The guest speaker for our upcoming meeting will be Curt Cignetti, Head Football Coach at Elon University. Cignetti was named Elon University’s 22nd head football coach on Dec. 31, 2016. The assistant coach/recruiting coordinator on Nick Saban’s undefeated 2009 National Championship team at Alabama, Cignetti guided the Phoenix to a six-win turnaround and an FCS Playoff appearance in his first season.
Under Cignetti’s leadership, Elon was one of the nation’s most improved teams in 2017. The Phoenix went from 2-9 in 2016 to an 8-4 overall mark in Cignetti’s first season at the helm of the program. Elon, which had been picked to place 11th in the 12-team CAA Football league, posted a 6-2 conference record to finish third. Elon was one of the nation’s most improved teams in 2017. The Phoenix went from 2-9 in 2016 to an 8-4 overall mark in Cignetti’s first season at the helm of the program. Elon, which had been picked to place 11th in the 12-team CAA Football league, posted a 6-2 conference record to finish third. Elon’s performance on the field led to Cignetti claiming CAA Football Coach of the Year honors and a fourth-place finish in voting for the Eddie Robinson Award for the FCS National Coach of the Year.
During the 2017 season, Elon returned to the top-25 rankings for the first time since 2010, peaking at No. 7. The maroon and gold defeated four ranked opponents and put together an eight-game winning streak on its way to the program’s first FCS Playoff appearance since 2009.
Cignetti was hired on Nick Saban’s original staff at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide to a national title in 2009 and back-to-back SEC West championships in 2008 and 2009 as the recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach. He joined the staff at Alabama after spending seven seasons (2000-06) as the recruiting coordinator at North Carolina State while also coaching tight ends from 2000-02 and 2005-06 and quarterbacks during the 2003 and 2004 campaigns. NC State qualified for five bowl games during that time, including the 2002 Gator Bowl, when the team set a school record with 11 victories.
Cignetti was a quarterback at West Virginia, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1982. He is married to the former Manette Lawer and the couple has three children – Curtis John, Carly Ann and Natalie Elise.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
5/30/18 – David Cutcliffe, Head Football Coach, Duke
6/6/18 – Scholar-Athlete Awards Night (5:30pm)
6/20/18 – Special Guest Speaker