Cal coach to run Pitt offense
February 19, 2009
‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt named Frank Cignetti Jr. as Pitt’s new offensive coordinator… ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt named Frank Cignetti Jr. as Pitt’s new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach yesterday. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Cignetti, who will replace the departed Matt Cavanaugh, spent last year in the same position at the University of California, when the Bears went 9-4 and averaged close to 33 points per game. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Oh ‘mdash; and he’s a Pittsburgh native, too. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘When you’re from Pittsburgh, I think you’d always like to get back,’ said Cignetti. ‘But to leave a good job you have to take a better job, and there’s no doubt in my mind that there’s a great future here, there’s a great tradition here, and coach Wannstedt was the right man to work for and get this job done.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Cignetti got his first coaching job at Pitt as a graduate assistant in 1989 under Mike Gottfried, and his father, Frank Cignetti Sr., was head coach at Indiana, Pa., from 1986-2005 and coached West Virginia from 1976-79. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Cignetti Jr. spent 2007 as quarterbacks coach of the San Francisco 49ers, was North Carolina’s offensive coordinator in 2006 and was offensive coordinator at Fresno State from 2002-05. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Look at the programs he’s been associated with,’ said Wannstedt. ‘… We couldn’t be hiring a better guy than Frank to jump in there with our offensive coaches to try to figure out what we can do to try to make ourselves better.’