IUP Roots Run Deep in College Football’s Biggest Game

When the Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes clash in Monday's College Football Playoff national championship, the spotlight won't just shine on the players and coaches. It will also reflect a connection to IUP, where several key figures in this game established roots in their careers.

For Indiana, head coach Curt Cignetti, defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan all spent time coaching the football team here. And for Miami, the university's director of athletics is Dan Radakovich, a 1980 IUP graduate who has been instrumental in the Hurricanes' run to the title game.

The Launchpad

Back in late 2010, Curt Cignetti had just about everything a coach could want. As an assistant at Alabama, he was part of the team that had just won the national championship and was on a long winning streak, making it the premier team in America.

But Cignetti, then 49, wanted more. After 28 seasons as an assistant coach at seven schools, he wanted the opportunity to be a head coach. Despite interviewing at a few schools, Cignetti didn't get an offer until IUP called.

It took some gumption on his part to go from the game's highest level to Division II, but Cignetti viewed it as a chance to bet on himself. He accepted the job, the same one his father, Frank, held from 1986 to 2005, and began the second chapter of his career-the one that 14 years later has him coaching the No. 1-ranked team in America for the national championship.

"A lot of people would say, 'Why would you leave Alabama and come to IUP when you've got one of the best jobs in America?'" he said when introduced to the community at a news conference in Memorial Field House on January 21, 2011. "I think that is a very fair question. We had won the national championship; we had won 29 regular-season games in a row. We had accomplished a lot. But I was just ready for a different challenge. I was ready to be the head coach. I was ready to wake up in the morning, set the agenda, and work the plan. And I really felt a special fit and bond with IUP."

In six seasons, Cignetti led IUP to a 53-17 record, three NCAA Division II playoff berths, and one Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship. He left for Elon University in 2017 and, after two seasons, took a job at James Madison University. In 2024, he was hired at Indiana University in Bloomington, and in two seasons, he has transformed what had been the losingest team in football history into one that has gone 26-2 over the past two seasons.

In 15 seasons as a head coach, Cignetti has a career record of 145-37-and it all started here at IUP.

The Loyal Lieutenants