seasons from 2022-23. He began his coaching career as a Panthers graduate assistant on Mike Gottfried's staff in 1989. From 2009-10, Cignetti Jr. was Pitt's offensive coordinator under Dave Wannstedt.
Coaching Timeline
Pittsburgh, 1989, graduate assistant
Indiana University of Pa., 1990-92, wide receivers; 1993-94, secondary; 1995-96, quarterbacks; 1997-98, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
Kansas City Chiefs, 1999, quality control
New Orleans Saints, 2000-01, quarterbacks
Fresno State, 2002-05 offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
North Carolina, 2006, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
San Francisco 49ers, 2007, quarterbacks
California, 2008, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
Pittsburgh, 2009-10, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
Rutgers, 2011, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
St. Louis Rams, 2012-14, quarterbacks; 2015, offensive coordinator
New York Giants, 2016-17, quarterbacks
Green Bay Packers, 2018, quarterbacks
Boston College, 2020-21, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
Pittsburgh, 2022-23, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
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