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© 2025 COLD WIRE MEDIA. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

The Life And Career Of Wilbert Montgomery

Ben Donahue
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The Life And Career Of Wilbert Montgomery
(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

 

The Philadelphia Eagles have had several notable running backs play for the franchise.

Steve Van Buren, Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, and LeSean “Shady” McCoy are some of the memorable players.

Then there is Saquon Barkley, who just joined the organization in 2024 and is already a member of the 2,000-yard rushing club.

Despite all the shine those names bring, long-time Eagles fans still speak fondly of Wilbert Montgomery.

Philly drafted him in the sixth round of the 1977 NFL Draft and Montgomery only started one game as a rookie.

However, in 1978, he displayed the skills that made him an NAIA record-holder in college by rushing for over 1,200 yards.

A year later, Montgomery set a club record for single-season rushing yards and then, playing through injuries, helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl in 1980.

By the time he left the City of Brotherly Love after the 1984 season, Montgomery held several Eagles rushing records.

Over a decade later, the former running back returned to the NFL as a coach and was on the staff of two Super Bowl winners.

This is the story of Wilbert Montgomery.

 

The Talented Kid from Greenville

Wilbert Montgomery was born on September 16, 1954, in Greenville, Mississippi as one of 12 siblings.

Four of the Montgomery boys would one day play pro football.

Growing up in the Mississippi Delta region of the state, Montgomery was drawn to the sport at an early age.

“I played sports to keep me involved in school and stay out of trouble,” Montgomery said. “In down time, trouble can find you. I was playing just to be playing to chew up my time.”

Unfortunately, during a spirited game as a fourth grader, he broke his leg and the injury was scary enough to keep Montgomery from the gridiron for a few years.

“When you’re little, you think your leg is like a stick,” Montgomery said. “You break it in half, it’s gonna fall in two pieces. I thought, ‘Oh-oh, I’m gonna have a cast on my leg forever.’ I remember the next few years, kids callin’ me from the schoolyard wantin’ me to play football with ’em. I’d always say no.”

He stayed away from football for the next few years until the desire to play returned before the eighth grade.

Montgomery’s mom, on the other hand, did not want her son to sustain any more injuries and forbade him from playing ball.

That led to Montgomery asking a fellow student to forge his mother’s signature on a permission slip.

Surprisingly, he continued to play football into high school without his mother knowing.

“After practice, I’d come home and she would ask where I’d been,” he recalled with a sly smile. “I’d say I was at a friend’s house. We played our games Friday night, so I’d say,’Momma, I’m goin’ out for a while. I’ll be home by 10:30.’ When we played the coast-places like Gulfport and Biloxi-we’d stay overnight and bus back the next day. Those nights, I told my mother not to worry, I was sleepin’ over at a friend’s house. If I came home limpin’, I’d say we did it foolin’ around. She’d always say, ‘Wilbert, you know I don’t like it when you play so rough.'”

As he became a star for the Greenville High School Hornets as a safety, running back, and punter, it finally became too much to keep under wraps and Montgomery confessed.

“I finally told her I was playing football, and she wasn’t happy,” he said. “She argued for a long time, but when I told her it might win me a scholarship to college, she said, ‘All right, go ahead, but don’t come runnin’ to me when you get hurt.’ I never did.”

 

Surprising Football Role Model

American Football amongst the Yard Lines

 

During his prep career, Montgomery played football and ran track for Greenville and lettered in both sports.

The Hornets football team won 19 of 20 games in his final two years including an 11-0 record and state title as a junior in 1971.

Montgomery also helped the school win back-to-back state championships in track.

When it came time to look at colleges, Montgomery’s coach was shocked at who (and where) his star player wanted to visit first.

“I had heard all about Ray Guy,” Montgomery said in 2018. “I had heard about how his punts went over the stadium lights and I just wanted to see it for myself. Guy played safety and so did I. Guy punted and so did I. I told Coach [Gary] Dempsey I wanted to go watch Ray Guy and I wanted to sit at the very top row of the stadium. Sure enough, I did, and his punts went way higher than I was.”

 

Short Stint at Jackson State

Montgomery finally settled on playing at Jackson State in Jackson Mississippi.

When he arrived at the school in the summer of 1973, he found himself part of a loaded roster.

The running back position alone was stacked with Eddie Payton and his younger brother, Walter Payton.

When Walter got hurt during practice, the Jackson State coaching staff switched Montgomery from safety to running back.

