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Curt Cignetti Coaching History & Bio
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Curt Cignetti made an immediate splash at Indiana by leading the Hoosiers to a school-record 11 wins and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024, his first season with the program.
Curt Cignetti Head Coaching Record
- Indiana (Pa.) (6 seasons): 57-13
- Elon (2 seasons): 14-9
- James Madison (5 seasons): 52-9
- Indiana (1 season): 11-2
| Season | School | Record | Conference Standing | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Indiana | 11-2 (8-1 Big Ten) | T-2nd | L – CFB Playoff first round |
| 2023 | James Madison | 11-1 (7-1 Sun Belt) | 1st East Division | Armed Forces Bowl |
| 2022 | James Madison | 8-3 (6-2) | T-1st East Division | |
| 2021 | James Madison | 12-2 (7-1 CAA) | T-1st | L – FCS Seminfinal |
| 2020-21 | James Madison | 7-1 (3-0) | 1st South Division | L – FCS Semifinal |
| 2019 | James Madison | 14-2 (8-0) | 1st | L — FCS Championship Game |
| 2018 | Elon | 6-5 (4-3 CAA) | 6th | L – FCS First Round |
| 2017 | Elon | 8-4 (6-2) | 3rd | l – FCS First Round |
| 2016 | Indiana (Pa) | 10-2 (6-1 PSAC) | 2nd West Division | L – NCAA D2 Second Round |
| 2015 | Indiana (Pa) | 9-3 (6-1) | T-1st West Divison | L – NCAA D2 Second Round |
| 2014 | Indiana (Pa) | 6-5 (5-4) | 5th West Division | |
| 2013 | Indiana (Pa) | 9-2 (5-2) | 2nd West Division | |
| 2012 | Indiana (Pa) | 12-2 (6-1) | 1st West Division | L – NCAA D2 Quarterfinals |
| 2011 | Indiana (Pa) | 7-3 (5-2) | 3rd West Division | |
| Total | 130-37 |
Curt Cignetti Coaching History
- 1983-84: Pittsburgh — Grad assistant
- 1985: Davidson — Quarterbacks/Wide receivers
- 1986-88: Rice — Quaterbacks
- 1988-92: Temple — Quarterbacks
- 1993-1999: Pittsburgh — Quarterbacks/Tight ends
- 2000-06: NC State — QB/TE/Recruiting coordinator
- 2007-10: Alabama — Wide receivers/Recruiting coordinator
- 2011-2016: IUP — Head coach
- 2017-2018: Elon — Head coach
- 2019-2023: James Madison — Head coach
- 2024-present: Indiana — Head coach
Curt Cignetti Bio
It took almost 40 years for Curt Cignetti to become an overnight success.
That’s how long it took him to rise through the ranks from an assistant to a head coach at the Division II and the FCS levels before finally getting his first shot at a power conference job at an age in which many coaches are starting to think about retirement. The long journey and Cignetti’s persistence finally paid off in 2024 when he led Indiana to a school-record 11 wins, a top-10 national ranking and a spot in the College Football Playoff in his debut season with the Hoosiers.
The 63-year-old coach was rewarded with an 8-year contract extension that doubled his annual salary and included commitments to upgrade the program’s facilities.
While Cignetti’s immediate success at Indiana may have taken some around the Big Ten by surprise, it was actually a continuation of the pattern that has followed him throughout his career.
He earned a reputation as a top-notch recruiter at NC State, where he was instrumental in signing future Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson, and as an elite developer of talent such as All-American wide receiver Julio Jones as a member of Nick Saban’s first staff at Alabama. Then as a head coach, he made an immediate impact at every stop along the way by earning double-digit victories in his first or second year at Indiana (Pa.), James Madison and now Indiana, where he became the first head coach in Division I history to start 8–0 or better in consecutive seasons with different programs.