Cleo Montgomery

Cleotha Montgomery (born July 1, 1956) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist. He played for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals.

He is the younger brother of Wilbert Montgomery, a running back who had a 9-year career in the NFL.

Biography

Cleo Montgomery was born July 1, 1956, at Greenville, Mississippi, the largest city in the Mississippi Delta. He attended Greenville High School before attending Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas on a football scholarship, as had his older brother, Philadelphia Eagles running back Wilbert Montgomery.

He was not drafted into the National Football League (NFL) but managed to sign as a free agent with the Washington Redskins in May 1978. The next stop would be the Oakland Raiders, who signed him on December 16 and played him in their last game before moving to Los Angeles the following year. He even saw limited action as a wide receiver in 1983, catching the only two balls of his NFL career — catches for 14 and 15 yards gained. The 1983 Raiders would go on to win an NFL Championship, beating the Washington Redskins 38–9 in Super Bowl XVIII.

The Raiders would put him to work returning both kickoffs and punts in 1984, and the 28-year old Montgomery was once again able to answer the bell every Sunday of the season — a year expanded for the first time to 16 games.

Montgomery was once again the team's primary returner of punts and kicks in 1985, but a serious knee injury suffered on September 29 against the New England Patriots ended his season and effectively his career.