Photo caption: Richard Hightower (courtesy: Chicago Bears)
The NFL hosted a Coach Accelerator Program at the Spring League meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May. The Spring Accelerator follows the inaugural Coach and Front Office Accelerator and the Front Office Accelerator hosted at previous League meetings in 2022.
According to the Chicago Bears, the team will be represented by Special Teams Coordinator Richard Hightower.
“Richard is a valuable asset to our Chicago Bears. He is an outstanding leader, teacher and communicator,” said head coach Matt Eberflus. “We couldn’t be more excited about his opportunity to represent the Chicago Bears in the NFL Accelerator Program. He is ready to take the next step to becoming a head coach.”
Hightower enters his second season as the Chicago Bears special teams coordinator in 2023 and his third year overall in Chicago, after previously serving as the club’s assistant Special Teams coach in 2016, according to the Bears. Hightower has 16 years of NFL coaching experience, including stops with the Houston Texans (2006-08), Washington Commanders (2010-13), Cleveland Browns (2014), San Francisco 49ers (2015; 2017-21) and Chicago Bears (2016; 2022-present).
The Coach Accelerator aims to increase exposure between owners, executives, and diverse coaching talent, providing ample opportunity to develop and build upon their relationships. In a change to the nomination process this year, clubs were able to nominate those from outside their organization, which promotes recognition and growth beyond one’s current club.
The 40 participants this year are attending based on their high potential to be considered for a head coach position in the future. Sixteen of the participants will be returning from the May 2022 Accelerator cohort.
“In the year since its inception, we’ve been encouraged by the positive response to the Accelerator from both club owners and participants,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We look forward to continuing to build on an incredible program that supports diverse talent.”
In addition to networking, further development of the participants is a critical component of the accelerator, with curated content sessions scheduled that will further engage each participant on the advancement of their executive leadership skills and Business of Football acumen.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
