Frank Cignetti

[eers-to-ya]

I see a lot of negative comments on here about Frank Cignetti. I know his record was abysmal, bit wasn't he battling cancer most of his time as head coach? Seems I read that shortly after he was let go. That would certainly have affected his performance. I could be wrong, that's been a long time ago, but I thought some of the younger posters who weren't familiar with him might find that informative. If I am remembering wrong I'm sure someone will be kind enough to correct me.

 

[LowFatMilk]

The 'out of nowhere' thread of the week.

 

[eers-to-ya]

It is not out of nowhere. He was mentioned in replies to CFE's post about Dana's record. Can you confirm what I said or correct me if I am wrong? Or do you simply want to be your usual annoying self?

 

[LowFatMilk]

Can you confirm what I said or correct me if I am wrong? Or do you simply want to be your usual annoying self?

Dang.... ...you shamed me into actually answering your question

Yes, according to Furfari.

It should also be noted.that he was a kickass head coach at IUP.

 

[Woody in Helvetia]

Dang.... ...you shamed me into actually answering your question

Yes, according to Furfari.

It should also be noted.that he was a kickass head coach at IUP.

Yes Cignetti was a great coach at IUP. I think he and his staff were too young at WVU. And he had some assistants that became great coaches including Nick Saban.

 

[eers-to-ya]

I thank you both very much.

 

[ThePunish-EER]

Yes Cignetti was a great coach at IUP. I think he and his staff were too young at WVU. And he had some assistants that became great coaches including Nick Saban.

without cignetti, where would WVU be today? Likely the AAC or worse. Cignetti recruited luck and talley. Without luck and talley, Nehlen likely struggles early on in his career at WVU. Without luck, WVU has another AD after pastilong; therefore WVU is not in the big 12 today. Just imagine how different things would be. Cignetti, though not successful at WVU, is a very important link to major events at WVU.

 

[Ted E B]

without cignetti, where would WVU be today? Likely the AAC or worse. Cignetti recruited luck and talley. Without luck and talley, Nehlen likely struggles early on in his career at WVU. Without luck, WVU has another AD after pastilong; therefore WVU is not in the big 12 today. Just imagine how different things would be. Cignetti, though not successful at WVU, is a very important link to major events at WVU.

That is a very thought inducing post....I like the way you think.

 

[Woody in Helvetia]

without cignetti, where would WVU be today? Likely the AAC or worse. Cignetti recruited luck and talley. Without luck and talley, Nehlen likely struggles early on in his career at WVU. Without luck, WVU has another AD after pastilong; therefore WVU is not in the big 12 today. Just imagine how different things would be. Cignetti, though not successful at WVU, is a very important link to major events at WVU.

Oliver is not the only person that helped get us in the Big 12. His connections helped - and if we were bypassed by the B12 - then we would have been invited to the ACC when Maryland left. We would have spent one year in limbo. And don't give me the bull story that the ACC would not have invited us - contrary to popular opinion the ACC asked the question if we were interested in leaving the B12 and coming to the ACC when Maryland left. That was reported by a very reliable source on this board.

 

[Va eer]

Oliver is not the only person that helped get us in the Big 12. His connections helped - and if we were bypassed by the B12 - then we would have been invited to the ACC when Maryland left. We would have spent one year in limbo. And don't give me the bull story that the ACC would not have invited us - contrary to popular opinion the ACC asked the question if we were interested in leaving the B12 and coming to the ACC when Maryland left. That was reported by a very reliable source on this board.

To leave 12 and go ACC would have been huge mistake as that would have given 12 the incentive to raid ACC AND LEAVE WVUin a weakened ACC. imho. Purely conjecture would have rather seen WV in ACC but I don't trust swop ford or his NC. Cohorts. And I I can imagine our fan base if we were still with new and irrelevant lil east. Auto fill swop fort. That's a good name for that raider

 

[Chazz Michael Michaels]

Woody, I've never heard once that the ACC sent an inquiry out to WVU when Maryland left for the B12
Maybe I'm wrong...can you show me any link to anything more than a poster on this message board?
Also, as has been repeated over and over, we were rejected by the ACC multiple times. I believe they would have taken UConn over us, based on ACC's past history of passing us over, and the tobacco road schools and their attitude toward WVU over the years during the raids. Even if they did put feelers out toward WVU, I'd bet they did the same with other schools including UConn.

 

[AZeer]

Frank recruited some very good talent. The measure of a good coach is not the recruiting of players, but the end results he gets with them. His teams' play on the field got progressively worse; and like every coach before and after him that has been fired he felt that he needed just one more year. It caused a firestorm among many WVU fans that felt that the University was "kicking a good man while he was down." In the long run it worked out well for both Frank and WVU.

 

[TIREPUNK]

Oliver is not the only person that helped get us in the Big 12. His connections helped - and if we were bypassed by the B12 - then we would have been invited to the ACC when Maryland left. We would have spent one year in limbo. And don't give me the bull story that the ACC would not have invited us - contrary to popular opinion the ACC asked the question if we were interested in leaving the B12 and coming to the ACC when Maryland left. That was reported by a very reliable source on this board.

Aaaaaannnnnnnnnddddddddd...........back to yard work I go. LOL

 

[WESTBGVA]

Aaaaaannnnnnnnnddddddddd...........back to yard work I go. LOL

cutting grass with a 102 heat index is the way to go..you have the element of surprise..the grass is not expecting it.

 

[WESTBGVA]

I see a lot of negative comments on here about Frank Cignetti. I know his record was abysmal, bit wasn't he battling cancer most of his time as head coach? Seems I read that shortly after he was let go. That would certainly have affected his performance. I could be wrong, that's been a long time ago, but I thought some of the younger posters who weren't familiar with him might find that informative. If I am remembering wrong I'm sure someone will be kind enough to correct me.

it's better than the mundane TV money posts..look at us, we have a huge TV contract!..weee..ESPN wrote that 49% of the people in the US are football fans..many were just NFL..how many college football fans even care about the money?

 

[MikeRafone]

Frank recruited some very good talent. The measure of a good coach is not the recruiting of players, but the end results he gets with them. His teams' play on the field got progressively worse; and like every coach before and after him that has been fired he felt that he needed just one more year. It caused a firestorm among many WVU fans that felt that the University was "kicking a good man while he was down." In the long run it worked out well for both Frank and WVU.

You said it. The uproar was worse than when Stewart got the boot.

I've had to chuckle over the past few seasons when I would hear "Can Dana win without Bill's recruits?". I remember hearing "Can Don win without Cignetti's players?", always at a low rumble early on, start to build when WVU stumbled down the stretch in '84, and become a real discussion in the struggles of the '85 and '86 seasons.

I've often wondered what would have happened to Nehlen if Major Harris had decided that it was in his best interest to play safety at a more high profile school?

 

[LowFatMilk]

it's better than the mundane TV money posts..look at us, we have a huge TV contract!..weee..ESPN wrote that 49% of the people in the US are football fans..many were just NFL..how many college football fans even care about the money?

I'd say a substantial number of fans who take the time to read and post on fan forums care. Sure, maybe the casual fans don't care....but I doubt those people spend off-seasons on a website dedicated to WVU athletics.

Money is what's improving our stadium, arena , and helped provide us with an impressive new baseball field. What fan (or recruit) attends a game and doesn't care about what all that TV money helped build??

 

[WESTBGVA]

I'd say a substantial number of fans who take the time to read and post on fan forums care. Sure, maybe the casual fans don't care....but I doubt those people spend off-seasons on a website dedicated to WVU athletics.

Money is what's improving our stadium, arena , and helped provide us with an impressive new baseball field. What fan (or recruit) attends a game and doesn't care about what all that TV money helped build??

so you think we paid for the baseball stadium? ok

 

[LowFatMilk]

so you think we paid for the baseball stadium? ok

I wrote 'helped'... ...which you ignored...along with the stadium and arena upgrades that are absolutely getting funded with help ( there's that word again...) by money that you think doesn't matter....

"The total price tag for construction of the ballpark is projected at $21 million, with the majority of the funds coming from the ballpark TIF. Bonds for the ballpark were issued by United Bank and WVU will make up any additional costs privately."

 

[writeon]

As to whether college football fans care about money: They care about winning and it takes money to win.

 

[GoWVU]

I've had to chuckle over the past few seasons when I would hear "Can Dana win without Bill's recruits?". I remember hearing "Can Don win without Cignetti's players?", always at a low rumble early on, start to build when WVU stumbled down the stretch in '84, and become a real discussion in the struggles of the '85 and '86 seasons.

Just curious, Mike: Could you please elaborate on what analogue you're trying to draw with this inference?

There is an obvious one at the general level, but perhaps not as much at a micro level depending on what specific details you have in mind.

Certainly the 4-7 group of 1986 was a "struggle", but isn't it a bit unfair to label 1985 the same way considering that team went 7-3-1? Wasn't that the year we declined the Aloha Bowl?

 

[ThePunish-EER]

Oliver is not the only person that helped get us in the Big 12. His connections helped - and if we were bypassed by the B12 - then we would have been invited to the ACC when Maryland left. We would have spent one year in limbo. And don't give me the bull story that the ACC would not have invited us - contrary to popular opinion the ACC asked the question if we were interested in leaving the B12 and coming to the ACC when Maryland left. That was reported by a very reliable source on this board.

