Frank Cignetti Sr., one of the most influential figures in Western Pennsylvania football, has died. Numerous reports confirm the death of College Football Hall of Fame coach Frank Cignetti Sr. at the age of 84.
The announcement was made just hours before Pitt’s game Saturday against Tennessee at Acrisure Stadium and confirmed by several sources.
Cignetti began his coaching career in 1960 as an assistant at Leechburg High School. After working his way into a head coaching opportunity at Leechburg, where he led his team to the 1965 WPIAL Class 1A championship, Cignetti achieved enough to land an assistant role at Pitt, where he worked with the team’s quarterbacks and receivers from 1966 to 1968.
Cignetti’s first head coaching position in college was at West Virginia, where he replaced fellow College Football Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden — he served at the helm of the Mountaineers program from 1976 through 1979.
Cignetti is best known for his career at IUP, where was the head coach from 1986 through 2005.
In his 20 seasons with the Crimson Hawks, Cignetti’s teams had a cumulative record of 182-50-1, won 14 PSAC West Division titles, a pair of PSAC titles, and appeared twice in the Division II national championship game. His resume of accolades includes five PSAC West Coach of the Year honors, three Kodak College Division Regional Coach of the Year honors, and the 1991 Chevrolet Division II National Coach of the Year.
Cignetti also held the position of athletic director at his alma mater from 1982 to 1998. His legacy is cemented on IUP’s campus, as he was voted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 1996.
Cignetti retired in 2005 with a career record of 199-77-1 as a college head coach and a 15-13 record in the Division II playoffs through 13 appearances. He was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013. That same year, IUP named its field located within George P. Miller Stadium as Frank Cignetti Field.
Cignetti’s son, Frank Cignetti Jr. currently serves as the offensive coordinator at Pitt.
“The Cignetti family is synonymous with college football in Pittsburgh and this entire region,” Pitt football tweeted Saturday afternoon. “Our thoughts are with all who loved him, especially his family and his son and our OC, Frank Jr.”
Noah Hiles: nhiles@post-gazette.com and Twitter @_NoahHiles
First Published: September 10, 2022, 4:48 p.m.
Updated: September 11, 2022, 1:51 a.m.
