Lions' Scottie Montgomery to take part in NFL's coach accelerator program

Allen Park — First-year Lions running backs and assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery has been selected to participate in the NFL's coach accelerator program.

Established in 2022, the program aims to increase exposure between owners, executives, and diverse coaching talent, providing an opportunity to develop and build upon those relationships. That should hypothetically improve the chances for interviews and the hiring of minority candidates when teams have coaching vacancies.

Montgomery, who turns 45 later this month, joined the Lions in February to replace Duce Staley. He departed earlier that month for a position in Carolina to be closer to his family. Prior to Detroit, Montgomery served as the Indianapolis Colts running backs coach for two seasons.

A former receiver who spent three seasons (2000-02) with the Broncos, Montgomery transitioned into coaching in 2006 with his alma mater Duke, working with the position he played for the school. He took his first NFL job in 2010, spending three years working with the receivers in Pittsburgh, where he coached current Lions receivers coach Antwaan Randle El.

Montgomery returned to the collegiate ranks with Duke in 2014, before he was hired as East Carolina's head coach in 2016. He spent three years at the school, compiling a 9-26 record before he was dismissed.

Montgomery will be one of 40 current and former assistant coaches to participate in this year's accelerator program, which runs May 21-23 at the league's quarterly meeting in Minneapolis.

"In the year since its inception, we've been encouraged by the positive response to the Accelerator from both club owners and participants," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing to build on an incredible program that supports diverse talent."

In addition to Montgomery, former Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, former Michigan pass game coordinator Pep Hamilton and Saints quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry, who was briefly on the Lions roster in 2008, are among the participants.

Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn took part in the program last offseason.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers