Scottie Montgomery enters his second season as the Lions' assistant head coach/running backs in 2024, his 18th year coaching in either the NFL or college ranks. In his first season in Detroit, the Lions ranked tied-for-first in the NFL in games with a rushing touchdown (16), tied-for-first in rushing touchdowns (27), fifth in in rushing yards (2,311) and fifth in rushing average (4.62). Their 27 rushing touchdowns set a single-season franchise record while their 2,311 rushing yards were the fifth-most in a season in franchise history. Detroit also tied a franchise record by producing 14 games with at least 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
In 2023, Montgomery guided RB Jahmyr Gibbs, a rookie, to a Pro Bowl berth and helped RB David Montgomery produce 1,015 rushing yards and a career-high 13 rushing touchdowns, the most a free agent acquisition has had in their first season with the Lions. Under Montgomery's tutelage, Gibbs and Montgomery became the first set of teammates in NFL history to each produce 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 rushing touchdowns for a team in the same season. Gibbs (two) and Montgomery (three) combined for five individual 100-yard rushing games in 2023, the first time Detroit had five individual 100-yard rushing games in a season since Pro Football Hall of Fame RB Barry Sanders in 1998. The only other time the Lions had two players log multiple 100-yard rushing games in the same season was in 1936.
Gibbs also joined Sanders and Billy Sims as the only rookies in franchise history to produce a season with 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns and set a franchise rookie record by logging 13-straight games with at least 50 scrimmage yards to start his career. He ranked second in the NFL in 20-yard rushes (10) and was third in rushing average (5.19) among all NFL running backs in 2023. Montgomery tied the single-season franchise record for the most games with 50 rushing yards and a touchdown in a season (10) and became the first Lion to rush for 100 yards and a touchdown in consecutive games since 2004. He ranked third in the NFL in longest rush (75t), third in rushing yards per game (72.5) and tied for fifth in both rushing touchdowns (13) and rushing first downs (59) in 2023.
Prior to joining the Lions, Montgomery spent two seasons (2021-22) 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 teaching, 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 as pass-catching threats. In 2021, the Colts were one-of-three teams to have multiple running backs with at least 40 receptions.
Before his stint in Indianapolis, he served two seasons as Maryland's offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (2019-20). In his first three games in the role, 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. He 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 are 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.
