Montgomery taking the helm

Staff Report
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East Carolina's nine-day search for a football coach officially came to an end on Sunday with an announcement from ECU athletic director Jeff Compher that Duke offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery will assume command of the the Pirates effective Jan. 1.

The school issued a press release about Montgomery's appointment after the hiring was approved in a special Sunday afternoon meeting of the ECU board of trustees.

Montgomery, 37, will meet with the team in advance of a formal introductory press conference Monday morning at 11 a.m.

Considered by peers and knowledgeable observers as an up-and-comer in the coaching ranks, Montgomery played an instrumental role in orchestrating some of the most prolific offensive units in Duke football history. The Blue Devils averaged over 30 points per game in each of the last three seasons.

Montgomery was recognized earlier this month as one of three finalists for the American Football Coaches Association's Broyles Award. The honor, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach, is memorialized in the name of college football icon Frank Broyles. This year's award ultimately went to former ECU offensive coordinator and current Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley.

Montgomery becomes the 21st in a line of coaches that dates back to the fledgling East Carolina Teachers team coached by Kenneth Beatty in 1932-33. Notable coaches that have led what long ago blossomed into the school's flagship athletic program have included John Christenbury (1940-41), whose 1941 squad was the school's only undefeated team, Clarence Stasavich (1962-70), College Football Hall of Famer Pat Dye (1974-79), current San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Steve Logan (1992-2002), Skip Holtz (2005-2009) and McNeill.

Montgomery's hiring comes little more than a week after the surprise ouster of ECU alum Ruffin McNeill as head coach of the Pirates after six years on the job. New Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall added McNeill to his staff on Saturday as assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach.

An impressive interview and glowing references helped Montgomery emerge at the 11th hour as a serious candidate in ECU AD Jeff Compher's week-long drive to hire a new coach. Media speculation after McNeill's firing focused on former Michigan coach Brady Hoke, James Madison coach Everett Withers and North Carolina defensive coordinator and former Auburn coach Gene Chizik.

The 37-year-old Montgomery, a former Duke and NFL wide receiver, began his second coaching stint with the Blue Devils in 2013 after walking the NFL sidelines for three years as a receivers coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Montgomery played professionally with the Denver Broncos (2000-02) and Oakland Raiders (2003) after graduating from Duke.

Previous ECU coaches with significant NFL backgrounds included Duke grad Mike McGee (1971) and Virginia alum Sonny Randle (1972-73). Both departed Greenville to return to their alma maters as head coaches.

A native of Cleveland County, Montgomery's portfolio also includes serving as Duke head coach David Cutcliffe's associate head coach.

Montgomery and his wife, Ebony McDuffie, have three sons, Cassius, 6, Moses, 2, and Mangus, 8 months.

PAGE UPDATED 12/14/15 01:48 PM.

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