His dad lived it. His brother lived it.
Now, Frank Cignetti Jr. is re-living the Backyard Brawl as Pitt's offensive coordinator.
The Cignetti family has been integrated on both sides of the rivalry for nearly 50 years. Come Thursday's 7 p.m. kickoff, though, the household will be wearing the Panther shades of blue and gold.
“We’re Pitt Panther fans, let’s make no mistake,” Cignetti said. “Our family heritage is from Western Pennsylvania. We had a little stop in Morgantown that didn’t end very well. Make no mistake, man. We are Pitt Panthers.”
The Backyard Brawl has always been a part of Cignetti's life, whether it came from his father, Frank Cignetti Sr., or his brother, Curt Cignetti.
Frank Sr. was the Mountaineers' head coach from 1976-1979. He turned in a 17-27 record in those seasons, but went 0-4 in Backyard Brawls. Pitt edged West Virginia 24-16 in 1976, 44-3 in 1977, 52-7 in 1978, and 24-17 in 1979.
Curt was also 0-4 in Brawls as a mostly reserve quarterback at West Virginia from 1979-1982. In addition to the 24-17 defeat in 1979, came a 42-14 loss in 1980, a 17-0 shutout in 1981, and a 16-13 defeat in 1982.
Curt later hopped north of the border to become a graduate assistant for Pitt in 1983 and 1984, and later a quarterbacks and tight ends coach at Pitt from 1993-1999. Curt didn't get on the board as a Brawl winner as a Panther until the bonanza in 1997, which ended with a 12-yard touchdown strike from Pete Gonzalez to Terry Murphy in the third overtime to give Pitt a 41-38 victory in Morgantown.
The unfortunate part for Frank Sr. and Curt was they overlapped a period where Pitt dominated the Brawl. The Panthers were unbeaten in the rivalry from 1976 through 1982, and went on a 15-year overall stretch of going 11-3-1 from 1973 through 1987.
It's not a secret that at first Frank Jr. was on the Mountaineers' side of the rivalry. He noted one of his fondest memories being Bill McKenzie's game-winning field goal to give the Mountaineers a 17-14 win in 1975. But, as his career has gone on, Frank Jr. got to know the Panthers' side of the rivalry.
“As a kid growing up in Morgantown, it was awesome," Frank Jr. said. "My father became the head coach of West Virginia, my brother played at WVU. Have great memories of Mountaineer football and living in Morgantown. Obviously my father is from Western Pa.; I was born in Pittsburgh.
"We’ve been on both sides of this rivalry. I’m not sure how many years. ... What a great rivalry to be a part of as a Pitt Panther and a Mountaineer. It’s a privilege to be part of it."
Frank Jr's first taste of participating in a Brawl came in 1989, when he was a Pitt graduate assistant. Pitt and West Virginia ended in a 31-31 tie, after Pitt rallied from a 31-9 fourth-quarter deficit behind quarterback Alex Van Pelt. He then experienced back-to-back Brawl losses as Pitt's quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in 2009 (19-16 Mountaineers) and 2010 (35-10 Mountaineers).
After adding in Frank Sr's time as an assistant at Pitt from 1966-1968 (in which Pitt went 1-2) and his time as an assistant from West Virginia from 1970-1975 (in which Pitt went 3-3), in Backyard Brawl games in which a Cignetti is involved, Pitt is 12-15-1 all-time. Pitt is 1-8-1 dating to the tie in 1989, with the 1997 game being the lone victory. In games involving a Cignetti, Pitt went 7-0 from 1976-1982, then lost 10 of 12, including the 1989 tie.
That doesn't faze Frank Jr., who is taking over once again as Pitt's offensive coordinator and will call a Panthers offensive play for the first time in nearly a dozen years.
"This game has always been special for anyone that’s in Western Pa. or West Virginia. Not just the Cignettis," Frank Jr. said. "This is the one game, man. When you come back to coach at Pitt and you see that you open up with West Virginia Thursday night, it’s going to be special.”
Cignetti brings his pro-style offense to the 2022 Panthers, and Kedon Slovis was chosen to quarterback it after transferring from Southern California.
Slovis was already a polished-enough quarterback coming out of the transfer portal, but he noted that the largest point of growth in his game from his time at USC up until now was a credit to Cignetti teaching him more about the position.
“I feel like I’ve just learned a lot," Slovis said. "Coach Cignetti’s had so much experience. He’s coached NFL offenses. He’s been coaching forever. … He’s awesome. He’s got a ton of experience and I feel like I’ve learned a lot, from understanding defenses to understanding how this offense is supposed to work and what it’s designed to do. ... I feel like I know more about the game now than I did when I first came. … (The offense has) worked over and over again. It’s the same thing (San Francisco 49ers coach) Kyle Shanahan and (Los Angeles Rams coach) Sean McVay are doing now.”
