Curt Cignetti's Wife Manette — Inside the Indiana Hoosiers Coach's Relationship

Curt Cignetti is a familiar name to college football fans, as he heads up the championship-winning Indiana Hoosiers, but there's another important part of his story that's worth getting to know: his wife, Manette, and their family.

The couple has been together for decades, long before Cignetti became the head coach of the Hoosiers. Through coaching moves, career changes, three children and lots of football Saturdays, Manette has been right there with him. She has also built a career of her own as a pharmacist and helped raise a family amid his championship run.

So, who is Manette Cignetti? From their first meeting to their 1989 wedding, here's a closer look at Cignetti's wife and their relationship.

Curt Cignetti with wife Manette Cignetti — Sep 14, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti (left) interacts with wife Manette Cignetti at the end of the game against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Manette and Curt Cignetti's Story Starts in Pennsylvania

Manette and Curt both come from Pennsylvania. She also grew up in a very large family. Curt told Bloom magazine in June 2024 that Manette was one of 10 children, coming in as the ninth.

They first met when both were home visiting their parents. Manette was studying pharmacy in Pittsburgh, while Curt was working at Rice University in Houston as a quarterback coach.

The two met at a party, and despite living in different cities, they decided to stay in touch. That long-distance arrangement didn't last forever.

"We were doing a long distance keep in touch," Manette told the IndyStar. "Then I went to visit him for Halloween, and he asked me to marry him."

Cignetti apparently wasn't interested in taking the slow route once he knew Manette was the person he wanted to spend his life with. During a dinner in 1988, he suddenly asked her to marry him.

"He just looked at me and said, 'Will you marry me?'" Manette told the IndyStar. "It came out of nowhere."

She said yes, but Curt later made things a little more official. He proposed again on Christmas Day, this time with a ring. The two married on May 27, 1989, in a lovely church ceremony.

It's also worth noting that while football has been the center of Curt's professional life, Manette has had her own career in pharmacy. So, she's juggled her career, family and rooting for her husband on game days.

They Have Three Children

Curt and Manette have three children together: Curt Jr., Carly and Natalie. For Cignetti, his wife's role in their family has been something he's openly appreciated.

"My wife's a superstar," he told Bloom magazine. "It's incredible what she did with those kids. When they were young, we didn't move much. In coaching, it's all about family when you have free time."

So, when you're watching Curt on the field during the Hoosiers' games this season, you'll know a little more about the woman who's been in his life way before he was a championship-winning coach.

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