BLOOMINGTON, IN – Frank Cignetti Sr. retired where he finished coaching, Indiana, Pennsylvania. He made a home just as he’d made a hall-of-fame career there, eventually watching his son, Curt, follow in his footsteps coaching the Crimson Hawks.

One day near Christmas, in 2016, Curt appeared at his door. Life was good for the younger Cignetti, who’d just finished 10-2 with a second-consecutive Division II playoff appearance.

And yet, Curt had dropped by to tell his father he wouldn’t be staying. Elon, a then-Colonial Athletic Association school in North Carolina with a moribund football program, had moved quickly in offering its head job, and Curt accepted.

It was an unconventional move. After six years, 53 wins and three playoff berths, the son of a program legend seemed well-positioned

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