Although he was a long shot to start as a freshman, Montgomery didn’t plan on backing down.

“We had a lot of backs but I wasn’t scared of the competition,” Montgomery said. “I was playing safety anyway. I wanted to play defense, but then Walter got hurt and the coaches moved me from defense to offense. That’s why I transferred.”

A trip home to do some laundry proved to be fate as the coaches at Abilene Christian in Texas talked to Montgomery about transferring.

The prospect of playing and starting immediately proved too much to pass up.

“Going to Abilene showed a lot of Mississippians they can go outside the state and get a better education,” Montgomery said. “My idea of going to Abilene was about the education because pro football was not in my mindset.”

 

National Title

Jackson State’s loss was Abilene Christian’s gain.

Montgomery proved to be more than capable as a running back for the Wildcats and helped lead the team to a 10-1 record in 1973.

He scored a freshman, school and NAIA record with 37 touchdowns (also tops in the nation) during the season and cruised to 1,181 yards and an All-American nod.

In the NAIA national championship game against Elon, Montgomery was named the MVP of the contest after rushing for 159 yards, catching four passes for 79 more yards and scoring two touchdowns.

The Wildcats won easily, 42-14.

 

Injuries Don’t Dampen Montgomery’s Talent

Abilene Christian was ready to come back strong and repeat in 1974.

Unfortunately, Montgomery missed significant playing time with a separated shoulder and ACU went 7-4.

In 1975, Montgomery played through a badly bruised shoulder for the 6-3-1 Wildcats.

He then continued playing through the pain with a deep thigh bruise in his senior year as Abilene Christian improved to 9-2.

Remarkably, whenever he wasn’t playing football for the Wildcats, Montgomery also ran track for the school.

When his senior season ended in 1976, Montgomery had four-year totals of 3,047 yards 76 touchdowns and 422 total points, all school records.

His 76 scores also set an NAIA all-time record.

Montgomery’s career stats still lead the program and in 2005, he was named the Offensive MVP of the Wildcats’s All-Century Team.

He has also been inducted into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, the Lone Star Conference Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

 

Sixth Round Pick

flag with the NFL logo waving

 

Montgomery may have reached outstanding numbers in college but his injury toward the end of his senior year had pro scouts troubled.

The thigh bruise was significant enough that he had to wear a cast, and as a result, calcium deposits formed.

When the New England Patriots invited him for a workout before the 1977 NFL Draft, the Pats team doctor noticed the deposits and told head coach Chuck Fairbanks that Montgomery would need surgery.

In turn, the coach told Montgomery that he would most likely have to sit for a year and that the NFL was no longer assured.

The running back was already down in the dumps before his injury status turned even more teams away.

Despite the negative injury tag, second-year Philadelphia Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil liked what he saw in the kid from Abilene Christian.

With the 154th overall pick in the sixth round of the draft, Vermeil and the Eagles selected Montgomery.

 

Slow Start Leads to Huge Success

It wasn’t long into his first professional training camp that Montgomery realized he wasn’t in Kansas (or Texas, or Mississippi) anymore.

The practices were daunting, especially because of the hard-charging, work-til-you-drop work ethic of Vermeil.

After another especially grueling day, the rookie was ready to quit and even packed his stuff to leave.

A fellow rookie, Cleveland Franklin, talked him out of it.

“Wil,” Franklin told him, “you’re the best back in camp.”

He stuck it out, made the team, and was rewarded by rarely seeing the field.

As the Eagles went 5-9 in 1977 (a one-game improvement over the prior year), Montgomery only saw kick return duties.

That season, he returned 23 kicks for 619 yards (including an NFC-best 26.9 yards per return average) and one score.

Before the regular season’s final week, Vermeil gave his rookie a shot at carrying the ball against a bad New York Jets team.

“…finally got smart enough to start him at running back,” said the coach to the media later.

While Philly blasted the Jets, 27-0, Montgomery rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown.

After the game, former Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown, who was covering the contest as an analyst, was already singing Montgomery’s praises.

“Where have they been hiding that number 31? That kid can play,” said Brown.

At season’s end, Montgomery had 183 yards and two touchdowns along with his return yardage.

 

Coming into his Own

Heading into the 1978 campaign, Vermeil firmly believed that Montgomery was capable of carrying the team and inserted him full-time.

There was some question among the hardened Eagles fans and media whether the 5’10”, 195-pound second-year back could withstand the punishment.

It turns out he could.

