PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – There are people on each side that may have more knowledge or been to more Backyard Brawls, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who experienced what Frank Cignetti, Junior did.
The Pitt offensive coordinator has rooted for both teams.
"As a kid growing up in Morgantown, it was awesome," Cignetti said. "My father became the head coach at West Virginia, my brother played at WVU. Have great memories of Mountaineer football and living in Morgantown. My father is from Western PA, I was born in Pittsburgh. Been on both sides of this rivalry."
"What a great rivalry to be a part of as a Pitt Panther and a Mountaineer."
Just let that sit for a minute, your dad was the head coach at WVU (1976-79) and your brother played there (Mountaineers quarterback from 1979-82). Then you (a graduate assistant and now twice offensive coordinator) and your brother (Curt, first a graduate assistant from 1983-84 and then QB/TE coach from 1993-99) work multiple times with the Panthers.
"We are Pitt Panthers fans, 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."
Frank is back at Pitt after a previously brief, two-year stint 2009-10 under Dave Wannstedt, ending only because Wannstedt was let go. Cignetti is now trying to follow up one of the best years ever for a Pitt offense and replace a Heisman finalist quarterback and Biletnikoff winning receiver.
"We are focusing on football," Cignetti said of any outside noise or storylines. "It's going to be a great game, a great environment. We are focusing on ourselves. We are focusing on things that win or lose games, but we are going to have a lot of fun out there."
His face beamed when describing what it will be like in the stadium. He'll likely take a second to think about his dad. The times he watched his brother play and what this game means for fans of both teams.
"This game has always been special for anyone in Western PA or West Virginia, not just the Cignetti's," Frank Cignetti, Jr. said. "This is the one game. 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."
