Faced with what he termed a career-changing business opportunity, Missouri State assistant football coach Bob Montgomery announced late Wednesday (Aug. 22) that he will step down from his post with the Bears’ staff next week.
The MSU tight ends and special teams coach, who joined the Bears in 2008, will be replaced on an interim basis by Rob Bolks who served on Coach Terry Allen’s staff here from 2006 until his retirement in 2010. Bolks also worked with Allen at previous stops at Northern Iowa (1985-88) and Kansas (1998-2001) and spent the 2011 season as a color analyst on Bears’ radio broadcasts.
“Bob has an incredible financial opportunity outside of coaching that will be a wonderful thing for he and his family,” said Allen. “We appreciate the time and effort he has put into our program, and we wish him nothing but the best. We are extremely fortunate to have Rob Bolks in the community and his wiliness to come out of retirement to help our program throughout the season is an incredible stroke of luck. Rob and I have coached together for over twenty years and his knowledge of our program will make this a very easy transition.”
Montgomery said his appreciation to Allen and the Missouri State community is heart-felt.
“I’m grateful to Coach Allen, Bill Rowe, Kyle Moats for the opportunity they have given me at Missouri State,” said Montgomery. “I’ve made some good friends, met some great people, and I really feel like the program and the university are headed in the right direction. The decision (to leave) was very hard, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I just cannot pass up. I feel like it is the best thing for my future and for my family.”
A 2004 graduate of Iowa State, Montgomery was a star player and academic standout for the Cyclones before entering the coaching profession. He began as an assistant at Ames (Iowa) High School in 2004-05 before coaching three years at Bryant (R.I.) University from 2005-07. His most-recent career stop in Springfield which began in 2008 with his wife Kirby was also memorable with the birth of their two daughters, Kinsley and Kollins, here.
Montgomery coached an all-conference tight end in three of his four years at MSU, including 2012 preseason All-MVFC performer Matt Thayer and Clay Harbor who was a consensus All-America pick in 2009 and is currently playing with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bolks, also a product of Iowa State (1974), is expected to serve on the Missouri State staff for the remainder of the 2012 season.
— MSU Sports Information —