David Montgomery (American football)

David Montgomery (born June 7, 1997)[1] is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears. He was drafted by the Bears in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft after playing college football at Iowa State. Montgomery was a consensus First-team All-Big 12 player in 2017.[2][3]

David Montgomery
Montgomery at 2018 Big 12 Media Days
No. 32 – Chicago Bears
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1997-06-07) June 7, 1997
Cincinnati, Ohio
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school:Mount Healthy
College:Iowa State
NFL Draft:2019 / Round: 3 / Pick: 73
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Rushing yards:889
Rushing average:3.7
Rushing touchdowns:6
Receptions:25
Receiving yards:185
Receiving touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com

High school career

Growing up in the Cincinnati Ohio area, he is an Eagle Scout[4] in addition to being a standout prep dual threat quarterback. Over his four-year career, he rushed for 6,666 yards and 91 touchdowns.[5] In 2015, he was named the Division III Ohio Player of the Year[6] as well as the Southwest District Offensive Player of the Year.[7] His senior season rushing total of 2,707 was good enough for the 21st best single season performance in Ohio high school history.[8] He posted seven 200-yard games and three 300-yard games, including one 373 yard performance.[9]

Recruiting

Despite a record-breaking high school career, Montgomery was only lightly recruited to continue his football career in college. He was only recruited by Miami (OH), Ball State, Buffalo, and Iowa State. He eventually committed to the Cyclones.[10]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
David Montgomery
RB		 Cincinnati, Ohio Mount Healthy 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Mar 2, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 1,203, 55 (OH), 74 (RB)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2016 Iowa State Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  • "2016 Iowa State Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 12, 2017.

    College career

    2016 season

    As a true freshman in 2016, Montgomery played in all 12 games and started the final four contests. He led the team in rushing with 563 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.[11] This was good enough to be the second-best freshman performance in school history. In his second career start he rushed 169 yards on 24 carries to defeat Kansas.[12] He was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for that performance.[13] He finished the season with 141 yards rushing and 45 yards receiving against West Virginia.[14]

    At the conclusion of the season Montgomery was named to the honorable mention Freshman All-America team by Campus Insiders.[15]

    2017 season

    Montgomery's break out season was in 2017. He led the Cyclones in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage with 1,095 and 1,383 respectively.[1] He finished second in the Big 12 in rushing yards and touchdowns behind only Justice Hill.[16] Montgomery led the nation in forced missed tackles with 104, breaking the previous record of 89 set by Dalvin Cook.[17] Against Iowa he ran for 113 yards, rushed for a touchdown, and had 53 yards on receptions.[18] In an upset win at #3 Oklahoma, Montgomery ran for 55 yards and a touchdown and caught 7 passes for 89 yards.[19] He had a career day against Texas Tech rushing for 164 yards on 28 attempts, averaging 5.9 yards per play.[20] Montgomery had a three straight 100 yard performances against West Virginia,[21] Oklahoma State,[22] and Baylor[23] with 115, 105, and 144 yards respectively including three touchdowns against the Cowboys.

    Montgomery received multiple accolades at the end of the regular season. He was named a first-team All-American by Pro Football Focus[24] as well as consensus first-team All-Big 12.[25]

    2018 season

    Montgomery started the season slow, but had a string of four straight 100-yard games with five touchdowns from mid-September to mid-October, and ended the season with another string of three straight 100-yard games with six touchdowns, including 179 yards from scrimmage in the 2018 Alamo Bowl loss to Washington St.[26] Montgomery finished the 2018 season with 1,216 rushing yards (second in the Big 12 to Alex Barnes) and 13 rushing touchdowns (second to Sam Ehlinger).[27]

    College statistics
    RushingReceiving
    YearTeamGPGSAttYardsAvgTDsRecYardsAvgTDs
    2016Iowa State1241095635.22131299.90
    2017Iowa State13132581,1474.411362968.20
    2018Iowa State12112571,2164.713221577.10
    College Totals37286242,9264.726715828.40
    Reference:[28]

    Professional career
    Pre-draft measurables
    Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
    5 ft 10 1⁄8 in
    (1.78 m)    		 222 lb
    (101 kg)    		 31 3⁄8 in
    (0.80 m)    		 9 1⁄4 in
    (0.23 m)    		 4.63 s 28.5 in
    (0.72 m)    		 10 ft 1 in
    (3.07 m)    		 15 reps
    All values from NFL Combine[29]

    On January 7, 2019, Montgomery announced that he would forgo his final season of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.[30] The Chicago Bears drafted Montgomery in the third round with the 73rd overall pick in the draft.[31] Montgomery signed a four-year rookie contract with the team on June 14.[32]

