Football
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- hoggarda@ecu.edu
- Phone:
- (252) 737-4568
Scottie Montgomery is in his third season as head football coach at East Carolina University.
Montgomery, a North Carolina native who played an integral role leading Duke and the Pittsburgh Steelers to divisional championships and postseason play, was introduced as the Pirates’ 21st head coach on December 14, 2015.
He followed his formal appointment by directing the Pirates to their second-highest single-season passing attack in school history during the 2016 campaign, averaging 334.7 air yards per game. Additionally, ECU generated 5,605 yards of offense (467.1 ypg), which stood as the fourth-highest seasonal total in the program’s record books.
The Pirates ranked among the nation’s Top 25 (of 128 FBS programs) in 11 different statistical categories in 2016, rating 6th in passing offense, 11th in completion percentage, 16th in fewest penalties, 18th in fewest penalty yards, 19th in defensive fourth down conversion percentage, 22nd in offensive fourth down conversion percentage, 23rd in total offense, 23rd in blocked kicks, 23rd in blocked punts, 23rd in fewest penalty yards per game average and 24th in fewest penalties per game average.
From an individual standpoint, Montgomery helped Biletnikoff Award finalist Zay Jones capture FBS stat titles in receptions (158), receptions per game (13.2), receiving yards per game (145.5), while ranking 2nd in receiving yards (1,746) on the way to establishing NCAA career (399) and single-season standards in receptions. First-year ECU quarterback Philip Nelson also finished 7th in completion percentage (67.9) and 10th in completions per game (23.7).
During his second season in 2017, the Pirates' passing game again turned in impressive numbers by ranking fifth in program history with a 3,815-yard total (317.9 ypg). At the national level, ECU's air numbers stood 12th among all FBS programs, while from a ball security standpoint, Montgomery's unit led the American Athletic Conference and rated 12th in the country with only five fumbles lost all season.
Three players - receivers Trevon Brown and Davon Grayson, along with defensive end Kiante Anderson - earned All-AAC honors during the 2017 campaign under his leadership.
Away from the field, Montgomery is an oft-requested speaker who most recently was invited to serve as a panelist during the Knight Commission's May 1, 2017 meeting at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He participated in a discussion which assessed leadership diversity in Division I athletics, particularly in the sport of football.
His acceptance of the top East Carolina football position officially ended a two-year tenure as the Blue Devils’ associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Overall, Montgomery served on the Duke staff for seven seasons under head coaches Ted Roof (2006-07) and David Cutcliffe (2008-09, 2013-15) - five as receivers coach. He helped guide Duke to three-straight bowl appearances, including a 44-41 overtime victory against Indiana in the 2015 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.
Montgomery’s coaching experience in the National Football League spanned three seasons under Mike Tomlin’s leadership. His work with the Steelers’ receivers in 2010, 2011 and 2012 resulted in two playoff appearances, the 2010 AFC North Division championship and a spot in Super Bowl XLV.
The 2015 campaign marked Montgomery’s second as both primary offensive play-caller and quarterbacks coach at Duke, a program in which he starred as an All-Atlantic Coast Conference wide receiver from 1996 to 1999. Tasked with grooming new starting quarterback Thomas Sirk following the graduation of the school’s all-time winningest signal-caller and All-ACC selection Anthony Boone, Montgomery encouraged balance to a unit that continued to display a consistent level of production.
Montgomery was recognized for his efforts as a one of three finalists for the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Assistant Coach-of-the-Year Award in 2015. In addition, he was listed by Athlon as one of “College Football’s 20 Best Coaches Under 40” - ranking among the top 13 coordinators in the country.
During his first year as offensive coordinator in 2014, Montgomery had oversight of an attack that tallied 421 points, the second-highest single-season total in program history. Only the 2013 squad, which Montgomery served as Duke’s wide receivers coach, owns a better point total. In addition to a 32.4 scoring average, the Blue Devil offense also racked up 5,178 yards of total offense on the way to a 9-4 overall record and an appearance in the Hyundai Sun Bowl.
Over Montgomery’s two-year stint as Duke’s offensive coordinator, the Blue Devils featured two All-America selections along the offensive line (guard Laken Tomlinson in 2014, center Matt Skura in 2015), the ACC’s all-time leader in pass receptions (Jamison Crowder) and record-setting running back Shaun Wilson, who finished the 2014 season with the highest yards per rushing attempt average (7.67) in school history. In the 2015 NFL Draft, Tomlinson was selected in the first round by the Detroit Lions while Crowder was a fourth-round choice of the Washington Redskins.
In 2013, Montgomery guided a Duke receiving unit that included Crowder, a first-team All-ACC pick, who set a conference single-season record with 108 pass receptions for 1,330 yards and eight touchdowns. The Blue Devils rolled to a 10-4 mark and captured the ACC’s Coastal Division championship with a 6-2 ledger before falling to Texas A&M in a 52-48 shootout at the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Duke stood 22nd and 23rd in the final USA Today/Coaches and Associated Press polls, respectively, while ranking 24th in the last BCS listing.
Montgomery helped the Steelers to a three-year regular season record of 32-16, mentoring receivers such Hines Ward, Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown. A four-time NFL Pro Bowl selection, Ward finished his career as the organization’s all-time leader in receptions (1,000), receiving yardage (12,083) and receiving touchdowns (85). Wallace earned a Pro Bowl bid in 2011 after catching 72 passes for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns while Brown was the Steelers’ team MVP in 2011 after becoming the first player in NFL history to amass 1,000-plus yards both receiving and on kick returns.
During his earlier four-year coaching stay at Duke, Montgomery directed several of the finest pass-catchers in school and ACC history in Eron Riley, Donovan Varner and Conner Vernon.
As a wide receiver for the Blue Devils from 1996 to 1999, Montgomery paced Duke in receiving three-straight seasons as a sophomore, junior and senior, and was a two-time team MVP selection in 1998 and 1999.
Montgomery closed his collegiate career with 171 catches for 2,379 yards and 13 touchdowns, which includes a career-high 60 receptions as a junior in 1998. On special teams, he finished his career ranking among Duke’s all-time leaders in kickoff returns (63), kickoff return yards (1,515) and all-purpose yardage (4,188).
During his senior campaign in 1999, Montgomery established the school standard for all-purpose yards in a season with 1,565.
He played professionally with the NFL’s Denver Broncos (2000-02) and Oakland Raiders (2003).
Montgomery, 40 was born in Shelby, N.C., and graduated from Burns High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from Duke in 2000.
He is married to the former Ebony McDuffie of Detroit, Mich., and the couple has three sons - Cassius (8), Moses (5) and Magnus (3).
