Wilbert Montgomery

Wilbert Montgomery was a running back in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions and former running backs coach of the St. Louis Rams. Montgomery was born on September 16, 1954 in Greenville, Mississippi. He is the Philadelphia Eagles all time leader in rushing yards with 6,538. Montgomery holds the record for most rushing yards in an NFC Championship game with 194 against the Dallas Cowboys in 1980.http://sportsthenandnow.com/2010/01/01/wilbert-montgomery/ He is currently the running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens.http://www.baltimoreravens.com/People/Coaches/Wilbert_Montgomery.aspx

Wilbert Montgomery was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles out of Abilene Christian University in the sixth round of the 1977 NFL Draft. He spent most of his rookie season solely as a kick returner, but lead the NFC with a 26.9 average which included a 99 yard return for a touchdown. Montgomery became a starter in 1978 and helped the Eagles rise back to the playoffs. He rushed for 1,220 yards, nine touchdowns and was named to his for Pro Bowl. Montgomery had his best season as a professional in 1979. He set an Eagles' record for rushing yards in a season with 1,512. Montgomery also lead the NFL with 2,012 yards from scrimmage and made his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance.http://www.baltimoreravens.com/People/Coaches/Wilbert_Montgomery.aspx

The Eagles made it to the 1980 NFC Championship game and Montgomery had his greatest game of his career. On the Eagles' second play of the game, he ran 42 yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead. Wilbert Montgomery set a NFC Championship game record by rushing for 194 yards. The Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys to advance to their first Super Bowl. In 1980, Montgomery played in just 12 games due to injuries, but he was still earned All-Pro honorshttp://www.baltimoreravens.com/People/Coaches/Wilbert_Montgomery.aspx

Montgomery had another Pro Bowl season in 1981 when he rushed for 1,402 yards. Knee injuries started to take its toll and Montgomery appeared in only 13 games the next two seasons combined. In 1984, he rushed for 789 yards and two touchdowns in his final season for the Eagles. He played for the Detroit Lions in 1985 but had only 251 yards rushing in seven games. Wilbert Montgomery retired following the season at age 31 with 6,789 yards rushing and 45 touchdowns. He also had 273 career receptions and 12 touchdowns.http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MontWi00.htm

Wilbert Montgomery was one of the first inductees into the Eagles' Honor Roll in 1987.http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/team/retirednumbershonorroll.asp He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.http://collegefootball.org/famersearch.php?id=70029 In 1997, he was named running backs coach for the Saint Louis Rams. Montgomery switched to tight ends coach from 2000 to 2002 and returned as running backs coach from 2003 to 2005. During his time with the Rams, he helped Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson earn Pro Bowl status. Wilbert Montgomery became running backs coach for the Detroit Lions in 2006. During his two years in Detroit, Montgomery dealt with numerous injuries and coached five different starting running backs. The Baltimore Ravens hired Montgomery in 2008 and will be entering his third season as their running backs coach in the 2010 season.http://www.baltimoreravens.com/People/Coaches/Wilbert_Montgomery.aspx