How Did Frank Cignetti Sr. Die at 84? What Led To The Death Of The Ex-Coach at West Virginia?
There will soon be a startling piece of information made public. It has been announced that the legendary former head football coach at West Virginia University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Frank Cignetti St., has passed away at the age of 84. Curt Cignetti, the head coach of James Madison University and Frank’s son, announced his father’s passing on Twitter. Since that time, there has been a deluge of condolence messages and tributes posted on the internet. The loss of his life is being mourned by all of those around him. Let us check the article that follows to find out what happened to him.
Frank Cignetti Sr.’s Obituary
On Saturday, September 10, 2022, the football coach is said to have taken his final breath, according to the reports. On Twitter, James Madison disseminated the unfortunate piece of information, as was previously indicated. People who had worked with him and had known him as a person began lamenting his passing soon after the news of his passing was spread to the general public. As a direct consequence of this, Frank Cignetti became trending on a number of different platforms. Now that he has passed away, everyone is wondering what caused his death and how he actually passed away.
What Was the Reason for Frank Cignetti Sr.’s Death?
Now, let us inform you that it has not been discussed with anyone else as of yet. It is correct that the reason for Frank Cignetti’s passing is a mystery at the time that this article was written. Nobody from his family or anyone else on the squad has said anything about it since it happened. Curt Cignetti posted a picture of his father along with some heartfelt words on how fortunate he was to have such a wonderful parent and how much his father motivated not just him but also a huge number of other people. “Love you Dad! Curt continued by saying, May you rest in peace. The post has received a significant amount of interaction from followers from all over the world.
Who Was Frank Cignetti Sr.?
Frank Cignetti Sr. was a coach at West Virginia University for the years 1976-1979. During his 20-year career in Division II, Cignetti compiled a record of 182-50-1 with 13 postseason appearances and 15 postseason victories. After the conclusion of the 2005 campaign, he announced his intention to step down from his position as the third-most successful active coach in Division II. In 2013, Frank was honored by being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Frank Cignetti Sr. was an American football player and coach. He was born on October 8, 1937, and passed away on September 10, 2022. He amassed a career college football record of 199–77–1 while serving as the head football coach at West Virginia University from 1976 to 1979 and at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He also won the Heisman Trophy in 1979. Cignetti guided the IUP Indians football team to the championship game of the NCAA Division II Football Championship in both 1990 and 1993 under his direction. As a coach, he was recognized by the College Football Hall of Fame and enshrined that same year (2013).
Frank Cignetti Sr.’s Career in Coaching
First on Cignetti’s list of coaching responsibilities was the football squad at Leechburg High School, where he worked as an assistant coach. He was given the position of head coach at Leechburg, where he led the team to victory in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League Class 1A championship in the year 1965. Between the years 1966 and 1968, he worked as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team at the University of Pittsburgh. During that time, he worked mostly with the team’s quarterbacks and wide receivers. In 1969, he was on Bobby Bowden’s coaching staff for the West Virginia Mountaineers of West Virginia University, where he was in charge of the offensive backfield. He had previously worked as an offensive assistant with the Princeton Tigers of Princeton University in 1969.
Cignetti took over as head coach of the Mountaineers after Bowden’s retirement in 1976 and remained in that role through the 1979 season.
Despite the fact that the team had won the Peach Bowl in 1975, 32 of its players were seniors at the time, and Cignetti needed to rebuild the program. As the head coach of West Virginia, he finished with a record of 17–27 (.386) wins and losses. In the year 1979, Cignetti received the news that he had a form of cancer known as lymphomatoid granulomatosis. He was admitted to the hospital for a total of 35 days after undergoing a splenectomy. Cignetti was let go at the end of the 1979 season but ultimately overcame his cancer diagnosis.
Cignetti made his way back to IUP in 1982 to take over the role of athletic director. In 1986, he was promoted to the position of head coach of the football squad at IUP. From 1986 through 2005, he led the Crimson Hawks to a record of 182–50–1 (.783) as their head coach. IUP never had a losing season while Cignetti was the head coach, and they won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division a total of 14 times. IUP competed in the title game of NCAA Division II on two occasions and appeared in the semifinals on five separate occasions. In the year 1991, he was selected as the best coach in Division II. His side was ranked as the top Division II squad in the eastern United States and went on to win ten Lambert Cups.
In 2013, Cignetti was recognized with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Additionally in that same year, the football field at IUP was renamed in honor of Cignetti.
Frank Cignetti Sr.’s Wife Marlene
Between the years 1985 and 1987, Frank Jr. represented his father on the football team at IUP. Former offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams under the leadership of Cignetti Jr. After working for Alabama for four years as a coach for wide receivers and as a recruiting coordinator, his son Curt was given the job of leading the coaching staff at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on January 21, 2011. Between the years 2016 and 2018, Curt held the position of head coach at Elon University. In December 2018, he was selected to become the eighth head coach at James Madison.
When Did Frank Cignetti Sr. Die?
On September 10, 2022, Cignetti passed away.
It has been said that Curt Cignetti will be coaching Saturday’s game versus Norfolk State. The Cignettis have another son, Frank Jr., who serves as the offensive coordinator at Pitt and will be coaching in their game on Saturday against Tennessee. Frank Jr. commented in a tweet regarding his father’s passing that he was honored to be his son, a player for him, and an assistant for him, and that his father was his hero. In addition to that, Social Telecast offers their most sincere condolences.
It was confirmed on Saturday that longtime college football coach Frank Cignetti Sr. had passed away. His son Curt made the announcement via Twitter.
Cignetti served as the head football coach at the collegiate level for a total of 24 years: first at West Virginia University for four years between 1976 and 1979 and then at Indiana University of Pennsylvania for 20 years. At the time of this writing, he is ranked as one of the top 50 winningest coaches in the annals of college football history. His record at IUP was 182-50-1, and he won 10 Division II Lambert Cups. 2013 marked the year that he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Cignetti kept football in the family with his boys. His oldest son, Frank Cignetti Jr., played for Cignetti at IUP before getting into coaching. He’s spent the previous few decades as an assistant for many collegiate and NFL teams, and is currently the offensive coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh.
Curt Cignetti also followed in his father’s footsteps as the head coach of IUP for five years. He later coached at Elon and is currently the head coach at James Madison. SI’s Pat Forde says that Curt will continue coach the Dukes on Saturday against Norfolk State despite losing his father.