Frank Cignetti Jr. (born October 4, 1965) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

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 The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...

. Before Pitt, he was the

at Boston College and the

quarterbacks coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

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 The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He has also been the

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 The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arri ...

from 2012 to 2014 and

for the Rams in 2015.

Career

Cignetti began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

in 1989. From 1990 to 1998, Cignetti was on his father's

IUP Crimson Hawks football The IUP Crimson Hawks football program represents Indiana University of Pennsylvania in college football at the NCAA Division II level. The Crimson Hawks play their home games at George P. Miller Stadium in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The Crimson H ...

team coaching staff at

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public research university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As of fall 2021, the university enrolled 7,044 undergraduates and 1,865 postgraduates, for a total enrollment of 9,009 students. The univ ...

(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 NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

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 The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. From 2000 to 2001, Cignetti served as quarterbacks coach with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, where he helped quarterback

Jeff Blake Jeffrey Bertrand Blake (born December 4, 1970) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. Blake was a member of seven teams during his career, playing his longest stint with the Cin ...

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 The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

alternate selection. From 2002 to 2005, Cignetti served as the offensive coordinator for

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

. In 2004, Fresno State averaged 52.8 points over its final six games and became just the sixth team in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

history to score 50 or more points in four consecutive contests, the team also led the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...

in average yards per carry and amassed 65 touchdowns. Cignetti was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

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 The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

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 The Miami Hurricanes (known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes) are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic A ...

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 w ...

. On February 18, 2009, Cignetti accepted a position as the offensive coordinator of the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

football team under head coach

Dave Wannstedt David Wannstedt (born May 21, 1952) is a former American football coach. He has been the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was also the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh footbal ...

. 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 Dion John Lewis (born September 27, 1990) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Philadelphia ...

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 Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...

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

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 Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, 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

team at

(IUP) and

West Virginia Mountaineers football The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University (also referred to as "WVU" or "West Virginia") in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. West Virginia plays its home games at Milan Puskar ...

team at

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

. Cignetti's brother,

Curt Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and i ...

, is currently the head coach of the

James Madison Dukes football The James Madison Dukes football program represents James Madison University in the sport of American football. The Dukes compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), beginning play ...

team at

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...

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