Luck is THE reason WVU is in the Big 12 today. Fact. And WVU very likely would not have received an ACC invite. The ACC denied WVU 3 times before; when the ACC was founded, the first big east raid, and the 2nd and final Big East raid. Fact. Given the history and infatuation with basketball, the ACC likely would have went for UConn. Sorry, WVU would be sharing the same fate as Cinci and USF in the AAC.

 

[AZeer]

While Luck is aware of the options he had at his disposal, he’s also aware that there are those out there that still believe another conference that was a better geographic fit was a very real opportunity. Luck may not have said it, but I will. It was the Big 12 or it would have been the American Athletic Conference. To think there was something better is foolish, particularly those who still want to believe that the ACC was actually an option or that other conferences were just waiting for us so they could pounce at the right time.

It wasn’t the case. Luck said as much.

“I think it’s accurate to say the ACC was never an option and all you have to do is go back and look at the history of the ACC and WVU’s history with the Southern Conference. The ACC changed its membership four or five times and never was WVU in the discussion and never invited,” said Luck. “ … When the most recent discussions were taking place, there was zero opportunity with the ACC – none.”

As for the SEC, well, that’s not the same story as our friends in the ACC. While Luck didn’t talk specifics, he did say something could have happened if …

http://www.connect-bridgeport.com/c...ance-and-Failure-to-Renew-Backyard-Brawl17619

 

[COOL MAN]

Let's be honest about one thing regarding Cignetti; while the Program admittedly was coming off a "high" of sorts in Bowden's last season, the fact of the matter is that WVU simply wasn't a very attractive program in those days. It obviously had no conference on which to fall back.....a shit-hole for a stadium....only middling historic success.....key competitors (Pitt and Penn State) with far more to sell and right in the heart of the National Championship discussion.....and barriers to growth that many younger fans and followers of this Program today can't even imagine.

I had absolutely NO problem at all with making the change to Nehlen.....the absolute right guy at the absolute right time.....but I also have no problem with saying I was a Cignetti supporter. I don't know too many would have done a whole lot better than FC under the circumstances; and Lord knows, DN wouldn't have even returned Dick Martin's call.....let alone interviewed for the job....had new MF not been in the works. I recall feeling quite sad that Cignetti wasn't going to get a chance to enjoy the benefits of the new stadium; and was therefore equally pleased at his eventual success at IUP.

 

[Orlaco]

While Luck is aware of the options he had at his disposal, he’s also aware that there are those out there that still believe another conference that was a better geographic fit was a very real opportunity. Luck may not have said it, but I will. It was the Big 12 or it would have been the American Athletic Conference. To think there was something better is foolish, particularly those who still want to believe that the ACC was actually an option or that other conferences were just waiting for us so they could pounce at the right time.

It wasn’t the case. Luck said as much.

“I think it’s accurate to say the ACC was never an option and all you have to do is go back and look at the history of the ACC and WVU’s history with the Southern Conference. The ACC changed its membership four or five times and never was WVU in the discussion and never invited,” said Luck. “ … When the most recent discussions were taking place, there was zero opportunity with the ACC – none.”

As for the SEC, well, that’s not the same story as our friends in the ACC. While Luck didn’t talk specifics, he did say something could have happened if …

http://www.connect-bridgeport.com/c...ance-and-Failure-to-Renew-Backyard-Brawl17619

I've never read (that I recall....but I drink a lot of alcohol) a poster claim we turned down the ACC. People may claim that if this or that happened we would have been invited.....but it's an impossible debate to win.

 

[watsonrehab]

dirt floor in the weight room pretty much sums it up

 

[HurdyGurdyEer]

without cignetti, where would WVU be today? Likely the AAC or worse. Cignetti recruited luck and talley. Without luck and talley, Nehlen likely struggles early on in his career at WVU. Without luck, WVU has another AD after pastilong; therefore WVU is not in the big 12 today. Just imagine how different things would be. Cignetti, though not successful at WVU, is a very important link to major events at WVU.

Nehlen has made it clear on a number of occasions that Cignetti left him some pretty good football players. And others have acknowledged that Cignetti was the primary impetus behind building the new stadium. Those of you who were around do remember that Nehlen's first season was the new stadium's first year. Right? It's not like Don had a hand in building it. But Don Nehlen took the foundation that Cignetti (players and stadium) left for him and built something on it.

 

[HurdyGurdyEer]

dirt floor in the weight room pretty much sums it up

Yep. And it was Frank Cignetti who pushed for the new football facilities.