It’s safe to say Curt Cignetti has been the Big Ten’s biggest success story since his arrival to the conference. He walked into an Indiana program that went 3–9 the year before he arrived in November 2023 and flipped it into a full-blown powerhouse in just two years. Cignetti leaned hard on the transfer portal, bringing trusted players and assistant coaches with him from James Madison, and it paid off in a big way.

His detail-obsessed coaching style set the tone early. The result? A perfect 13–0 season. Indiana’s first Big Ten title since 1967, and the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff. Indiana rewarded the turnaround with a massive vote of confidence, locking Cignetti into an eight-year, $93 million extension in October 2025.

Curt Cignetti built his rapid rise on a deep football foundation long before Bloomington, shaped by his father, longtime coach Frank Cignetti Sr., and the steady influence of his mother, Manette Cignetti.

Who is Curt Cignetti’s father, Frank Cignetti Sr.?

Curt Cignetti grew up around football because his father, the late Frank Cignetti Sr., lived it every day. A College Football Hall of Famer, Frank Sr. coached for decades, including stints as head coach at West Virginia and a legendary 20-year run at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).

Curt even played quarterback for his dad at West Virginia before later following in his footsteps. Frank Sr. took over the Mountaineers in 1976 after a major roster turnover and rebuilt the program, then faced a life-changing challenge when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 1979. He beat it, bounced back, and landed at IUP in 1986. It’s where he built a Division II powerhouse.

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At IUP, Frank Sr. went 182-50-1, never had a losing season, won 14 PSAC West titles, reached multiple national semifinals, and earned Division II Coach of the Year honors in 1991. His teams also brought home 10 Lambert Cups, cementing his legacy as one of the best coaches in the region.

Football was truly a family affair. Cignetti Sr. and his wife, Marlene, raised four children around the game. Frank Cignetti Jr. played for his father at IUP from 1985 to 1987. He then carved out a distinguished coaching career of his own as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach across both college football and the NFL, most recently with the University of Pittsburgh.

Curt followed a similar path. After spending four years at Alabama as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, he returned home and took over as IUP’s head coach on January 21, 2011.

Who is Curt Cignetti’s mother, Marlene Cignetti?

Marlene Cignetti is the wife of the late Frank Cignetti Sr. and the mother of Curt Cignetti. She was the steady force behind the scenes throughout her husband’s long coaching career at places like IUP and West Virginia and through his toughest fight off the field.

When Frank Sr. spent 35 terrifying days in the hospital battling cancer, Marlene was the one who had to deliver the hardest message. She called their four children and told them, “I don’t think Daddy’s going to make it,” as The Washington Post reported in 1980.

But Frank beat the odds. By the fall of 1979, he was back, still weakened by treatment but alive after an intense, brutal fight.

Curt Cignetti’s Siblings

Curt Cignetti grew up in a tight-knit, football-centric family, with three siblings who’ve each carved out their own paths. His brother, Frank Cignetti Jr., is deeply involved in the coaching world. He’s currently the offensive coordinator at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, but his résumé stretches far beyond that. Before IUP, he called plays at Boston College and Pitt. He coached quarterbacks for the Green Bay Packers, spent time with the New York Giants in 2016 and 2017, and worked with the St. Louis Rams, including a stint as their offensive coordinator in 2015.

Curt also has two sisters. Lisa Cignetti Ciarrocca, a 1986 IUP graduate, built her career as an elementary school teacher and is married to Matt Ciarrocca. Theresa Cignetti Koss, a 1997 IUP grad with a degree in finance, is married to Jason Koss. Their daughter, Gianna Koss, is carrying on the family’s athletic tradition as a women’s soccer player at West Virginia University. All in all, the Cignetti name runs deep in both sports and family.

What ethnicity are Curt Cignetti’s parents?

The Cignetti family has deep Italian-American roots. Frank Cignetti Sr., a College Football Hall of Famer, was born in Pittsburgh in 1937. His parents immigrated from Italy and worked in the city’s steel mills and coal mines.

Known for his faith and family values, Frank Sr. passed those traits on. And Curt grew up surrounded by that same tight-knit, athletic, Italian-American environment in Pennsylvania. As for Curt’s mom, her exact ethnic background isn’t publicly known.

Curt Cignetti’s relationship with his parents

Curt Cignetti had a really close and influential relationship with his dad, Frank Cignetti Sr. He followed in his father’s footsteps, first playing for him at West Virginia and later taking over the head coaching job at IUP, his dad’s alma mater, with the goal of bringing the program back to its former glory.

Curt often spoke about his dad with a lot of respect.

“My dad was a big influence in my life. He was a great role model, led by example, and really just a good person, hard worker, honest, treated people well,” said Cignetti. “I never heard him say a bad thing about another person. He was a big family man.”

In West Virginia, Curt got just one year playing under his dad before Frank Sr. was fired. “He was demanding, and back then, you coached guys a little differently than you do today,” Curt said. “I’m a little old school myself, but those teams were always fundamental and tough.”

Curt’s mom, Marlene, was also a giant part of the family dynamic. Curt even modeled his own home after his parents.’ He kept football gear in the basement, and upstairs, he had the Bible on the table and a crucifix on the wall.