NEED TO KNOW
\nIndiana University football coach Curt Cignetti met his wife while they were both visiting homeThey briefly dated before tying the knot in May 1989The couple share three children: Curt Jr., Carly and Natalie<\/p>\n
No one was prouder of Curt Cignetti when he took over as the head football<\/a> coach of the Indiana University Hoosiers in November 2023 than his wife, Manette.\n<\/p>\n “We were like, ‘This is the big time. It doesn’t get any bigger than this,’ ” she told the IndyStar<\/a> in August 2024. “I was just really proud. It’s been a long road, and he’s worked so hard.”\n<\/p>\n The couple met when they were both visiting home, and briefly dated long-distance before Curt proposed in December 1988. They were married the following May and have welcomed two daughters and a son throughout their decades-long marriage.\n<\/p>\n Manette has been supportive of Curt’s college football coaching career, while also continuing her own work as a pharmacist. Their children, Curt Jr., Carly and Natalie, also pursued jobs in the medical field.\n<\/p>\n So who is Curt Cignetti’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Manette Cignetti and her relationship with the Indiana University coach.\n<\/p>\n Manette is from Pennsylvania <\/p>\n Indiana University coach Curt Cignetti kisses his wife Manette Lawer after an NCAA football game on November 9, 2024 in Bloomington, Indiana.<\/p>\n Jeremy Hogan\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty<\/p>\n Hailing from the same state as her husband, Manette grew up in Indiana, Pa. According to the IndyStar, she was named after her mother’s friend, who was becoming a nun.\n<\/p>\n Curt told Bloom<\/a> in June 2024 that his wife grew up in a large family and was the ninth of 10 children.\n<\/p>\n They met when they were both visiting home <\/p>\n Curt Cignetti and his wife Manette in August 2019.<\/p>\n Curt Cignetti\/X<\/p>\n The couple met when they were both visiting their parents at home. Manette was a pharmacy school student in Pittsburgh, while Curt was a quarterback coach\u00a0at Rice University in Houston.\n<\/p>\n According to the IndyStar, they attended a party together, and that was that. “We were doing a long distance keep in touch,” Manette said. “Then I went to visit him for Halloween, and he asked me to marry him.”\n<\/p>\n They got married in 1989 <\/p>\n Curt Cignetti of the Indiana Hoosiers kisses his wife after a game on November 09, 2024 in Bloomington, IN.<\/p>\n Getty<\/p>\n Manette told the IndyStar that it wasn’t long after they started dating that Curt popped the question while they were out to dinner in 1988. “He just looked at me and said, ‘Will you marry me?’ ” she recalled. “It came out of nowhere.”\n<\/p>\n Though she said yes to his impromptu proposal, Curt asked her again \u2014 this time with a ring \u2014 two months later on Christmas Day.\n<\/p>\n The two Pennsylvania natives tied the knot on May 27, 1989. During the ceremony, held at a Catholic church, Manette wore a taffeta gown with a cathedral train and a three-tiered veil adorned with silk flowers, pearl sprays and crystal droplets.\n<\/p>\n She\u2019s a pharmacist\u00a0 <\/p>\n While Curt has coached college football, Manette has worked as a pharmacist.\n<\/p>\n Their daughters, Natalie and Carly, also sought out medical careers and became doctors, according to The Athletic<\/a>. Their son, Curt Jr., has worked in medical sales.\n<\/p>\n They have three kids <\/p>\n Head coach Curt Cignetti of the Indiana Hoosiers before a game on November 23, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n Jason Mowry\/Getty<\/p>\n Curt and Manette have welcomed three children throughout their decades-long marriage: Curt Jr., Carly and Natalie.\n<\/p>\n \u201cMy wife\u2019s a superstar,\u201d the football coach told Bloom. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible what she did with those kids. When they were young, we didn\u2019t move much. In coaching, it\u2019s all about family when you have free time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n