In the second game of the year against division rival Washington, Montgomery blew the doors off the Redskins with his zig-zag running style.

Although Washington would ultimately prevail, Montgomery scored four times, three on rushing attempts and one on a reception.

He actually scored a fifth time, but the play was negated by a penalty.

Those stats made Montgomery only the fourth player in team history to score four times in a single day.

Still, back in the locker room, the media could barely get a word out of him as Montgomery was inconsolable that the Eagles weren’t victorious.

“This was a tough game to lose. …,” he said.

Galvanized and determined not to feel that way again, Montgomery did his best to spark Philly the rest of the way.

The result was 1,220 yards and 10 total touchdowns.

He was the first back to surpass 1,000 yards since Steve Van Buren in 1949, bringing All-Pro and Pro-Bowl honors.

Even better, the franchise reached the playoffs for the first time since 1960, although the Eagles lost to Atlanta, 14-13, in the wild-card round.

 

1980

A year later, Montgomery proved his second-year totals were no fluke by running roughshod for 1,512 yards on 338 attempts and nine touchdowns and adding five more scores and 494 yards receiving in 1979.

His rushing total, attempts, and receiving touchdowns were career-bests and his total yardage (2,006) was a career and NFL-best.

Montgomery’s single-season rushing total wouldn’t be surpassed until LeSean McCoy overtook him in 2013.

It wasn’t until Ricky Watters in 1996 that Montgomery’s single-season attempts mark was broken (with 353).

Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors arrived again for him that year.

Philly got one step closer to the Promised Land by winning 11 times and reaching the divisional round before losing to Tampa Bay.

When the Eagles took the field in 1980, there was a feeling that something special was in the air.

After 12 games, the team would find itself with only one loss.

By the end of the year, Philly had achieved a franchise record of 12 wins against only four losses.

Montgomery didn’t play in four games as he battled several injuries and had 778 yards and 10 total touchdowns for the season.

 

Playing Through Pain

Although Vermeil tried to limit Montgomery’s carries in 1980, the back was still in rough shape as the playoffs arrived.

He gutted out 74 yards and two scores against the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round, but the local media worried he wouldn’t be ready for the NFC Championship game against the hated Dallas Cowboys.

“I know Wilbert will be out there Sunday come hell or high water,” quarterback Ron Jaworski said. “My God, he better be.”

With a coveted Super Bowl berth on the line, there was no way Montgomery was going to miss the game.

“I knew I was goin’ to play because it was such a big game, but I didn’t know how much,” Montgomery explained six months later. “Right up until the pregame warmup, I didn’t know if I could start. I had been in sweats all week while the other guys were practicing. It seemed like just another bad break for me after a season so full of them. The knee felt better on Sunday, though, so I went out there and hoped for the best.”

Shortly after the contest began, Montgomery burst through the scrum for a 42-yard touchdown and Philly led 7-0.

“It looked like someone shot Wilbert out of a cannon,” linebacker Bill Bergey said. “I knew right then we couldn’t lose.”

Later in the fourth quarter, Montgomery sealed the Cowboys’ fate with a 55-yard dash.

“I thought it would be a dogfight,” he said. “Games with Dallas always are. I went in there with the idea that anything I got, I’d have to earn.”

As improbable as it was, the Philadelphia Eagles were headed to the Super Bowl after beating Dallas 20-7.

Montgomery ran for 194 yards and a touchdown and was just two yards shy of the franchise record held by Van Buren for a postseason game.

Unfortunately, the Eagles ran out of gas at the worst possible time, falling to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV two weeks later, 27-10.

Montgomery had 44 rushing and 91 receiving yards in the loss.

 

All-Time Record Holder

In 1981, Montgomery recovered from his injuries enough to start 15 games and reach 1,402 yards and eight touchdowns and adding 49 catches for a career-high 521 yards and two more touchdowns.

Philly went 10-6 and lost to the New York Giants in the wild-card round.

During the strike-shortened 1982 season, Montgomery had 515 yards and nine total scores including a 90-yard touchdown run against Houston in December, the longest touchdown run in Eagles history.

When the 3-6 season concluded, Vermeil retired, citing burn-out.

The injury bug plagued Montgomery again in 1983, leading to only 139 yards.

By then, Montgomery worried that his NFL life was coming to an end.

“Thoughts like that couldn’t help but creep into your mind when you’re sittin’ in there,” Montgomery admitted. “Running backs play four, five years, then they’re out of the league. You notice that and try to forget it, but when you’re not playin’, you think it’s your time that’s come.”

