Curt Cignetti, who coached fellow Colonial Athletic Association member Elon the past two seasons, has been named the new football coach at James Madison, the school announced Friday.
Cignetti replaces Mike Houston, who agreed to become the coach at East Carolina on Dec. 2 after three seasons at JMU. He receives a six-year contract with the Dukes. He will be paid $425,000 per year, according to a school spokesperson.
Cignetti, 57, boosted the Elon program the past two years with a combined record of 14-9. The Phoenix had gone a combined 12-45 in the five seasons prior.
In eight seasons as a head coach, including six at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Cignetti has a career record of 67-26.
“In our discussions, [Cignetti] impressed with both his deep knowledge of the game as well as his intel regarding the current state of our program at JMU,” JMU director of athletics Jeff Bourne said in a statement. “He has recruited some of the best to ever play the sport at the FBS level.
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“During his head coaching stints, he brought immediate improvement to both Elon and IUP and changed the trajectory of those programs. Above all, he cares about his student-athletes and their success in all facets of their collegiate experience. Curt Cignetti is the total package to lead James Madison football to even greater heights.”
Cignetti was the CAA coach of the year in 2017, when the Phoenix went 8-4 in his first season after going 2-9 in 2016. The team made the FCS playoffs in both of his years there. Elon finished 6-5 this season after falling to Wofford in the first round of the playoffs.
Elon snapped JMU’s 22-game win streak against CAA opponents, including the playoffs, with a 27-24 victory in Harrisonburg in October.
“I respect and understand the tradition of James Madison football and the great things that have gone on here in its growth and development,” Cignetti said in a statement. “We’re going to have high goals and expectations and a blueprint to become the best we can be. There will be no self-imposed limitations on what we can accomplish.”
Cignetti posted a record of 53-17 in his six years at IUP, including three Division II playoff appearances.
Cignetti’s career began as a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh from 1983-84. He then served as the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach at Davidson in 1985. He was the quarterbacks coach at Rice from 1986-88 and at Temple from 1989-92.
He returned to Pitt as the quarterbacks and tight ends coach in 1993 and held that role until 1999. From 2000-06, Cignetti was the recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach at N.C. State.
Then, before becoming the coach at IUP, Cignetti worked under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2007-10 as the recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach.
Cignetti played football at West Virginia, where he graduated in 1982. His father, Frank, is in the College Football Hall of Fame. He went 199-77-1 as a head coach, with four years at West Virginia (1976-79) and 20 at IUP (1986-2005). Cignetti’s brother, Frank Jr., is the Green Bay Packers’ quarterbacks coach.
Houston went 37-6 in two seasons at JMU, including two CAA titles, the 2016 national title and a 2017 national runner-up finish. He had an annual base salary of $390,113 after he signed a 10-year extension last December. He received an additional $125,000 from the JMU Foundation.