Into the Breach : Raiders’ Montgomery Has Family Tradition on His Side as the New Third-Down Back

A part-time job that wasn’t important enough for Marcus Allen a year ago is now a full-time blessing for Raider running back Tyrone Montgomery.

That is because last season, Montgomery was a developmental squad rookie wide receiver whose only action came in practice during the week, while Allen was a veteran unhappy with his limited role as a third-down specialist.

Now, Allen has gone to the Kansas City Chiefs, and Montgomery has taken over as the back the Raiders count on for first downs. It’s a situation Montgomery only dreamed about last season.

“When I decided to sign with the Raiders, I looked at it as an opportunity to establish myself as a player,” said Montgomery, who was not selected in the 1992 NFL draft after two injury-plagued seasons at Mississippi. “I wasn’t intimidated, but I knew that I was a longshot.”

Following a local hero is not a situation athletes enjoy because of the ready-made pressure that comes with it. But it’s something Montgomery has had to deal with all his life.

He comes from a large football-playing family. Of the 10 boys raised in the Montgomerys’ Greenville, Miss., home, nine went to college on football scholarships and five have played football professionally, four in the NFL.

This fall, Tyrone and younger brother Fred, a rookie wide receiver with the Philadelphia Eagles, join brothers Wilbert and Cleota in the NFL’s modern-era record book.

The Montgomerys will tie the Browner family--Ross, Jim, Joey and Keith--for the most brothers to play in the league since World War II. The all-time record is six held by the Nesser family in the 1920s.

“There definitely is something special about our family,” Montgomery said. “It’s amazing when (one) considers the amount of talent we have among us. All nine of the brothers really could have played in the NFL. Whatever the NFL record is, we could have broken it.”

So for Tyrone, replacing Allen cannot be any harder than playing after his brothers in high school.

“We tried not to make more pressure for him,” said Lenny Montgomery, who lives in Long Beach. “We knew that he had the ability, we just tried to make sure that he was ready mentally.”

Before training camp, Montgomery was considered only as a project at running back. But with Allen gone and last year’s starter, Eric Dickerson, traded to the Atlanta Falcons, Montgomery got his chance early and has turned heads during the exhibition season.

“So far, he’s had a hell of a training camp,” Raider Coach Art Shell said. “We decided to switch him to running back after watching him give our defense fits all last season in practice. He’s as quick as a hiccup and a very strong kid. He’s done very well for us.”

Although he is listed third on the team’s depth chart at running back, Montgomery is the Raiders’ leading rusher after three exhibitions and has made a strong push to have a larger role.

It’s not a bad showing for a player who suffered two major knee injuries in college and has not played a full season since his days at Tyler Junior College in Texas.

“It’s been a long road for me,” Montgomery said. “When I suffered my knee injuries in college, I actually thought of giving up football. I feel that I am blessed to have an opportunity now to still go out there and play.”

In college, Montgomery averaged 25.7 yards per catch as a junior, and once caught 12 passes against Kentucky for 202 yards and a touchdown as a senior.

One reason the Raiders were interested in Montgomery was his family history. Consider:

--Alfred, 40, the oldest, is considered by the family as the most talented athlete, but his career was shortened because of injuries.

--Wilbert, 38, was the most famous brother, a three-time Pro Bowl running back with the Philadelphia Eagles, whom he helped lead into Super Bowl XV in 1981.

--Cleota, 36, was a wide receiver/kick returner, who played nine years with the Raiders and Cleveland Browns.

--Willie, 33, was a running back who followed Wilbert and Cleota to Abilene Christian before his career ended because of a knee injury.

--Jerry, 32, was a wide receiver who played at Cal State Long Beach and had a tryout with the Chicago Bears, but played with the New Orleans Breakers of the now-defunct USFL.

--Lenny, 31, was a running back who rushed for more than 1,000 yards and caught 50 passes as a senior at Cal State Long Beach before suffering a career-ending knee injury.

--John, 30, the biggest of the brothers, played linebacker at the University of Cincinnati.

--Fred, 22, is a free-agent wide receiver with the Eagles, who established school kick return records at New Mexico State.

Of the brothers, Tyrone is considered among the quietest. The only time it is difficult to get him to stop talking is when he is talking about his family.

“When you stop and think about how nine brothers all went to college on football scholarships and eight will have degrees, it’s amazing,” Tyrone said. “And the special thing is how we all keep in touch. I talk to all of my brothers at least once a week.

“It’s great how we’ve stuck together.”