Curt Cignetti got his first head coaching job at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2011.
Cignetti’s former players said he brought intensity to IUP, and he was an elite recruiter that knew how to get the best out of players.
Johnny Franco and the rest of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania football team were fired up.
It’s January 2011 and the Crimson Hawks in Western Pennsylvania were about to meet their new coach, a former Alabama wide receivers coach not far removed from winning a national championship: Curt Cignetti.
The team was gathered in their team meeting when Cignetti walked in. It wasn’t a long introduction. He came in and said IUP was going to win, how they were going to win and be disciplined doing so. It was no more than five minutes, and then Cignetti walked out of the room.
“We were all just sitting there, like, what just happened?’ Franco told USA TODAY Sports. “That hit us hard.”
It was a bold, intense introduction — yet it wasn’t a prediction, rather a spoiler.
After nearly three decades as an assistant, Cignetti finally had the keys to his own program, at the school his dad became a College Football Hall of Fame coach.
Division II football is far from where Cignetti is now, one win away from completing one of the most remarkable turnarounds in football history with the otherIndiana facing Miami in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship. However, the Hoosiers don’t get to their first title game without Cignetti starting at IUP.
It was there Cignetti developed his craft, perfected how to run a program so success never ends. That’s why despite how insane it is to think Indiana is close to winning its first football championship, it’s not a shock to those that lived the early days and knew their coach was far from ordinary.
“Me and my teammates all talk about it all the time,” said former IUP guard Ethan Cooper. “We’re not really that surprised by it, just because we know how he is.”
Curt Cignetti is ‘all football’
After four seasons as an assistant at Alabama, Cignetti was ready to be in charge. He showed interest in taking over IUP, which was still trying to continue the success his father, Frank Sr., sustained for 20 seasons. Despite Cignetti’s familiarity with the program, it caught then-athletic director Frank Condino by surprise.
“Most Division I guys really don’t want to take that step,” he said. “That was a bold, bold move on Curt’s part. Really bold.”
Being at Division II meant “rolling up your sleeves and going to work,” Condino added, as the resources are far less than those at Division I, especially coming from Alabama. Yet he did bring some Alabama with him, mostly coming from the man he spent the previous few years working for.
“He tried to bring the Nick Saban personality to IUP, where you see him, where he’s not ever happy, and it’s business is business. He never lets you see him get too high or too low,” Franco said.
That meant having extreme attention to detail, trusting the process and getting players to buy in. Being so locked in meant being intense. Those annoyed looks you see when Indiana is up by 50 points? Absolutely a thing at IUP. He demanded perfection, and made it be known it is never the time to let down.
“We used to sort of think Coach Cig was almost like a robot,” Cooper said. “It’s like he never turned it off.”
There wasn’t really anything else on the mind of Cignetti. He wanted to run a tight ship, which was something that caught the eye of former tight end Brock DeCicco. A former player at Pittsburgh and Wisconsin that played for eight coaches, he hadn’t been around a coach who was so hands-on.
Schemes, play-calling, even all the drills at practice. You name it, Cignetti wanted it to run his way.
“All football, all the time,” DeCicco said. “That is who he is. That’s his personality.”
The players adopted the poise and understood what the mission was. Cooper said the intensity was even apparent in team walkthroughs. He recalled how focused everyone was during these simple meetings, even if they lasted just 15 minutes. More often than not, they knew they’d play well if it was a great walkthrough.
They became so focused they hardly got rattled, which made for some funny moments, like when IUP once trailed at halftime.
“He’s yelling, ‘Keep your composure! Can’t have anyone freak out!’” Franco said. “After he walked out of the locker room, I’m like, well, that was the exact scene from ‘Old School’ where he was the only one yelling and getting on us.”
That’s why most of Cignetti’s former players can’t help but laugh seeing his antics displayed in front of a national audience, knowing he hasn’t changed a bit.
The intensity was always apparent, but that didn’t mean Cignetti couldn’t have some fun. Former star receiver Walt Pegues said Cignetti is “a lot funnier and goofier than people would believe.” If there were jokes being made, Cignetti would sometimes get in on it, surprising the room any time it happened.
An elite eye at recruiting
Recruiting star players as an assistant really helped finding players at IUP, especially with how different it is in Division II. Condino said it’s probably the most challenging aspect of the job because it’s about projecting if players can be developed and fit the system.
That meant a rigorous recruiting process, and Franco got to see it firsthand. After he was an All-American safety for the Crimson Hawks, he later joined Cignetti’s staff.
“He’d be in the office at like, 3:30 in the morning, watching recruits,” he said. “He would come in early and just watch every possible recruit and figure out where they fit and who he wanted and who he liked.”
It was a process unlike any other. There were often times coaches didn’t understand players he was interested in, only for them to end up as star players. Talent didn’t matter as much if he believed that player could fit the mold. When he was fixated on bringing a player in, Cignetti knew how to bring them to IUP.
Cooper said he committed the day after he took his official visit, as less than 24 hours was all he needed. Not only did he quickly understand the process, but he appreciated how straightforward Cignetti was.
“It was a no-brainer to me,” Cooper said.
Pegues recalled Cignetti being one of the few coaches who was in constant communication with him, and he was a “straight shooter” in the conversations with him and his family about what he could do to help him gain a scholarship. It also helped when he met with Pegues, he would not-so-discreetly flash his Alabama national championship ring, letting the receiver know he knows how to win.
It was during the recruiting process Cignetti planted the seeds of confidence and leadership, leading to a player-led team. His former players all praised the leadership council that let the players hold themselves accountable.
Cignetti often went to them to seek opinions and input on how to improve things. It was the same with his assistants, always listening and making time for those around him.
“He’s someone that always empowered me and saw something in me. Even though as a football player, I always knew I was talented, but as a leader, finding my voice,” Pegues said. “He always had this interesting ability to be able to elevate the talent to a certain level that maybe many people didn’t see.”
Indiana football success not a surprise
As Indiana continues to defy its perception with each win, the college football world becomes more enamored how this man from Pennsylvania flipped the sports on its head. It doesn’t seem possible nor real, but it makes more sense to those that took the field for him at Miller Stadium where Cignetti posted a 53–17 record, made three NCAA playoff appearances and won two conference titles.
They knew this would happen. Some may be surprised it happened quicker than they expected.
“I don’t know if there was anybody that thought by Year 2, you’re going to be No. 1 in the country, playing for a national title after being the historically worst program in history,” Franco said.
Others figured it would go down like this.
“He’s legit won everywhere he’s been,” Pegues said. “I’m not surprised at that. He’s able to win no matter where he goes. It’s been cool to see it at the biggest stage of college sports.”
It also has made for a cool experience for those former Crimson Hawks. Several players mentioned there are group chats where they keep in touch, and the talk of it all has been seeing where Cignetti is taking Indiana. They have loved seeing the same assistants part of it, like offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines.
They all watch the games. If the Hoosiers are playing near where they live, they’ll make sure they’re in the stadium and be amazed like the rest of the country. There’s even a joke they are also IU — just with a “p in parenthesis” at the end.
They’ll remain tuned in on Monday, Jan. 19, eager to see their former coach reach the mountain top, knowing the foundation started with them.
“We’re so invested, because we know the work that he’s put in to get to this point,” Cooper said. “We’re so eager to see where everything goes for him, and excited for them.”
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