    2019 season
    Montgomery in a game against the Washington Redskins

    Montgomery made his NFL debut with the Chicago Bears in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. In the game, Montgomery rushed for 18 yards on six attempts and caught one pass for 27 yards as the Bears lost 10–3.[33] In Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, Montgomery rushed 18 times for 62 yards and his first career NFL touchdown as the Bears won 16–14.[34] Though utilized more than veteran Tarik Cohen, Montgomery failed to reach 70 yards in any of the Bears' first seven games. After 11 carries for 25 yards in Week 6 and a disastrous two rushes for six yards and a fumble in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints, Montgomery responded in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers with 27 rushes for an NFL-second best 135 yards and a touchdown in the 17–16 loss.[35] In Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Montgomery rushed 14 times for 40 yards and two touchdowns in the 22–14 loss. This was Montgomery's first game with multiple rushing touchdowns of his career.[36] In Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings, Montgomery rushed 23 times for 113 yards and a touchdown during the 21–19 win.[37] Overall, Montgomery finished his rookie season with 889 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.[38]

    Personal life

    Montgomery had a difficult childhood. He does not know his father, and his mother moved the family numerous times around Cincinnati due to economic hardship. He remembers using the oven for heat, and boiling water collected from gas stations in the bath tub when either was disconnected. He has a brother who was incarcerated for drug trafficking and murder. After scoring a touchdown, Montgomery frequently holds up a "V"-sign in memory of a high school teammate and role model who was murdered during a home invasion.[39]

    References
    1. "Iowa State Athletics". www.cyclones.com.
    2. http://www.big12sports.com/pdf9/5463097.pdf
    3. "Playoff QB Mayfield top Big 12 offensive player for 2nd time". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017.
    4. Peterson, Randy. "Peterson: Iowa State's David Montgomery is the key to an offense with a key to a city". Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    5. "David Montgomery's High School Timeline". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    6. Dyer, Mike. "Mount Healthy's David Montgomery named Division III state offensive player of the year". The Enquirer. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    7. "Montgomery honored as Division III OPOY". Tristate Football. December 2, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    8. Dyer, Mike (December 7, 2017). "Former Mount Healthy High School football standout David Montgomery named an All-American". WCPO Cincinnati.
    9. "Southwest Ohio Conference". swocsports.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    10. "David Montgomery, Iowa State Cyclones, Running Back". 247Sports. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    11. "2016 Iowa State Cyclones Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    12. "Iowa State vs. Kansas - Game Summary - November 12, 2016". ESPN.com.
    13. Birch, Tommy. "Iowa State's Montgomery named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week". Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    14. "West Virginia vs. Iowa State - Game Summary - November 26, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    15. Cirminiello, Rich (December 13, 2016). "2016 Freshman All-American Team". Watch Stadium. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    16. "2017 Big 12 Conference Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    17. Stansbury, Jared (November 28, 2017). "David Montgomery breaks PFF record for missed tackles forced". CycloneFanatic.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    18. "Iowa vs. Iowa State - Game Summary - September 9, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    19. Single, Eric. "Iowa State stuns Oklahoma on late Allen Lazard TD". SI.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    20. "Kempt throws 3 TDs, Iowa State dumps Texas Tech 31-13". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Associated Press. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    21. "Iowa State vs. West Virginia - Game Summary - November 4, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    22. "Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State - Game Summary - November 11, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    23. "Iowa State vs. Baylor - Game Summary - November 18, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    24. Birch, Tommy (December 6, 2017). "Iowa State's Montgomery named All-American by Pro Football Focus". Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    25. Mozey, Brian (November 20, 2017). "Matt Campbell and players on Big 12 honors, David Montgomery, Bryce Meeker". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    26. "David Montgomery 2018 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
    27. Springer, Scott (September 4, 2019). "Mt. Healthy alum, Chicago Bears rookie David Montgomery has defied odds in his path to victory". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
    28. "David Montgomery College Stats - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
    29. "David Montgomery Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
    30. Birch, Tommy (January 7, 2019). "Iowa State running back David Montgomery enters NFL Draft". Des Moines Register. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
    31. Finley, Patrick (April 26, 2019). "Bears trade up, take Iowa State running back David Montgomery". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
    32. Campbell, Rich (June 14, 2019). "Bears sign top draft pick David Montgomery to 4-year rookie contract". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
    33. "Packers D, Aaron Rodgers beat Bears 10-3 in opener". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
    34. Stapleton, Arnie Melendrez (September 15, 2019). "Pineiro's 53-yard field goal lifts Bears past Broncos 16-14". www.espn.com. Associated Press. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    35. "Rivers, Chargers beat Bears 17-16 after Pineiro misses FG". www.espn.com. Associated Press. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
    36. "Wentz, Howard lead Eagles past Bears 22-14". www.espn.com. Associated Press. November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
    37. "Bears edge Vikings 21-19 on Piñeiro FG with 10 seconds left". www.espn.com. Associated Press. December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
    38. "David Montgomery 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
    39. Springer, Scott (September 4, 2019). "Mt. Healthy alum, Chicago Bears rookie David Montgomery has defied odds in his path to victory". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
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