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- Curt Cignetti dad: Frank Cignetti Sr.
- Curt Cignetti wife: Manette Cignetti
- Curt Cignetti daughters
- Curt Cignetti son: Curtis John Cignetti
- Curt Cignetti mom: Marlene Cignetti
- Where is Curt Cignetti from?
Is Curt Cignetti college football's new Nick Saban?
No, Cignetti likely won't win six championships at Indiana, but his approach to coaching resembles the legendary former Alabama coach in more than a few ways.
You almost certainly will not see Cignetti smiling on the sideline, regardless of the score. Cignetti may seem more like a grumpy uncle than someone who can get a room of 100 college athletes to buy in, but his no-nonsense approach clearly works, even in a new era of college football.
Here's a closer look at Cignetti's background and family, including his coaching father and brother.
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Curt Cignetti dad: Frank Cignetti Sr.
Curt Cignetti is not the first in his family to coach football, as his father, Frank Cignetti Sr., is in the College Football Hall of Fame for his 20 seasons as the head coach at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP).
Born in Apollo, Pennsylvania to the north and east of Pittsburgh, Frank played football at IUP before returning nearly a quarter-century later to lead the athletic department and ultimately become head football coach.
After a visit to the College Football Hall of Fame ahead of the Peach Bowl in 2026, Curt described to reporters the impact his father had on him.
"I learned so much from my dad, you know. I don't even know where to start," he said. "He was a great leader, and he led by example, and he was a role model. He was a strong man. He had a little John Wayne and Clint Eastwood in him."
Curt's wife, Manette, told AllSportsPeople that she still sees examples of how Frank Sr. Influenced the lives of his players. "It's amazing how many people we've run into that his father touched their lives that either coached with him or played for him," she said.
Frank passed away in 2022, after seeing his son spend six seasons in the same role as IUP's head coach.
I was blessed to have a great Dad! He inspired me and so many others. Love you Dad! Rest in peace. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/J4XtmYC0Ck
— Curt Cignetti (@CCignettiIU) September 10, 2022
Here's more to know about Frank Cignetti Sr.'s coaching career.
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Frank Cignetti Sr. Coaching history
| Years | School | Record |
| 1976-79 | West Virginia | 17-27 |
| 1986-2005 | IUP | 182-50-1 |
| Career | 199-77-1 |
Frank spent four seasons as the head coach at West Virginia from 1976-79, succeeding legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden. After being fired and successfully battling cancer, he became IUP's athletic director in 1982 and later the head coach of the football program in 1986.
IUP didn't have a single losing season under Frank's leadership, reaching the Division II championship game twice and reaching at least 12 wins on three occasions.
After 20 seasons, Frank finished with a sparkling 182-50-1 record at IUP, and the school renamed its football field in his honor in 2013.
Where is IUP?
IUP, or Indiana University of Pennsylvania, is located in Indiana, Pennsylvania, which sits roughly 45 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
Despite the coincidental name, IUP does not have ties to the Indiana University system that Curt is now synonymous with.
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Curt Cignetti wife: Manette Cignetti
Curt Cignetti has been married to his wife, Manette, since 1989. The two met while visiting home in Pennsylvania in the late 1980s, and it didn't take long for the two to become engaged despite some long-distance dating.
Manette was raised in Indiana, Pennsylvania, where both Frank Sr. And Curt coached football, and she has nine siblings. Manette attended pharmacy school in Pittsburgh and worked as a pharmacist.
After Curt was hired by Indiana in 2024, Manette told the IndyStar that she was extremely proud of her husband. "It's been a long road, and he's worked so hard," Manette said, calling the Indiana job "big time."
Manette explained that she and her husband share much different strengths and weaknesses. "He's super organized. He's everything I'm not," she said. "He's always looking for the edge. He can juggle anything."
Curt, meanwhile, told Bloom Magazine that his wife is a "superstar."
"It's incredible what she did with those kids," he said. "When they were young, we didn't move much. In coaching, it's all about family when you have free time."
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Does Curt Cignetti have kids?
Curt Cignetti and his wife have three kids: one son, Curt Jr., and two daughters, Carly and Natalie.
Curt Cignetti daughters
Natalie Cignetti
Curt Cignetti's daughter, Natalie, played volleyball at IUP. IUP's profile for Natalie labels her "one of the best players in IUP women's volleyball history," and she was named to IUP's All-Decade Team as the lone representative from women's volleyball.
Natalie Cignetti doing what she does best‼️💯 pic.twitter.com/vmRWMdcJrA
— IUP W. Volleyball (@IUPVB) November 3, 2017
Natalie attended the Wake Forest School of Medicine and is a chief resident at Carolinas Rehabilitation in North Carolina as she works toward a full-time medical career.
In 2024, Natalie and her boyfriend Trent VanHorn got engaged on the field after an Indiana game.
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Carly Cignetti
Cignetti's daughter, Carly, is also in the medical field working in the New Orleans area in orthopedic surgery. In 2023, Carly married fellow medical school resident Andrew Janssen, who specializes in neurosurgery.
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Curt Cignetti son: Curtis John Cignetti
Cignetti's only son, Curt Jr., works in medical sales, according to the New York Times. He made an appearance at a medical conference in 2025:
Curt Jr. Is married and has two daughters.
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Does Curt Cignetti have grandchildren?
Curt Cignetti has two grandchildren through his son, Curt Jr., named Sophia and Isabelle, though little else is known about Curt Jr.'s family.
Curt Cignetti mom: Marlene Cignetti
Curt Cignetti's mother, Marlene, was married to Frank Sr. Until his death in 2022. The two had four children together.
While Marlene has largely kept her life private, she was a dedicated supporter of her husband's coaching career and was on hand to support him when IUP's football field was named in his honor in 2022. Marlene attended Robert Morris University and is originally from Pennsylvania as well.
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Curt Cignetti siblings
Frank Cignetti Jr.
Cignetti's only brother, Frank Jr., is a longtime NFL and college football assistant coach.
Frank spent nine seasons working under his father at IUP in the 1990s before stops with the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints. He returned to the collegiate level as offensive coordinator and Fresno State (2002-05) and North Carolina (2006).
After another quick stop in the NFL, Cignetti served as offensive coordinator at California, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. He spent part of one season as the Rams' offensive coordinator under Jeff Fisher after three years as quarterbacks coach, and he had stints as the quarterbacks coach for Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers in the years that followed.
Frank is currently back at IUP as the program's offensive coordinator after a third stint at Pittsburgh.
MORE: Curt Cignetti college football coaching timeline
Lisa Ciarrocca
Cignetti's sister, Lisa Ciarrocca, attended IUP and frequently posts social media messages in support of her brother's coaching successes.
Theresa Cignetti Koss
Cignetti's other sister, Theresa, is also an IUP graduate and has a daughter who plays for the University of West Virginia women's soccer team.
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Where is Curt Cignetti from?
Curt Cignetti was born in Pittsburgh, and his family has deep ties to Western Pennsylvania.
While most of Cignetti's family attended IUP, he went to the University of West Virginia as a quarterback, briefly overlapping with his father, before returning to the Pittsburgh area as a graduate assistant at Pitt.
Where did Curt Cignetti go to high school?
Because he was in high school while his father was the head coach at West Virginia, Cignetti attended Morgantown High School and was an all-state quarterback at the school before committing to play for the Mountaineers.
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