While there has been some education throughout the locker room on what the Backyard Brawl is, Cignetti is focused on his task at hand. He mentioned on Monday that he will be in the booth calling plays, rather than being on the field like former Panthers offensive coordinator Mark Whipple.
“We’re focusing on football," Cignetti said. "It’s going to be a great game Thursday night. It’s going to be a great environment. We’re focusing on ourselves, we’re focusing on things that win and lose games. We’re going to have a lot of fun out there. That’s for sure.”
THE ESSENTIALS
■ Who: West Virginia (6-7, 4-5 Big 12 in 2021) at No. 17 Pitt (11-3, 7-1 ACC in 2021)
■ When: 7 p.m. Thursday
■ Where: Acrisure Stadium
■ Weather: 78°, sunny, 0% chance of rain, 6 mph. wind
■ TV: ESPN
■ TV broadcasters: Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst), Harry Lyles Jr. (reporter)
■ Radio: 93.7 The Fan, 92.1 WPTS-FM (Pitt student broadcast)
■ The Fan broadcasters: Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play), Pat Bostick (analyst), Larry Richert (reporter), Dorin Dickerson (reporter)
■ Streaming: ESPN app
■ Satellite: SiriusXM Channel 81, SXM app channel 81
■ Media notes: West Virginia | Pitt
■ Live stats
TEN TO WATCH
#5 Jared Wayne -- The senior is at last stepping into the WR1 role after the departure of Jordan Addison. He will be the most counted on weapon for Kedon Slovis and will be crucial in running routes underneath in order to open up plays downfield. He is the Panthers' returning leading receiver and is a solid candidate to pace the team in catches this season.
#6 John Morgan -- With so much attention (rightfully) going towards Deslin Alexandre, Calijah Kancey, and Haba Baldonaldo on the defensive front, somebody has a golden opportunity to make a play. I think it's going to be Morgan, who has momentum after a solid spring which led into an even better summer camp.
#7 SirVocea Dennis -- West Virginia was last in the Big 12 in rushing offense with 123.2 yards per game last season. Dennis will be the man in charge of keeping it that way on Thursday. J.T. Daniels isn't the most mobile quarterback in the world, and given West Virginia's recent track record of running the ball, he will be vital in coverage.
#9 Kedon Slovis -- Pitt's QB1's first outing. What will the USC transfer look like away from the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and under the lights, in a primetime setting, and in his school's largest rivalry game? The QB matchup is former USC Trojan versus former USC Trojan and boosts the already-massive level of intrigue this season opener has. Slovis was once upon a time a Heisman hopeful and even had steam behind his prospects in the NFL draft. Can he get back on that road Thursday?
#14 Marquis Williams -- Daniels will look to Bryce Ford-Wheaton on the outside, and Williams will be the guy tasked with stopping him. Ford-Wheaton finished just outside of the top 10 in the Big 12 in receiving with 42 catches for 575 yards and three touchdowns and is a threat to go downfield and grab the ball off the rim. Williams has a size mismatch with the 6-3, 224-pound Ford-Wheaton, so expect Daniels to take a shot or two downfield at Williams, if he sees the matchup.
#14 Konata Mumpfield -- I "boldly" predict Mumpfield scores a touchdown of 30 or more yards and has an official coming-out party at Thursday's Brawl. The Akron transfer is special and was underrated at all levels from the time he was at high school in Georgia. I think Mumpfield has a chance to do damage against this Mountaineers secondary.
#32 Shayne Simon -- The Notre Dame transfer earned the starting nod at the money linebacker spot after battling with Missouri State transfer Tylar WIltz in camp. He'll be key in helping to contain West Virginia's ground attack, along with Dennis.
#60 Owen Drexel -- West Virginia's best player is defensive tackle Dante Stills, who is West Virginia's career active leader in sacks (19) and tackles for loss (43.5). Pitt's center Drexel will be lined up across from him throughout, and expect to see left guard Marcus Minor or right guard Jake Kradel to slide over and help with protection.
#90 Ben Sauls -- Sauls edged Sam Scarton as the team's primary place-kicker, after the two battled for the role in camp. Pitt's entire special teams unit has experienced an overhaul and will be put to an immediate test in what could be a close affair.
#94 Sam Vander Haar -- Arriving from the same Prokick Australia program that produced former Pitt punter Kirk Christodoulou, the true freshman Vander Haar won the punting job over Cam Guess in training camp. The former Aussie rules football player brings the same style as Christodoulou to the American gridiron.
