Frank Cignetti Sr. to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
Frank Cignetti Sr., the Washington Township native who is a former head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the head of his own coaching family, learned on Thursday that he will be inducted into the Divisional Class of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Cignetti, 75, received the news upon returning to his home in Indiana, Pa., from a trip to St. Louis, where he was visiting his son, Frank Cignetti Jr., an assistant coach with the NFL Rams who played for his dad at IUP in the 1980s.
Another son, Curt Cignetti, is the current IUP head coach.
“It's great. It's humbling,” Cignetti Sr. said. “When you think of all the coaches that coached football and the great coaches that are in the Hall of Fame, it's a great honor.”
He began his coaching career at Leechburg High School.
Cignetti got his first college job as an assistant under Dave Hart at Pitt in 1965. He also coached for one season at Princeton.
Cignetti was head coach at West Virginia from 1976 to 1979, following six seasons as offensive coordinator under Bobby Bowden. As Mountaineers' head coach, he successfully battled a rare form of cancer known as lymphomatoid granulamatosis.
An IUP end from 1956 to 1959 and an NAIA All-American, Cignetti returned to his alma mater in 1986.
He retired in 2005 as the winningest coach in school history, compiling a 182-50-1 record. His teams won or shared 14 PSAC Western Division titles and made 13 Division 2 playoff appearances, including two trips to the championship game.
“I have a lot of people to be thankful for,” Cignetti said. “Players, assistant coaches, head coaches, and the good Lord that gave me the opportunity at West Virginia to get back on the field. If not for the great medical care at West Virginia and the grace of God, none of this would have happened.”
Curt Cignetti, whose IUP teams have compiled a 19-5 record in two seasons, was driving to the Pirates game at PNC Park when he learned of his father's selection.
“It's a well-deserved honor,” said Curt. “Dad helped a lot of people in life. His former players and coaches speak of him with the utmost respect. He did it with class.”
The Divisional Class of the Hall of Fame honors coaches and players who competed below the Division 1 level. Former players in the 2013 class include Art Shell (Maryland-Eastern Shore), Shelby Jordan (Washington, Mo.), Joe Micchia (Westminster, Pa.) and Jeff Wittman (Ithaca).
Former coaches James “Boots” Donnelly (Austin Peay, Middle Tennessee State) and Jess Dow (Southern Connecticut State) also will be inducted.
Bob Cohn is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at bcohn@tribweb.com or via Twitter@BCohn_Trib.
