Frank Cignetti Jr. (born October 4, 1965) is an American football coach who is the

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...

for the Pittsburgh Panthers. Before Pitt, he was the

at Boston College and the quarterbacks coach for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

of the National Football League (NFL). He has also been the quarterbacks coach for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

in 2016 and 2017. Prior to that, he served as the quarterbacks coach for the St. Louis Rams from 2012 to 2014 and

for the Rams in 2015.

Career

Cignetti began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh in 1989. From 1990 to 1998, Cignetti was on his father's IUP Crimson Hawks football team coaching staff at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), where he was an all-conference safety before earning his bachelor's degree in 1988. He served IUP as receivers, secondary and quarterbacks coach before elevating to offensive coordinator for his final two seasons. During his tenure, IUP twice advanced to the NCAA Division II national title game and earned a berth in the semifinals four times. Cignetti landed his first NFL appointment in 1999 as a quality control assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs. From 2000 to 2001, Cignetti served as quarterbacks coach with the New Orleans Saints, where he helped quarterback Jeff Blake to a career-best passer rating and also helped Aaron Brooks produce some of the best statistics of his career en route to a Pro Bowl alternate selection. From 2002 to 2005, Cignetti served as the offensive coordinator for Fresno State. In 2004, Fresno State averaged 52.8 points over its final six games and became just the sixth team in NCAA history to score 50 or more points in four consecutive contests, the team also led the Western Athletic Conference in average yards per carry and amassed 65 touchdowns. Cignetti was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for North Carolina in 2006. When Butch Davis was hired to replace former head coach John Bunting at North Carolina, Cignetti was relieved of his coaching duties. In 2007, Cignetti was hired by the San Francisco 49ers to be their quarterbacks coach. Cignetti served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for California in 2008. In his first season with the Bears, the team averaged nearly 33 points per game en route to a 9-4 record and victory over the Miami Hurricanes in the

Emerald Bowl The San Francisco Bowl was an annual postseason college football bowl game certified by the NCAA and played in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally named the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl during its first two editions from 2002 to 2003, it ...

. On February 18, 2009, Cignetti accepted a position as the offensive coordinator of the University of Pittsburgh football team under head coach Dave Wannstedt. In Cignetti's first season as Pittsburgh's play caller, the Panthers averaged 32.1 points per game, one of the top five scoring averages in school history. Pitt's offensive arsenal included a 1,700-yard rusher in RB Dion Lewis and 1,000-yard receiver in WR

Jon Baldwin Jonathan Dupree Baldwin (born August 10, 1989) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh. Baldwin also played for the ...

. In addition, QB Bill Stull ranked among the nation's most efficient passers, throwing for more than 2,600 yards and 21 touchdowns. In total, seven of Pitt's offensive players were named All-Big East, including Lewis, who was honored as the league's Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Cignetti served as the offensive coordinator for Rutgers in 2011. In that season, the Scarlet Knights averaged 26.4 points per game, fourth most in the Big East, and Rutgers ranked third in the conference in passing offense. On February 7, 2012, Cignetti was hired by the St. Louis Rams to be their quarterbacks coach. Cignetti worked with

Sam Bradford Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the P ...

, the third-year signal caller who set new career highs in passing yards (3,702), touchdown passes (21) and Passer rating (82.5) in 2012. On February 12, 2015, Cignetti was promoted to offensive coordinator, he held that position for 12 games. On December 7, 2015, Cignetti was fired by the Rams, the Rams rank 31st in yards per game (296.3), 32nd in passing yards per game (178) and first downs (175), and tied for 30th in offensive touchdowns (18). On January 21, 2016, Cignetti was hired by the

to be their quarterbacks coach. On January 10, 2018, it was announced that Cignetti had been hired by the

to be their quarterbacks coach.

Personal

Cignetti was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he is the son of

Frank Cignetti Sr. Frank Cignetti Sr. (October 8, 1937 – September 10, 2022) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at West Virginia University from 1976 to 1979 and at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) from 1986 ...

, the longtime head coach of the IUP Crimson Hawks football team at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and West Virginia Mountaineers football team at West Virginia University. Cignetti's brother, Curt, is currently the head coach of the James Madison Dukes football team at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. JMU competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...

. Cignetti and his wife, Ellen, have one son, Frankie, and three daughters: Alyssa, Gabrielle and Ella.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cignetti, Frank Jr. 1965 births Living people Boston College Eagles football coaches California Golden Bears football coaches Fresno State Bulldogs football coaches IUP Crimson Hawks football coaches IUP Crimson Hawks football players Kansas City Chiefs coaches North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches New Orleans Saints coaches New York Giants coaches Pittsburgh Panthers football coaches Rutgers Scarlet Knights football coaches San Francisco 49ers coaches St. Louis Rams coaches Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pittsburgh National Football League offensive coordinators