Thankfully, he returned strong in 1984 and bounced back with 789 yards and two touchdowns.

In Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, Montgomery passed Van Buren for the most career rushing yards in Eagles history.

The organization wanted to stop the game to celebrate after his memorable carry, but the running back had zero desire to call attention to himself and nixed the idea.

Afterward, he preferred to talk about how the team performed.

“The most important thing,” he said later, “was we won the game.”

 

Retirement

Retirement

 

Months before the 1985 season began, Montgomery demanded to be traded after a dispute with a fellow player.

There was also a rumor that he wouldn’t be back with the Eagles in 1986.

“It was my knowledge the team was going to use me up in ’85,” Montgomery said. “Someone in the organization told me they were going to run me right, run me left and I was going to take a terrific beating and in ’86, I wouldn’t be able to come back and compete for a job.”

Then-head coach Marion Campbell denied the allegations.

“You know what it sounds like? Wilbert’s looking for a lot of reasons,” Campbell said. “And he had a lot, believe me.”

Ultimately, the running back decided to leave the only organization he had played for.

“I thought everything over,” he said. “I thought about all the things and I just couldn’t go back in there. I didn’t feel right in my mind. Too many things had been said for me to have a relaxed mind and compete for Philadelphia.”

As a member of the Detroit Lions that season, Montgomery started six games and rushed for 251 yards and no touchdowns.

When the season concluded, he retired from pro football.

During his career, Montgomery had 6,789 yards and 45 touchdowns rushing, 273 receptions, 2,502 yards and 12 scores receiving, and 814 yards and one touchdown as a kick returner.

He was a two-time All-Pro, two-time Pro Bowler and played in one Super Bowl.

Montgomery was later added to the Eagles’ Hall of Fame and his Eagles career rushing total of 6,538 yards stood until LeSean McCoy took over the top spot in 2014.

 

Second Act as a Coach

Following his retirement, Montgomery got his football fix by coaching at the high school level.

His time at the prep level included working with South Jersey running back sensation Ron Dayne in the mid-1990s.

Dayne would ultimately play eight years in the NFL.

Around the same time, Montgomery was approached by then-Eagles head coach Ray Rhodes to return to the franchise as its running backs coach.

He declined, twice.

It wasn’t until Montgomery’s former Philly coach, Dick Vermeil, returned to lead the St. Louis Rams that he decided to come back to the NFL.

“How does Coach Montgomery sound?” Vermeil asked Montgomery.

At the time, the Rams weren’t much to write home about.

However, just as he did with the Eagles, Vermeil had his troops ready for the big time in Year 3.

Before the 1999 season, St. Louis traded for Colts running back Marshall Faulk and Montgomery had the pleasure of working with one of the best backs in the league.

“He [Faulk] just knew which things were going to take place, before they took place,” Montgomery said. “He was an excellent student. He challenged our other players to be great.”

Vermeil, Montgomery and Faulk were part of the “Greatest Show on Turf,” went 13-3, and beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV.

Montgomery remained with the Rams through 2005 then had a two-year stint with the Lions in 2006 and 2007.

In 2008, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh hired Montgomery to be his running backs coach.

He would work with the likes of Willis McGahee and Ray Rice and won another championship as a coach when the 2012 Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII.

Montgomery then spent 2015 and 2015 with the Cleveland Browns before retiring again.

Currently, Montgomery, now 70, spends his days following the careers of two of his sons, Derron and Tavian.

Both sons played college football and Derron is an Offensive Quality Control coach for the Minnesota Vikings.

 

References

https://www.upi.com

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MontWi00.htm

https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com

https://www.profootballhof.com/news/2005/01/news-playing-with-pain/

https://www.profootballresearchers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6870

http://sportsthenandnow.com/2010/01/01/wilbert-montgomery/

https://www.clarionledger.com

https://www.clevelandbrowns.com

https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com

https://www.sunherald.com/latest-news/article221168435.html

https://www.cfbhall.com/inductees/wilbert-montgomery-1996/

msfame.com

https://acusports.com/news/2011/9/23/FB_0923112504?path=general

mississippitoday.org

https://footballfoundation.org/hof_search.aspx?hof=1974

acu.edu

https://lonestarconference.org/hof.aspx?hof=40

NEXT:  The Life And Career Of Dick Vermeil

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Ben Donahue
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Over 25 years of experience in sports including coach, athletic director, game day operations, media relations, football operations, and scout. He is [...]

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