Scottie Montgomery joins the Lions as assistant head coach/running backs in 2023, bringing 17 years of coaching experience throughout the NFL and college ranks. Montgomery comes to Detroit after spending two seasons as the running backs coach with the Indianapolis Colts.
In Indianapolis, Montgomery guided RB Jonathan Taylor to a record-breaking season in only his second year as a pro. Taylor earned a unanimous AP First-Team All-Pro selection and Pro Bowl honors in 2021 as he led the League in scrimmage yards (2,171), rushing yards (1,811) and rushing touchdowns (18). His rushing yards and touchdown marks set single-season franchise records, while he recorded the fewest carries to reach 1,000 rushing yards in team history.
Under his tutelage, Montgomery's running backs corps ranked top 10 across the League from 2021-22 in rushing yards (4,406), rushing average (4.7) and rushes of 10+ yards (118). He cultivated one of the most dynamic backfields in the NFL, developing Taylor and RB Nyheim Hines pass-catching threats. In 2021, the Colts were one-of-three teams to have multiple running backs with at least 40 receptions.
Montgomery served two seasons prior to Indianapolis with Maryland as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach from 2019-20. In his first three games directing the unit, the Terrapins saw unprecedented success as their 159 points scored were the most over any three successive games in program history.
Despite playing only five games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Montgomery oversaw Maryland RB Jake Funk rushing 60 times for 516 yards (8.6 avg.) in 2020. His rushing average ranked second in the Big Ten while he averaged 129.0 rushing yards per game, the second-best mark in the conference. In 2019, he tutored the rushing tandem of RBs Javon Leake and Anthony McFarland Jr., leading them to become one of two running back duos in the Power Five to both tally at least eight touchdowns.
Prior to his time in College Park, Montgomery spent three seasons (2016-18) as the head coach at East Carolina. His impact was felt immediately as the Pirates put together their second-highest single-season passing attack in school history, averaging 334.7 air yards per game in 2016. Their 5,605 yards of offense (467.1 yards per game) stood as the fourth-highest total in program history.
In 2017, East Carolina's 3,815 passing yards ranked 12th in the FBS and were fifth-most in the school's record books. Individually, Montgomery also helped Biletnikoff Award finalist WR Zay Jones capture FBS stat titles in receptions (158) and receiving yards per game (145.5). Jones' 399-career receptions remain the most in NCAA history.
Montgomery spent two years (2014-15) at Duke in his second stint with the Blue Devils as associate head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. He spent the 2013 season overseeing the passing game and wide receivers. In Montgomery's first year as the offensive coordinator in 2014, the offense's 421 points scored finished second-most in single-season program history.
In 2015, Montgomery was one-of-three finalists for the AFCA National Assistant Coach of the Year and earned recognition by Athlon as one of "College Football's 20 Best Coaches Under 40."
His first NFL coaching opportunity came with the Pittsburgh Steelers as wide receivers coach from 2010-12, where he mentored WRs Hines Ward, Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown. Under Montgomery's oversight, Wallace earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2011 while Brown was named 2011 Team MVP after becoming the first player in NFL history to amass 1,000-plus yards both receiving and on kick returns. Brown was also named to the 2011 Pro Bowl as a returner.
In his first coaching role at Duke, Montgomery directed the wide receivers at his alma mater from 2006-09. Montgomery played wide receiver for the Blue Devils from 1996-99, pacing the team in receiving for three-straight seasons and earning Team MVP honors in 1998 and 1999.
Montgomery went on to play three seasons with the Denver Broncos from 2000-02 and one season with the Oakland Raiders in 2003.
A Shelby, N.C. native, Montgomery has three sons, Cassius, Moses and Magnus. His wife, Ebony, is a native of Detroit, Mich.
