Peoria High hires a new football head coach. Meet him here
Aaron Montgomery will take over the Peoria High football program.
Montgomery was hired as the new Peoria High football coach, receiving approval Monday night at the monthly Peoria Public Schools board meeting. Peoria High athletics director Brien Dunphy said he had around 15 applicants including three internal ones.
"He's just such a calm and relaxed and intelligent, thoughtful leader," Dunphy said of selecting Montgomery. "Even as a freshman coach or a line coach, he just stands out in that role. He's just kind of a born head coach."
The former Lions assistant served as the offensive line coach for the last three seasons. He replaces Tim Thornton, who resigned last month after 14 years for a job at Lely High School in Naples, Florida, where former Richwoods player Ben Hammer is the head coach. Thornton had a 94-50 record at Peoria High and won the 2016 Class 5A state championship.
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“It’s been a whirlwind," said Montgomery, who started on Thornton’s staff in 2015. “To go from a player in the program to coaching it to being on the field winning a ring to now leading the show … these 10 years have zoomed by.
“The myriad of tasks and jobs that I’ve had, but to now be the guy, it’s still almost unbelievable.”
After playing tight end, offensive line and defensive end for Central coach Dick Isaacson from 2000-2003, the 2004 Peoria High grad played baseball at Illinois Central College as a pitcher before serving in the Navy. He currently has been a paraprofessional and behavioral interventionalist at Peoria High for the last seven years.
In Montgomery’s previous nine seasons on the Lions staff, he was the head freshman coach for three years, then spent the next three seasons as the head JV coach. His promotion to the varsity offensive line coach came prior to the 2021 fall season.
A "commitment to excellence" is the big takeaway Montgomery learned from Thornton.
“I don’t know if people understand," Montgomery said, “the amount of time we spend on day-to-day, week-to-week basis as coaches with our players; by ourselves as coaches getting better. It was impressed upon me in this last 10 years an attention to detail like no other.
“… It’s unseen the amount of time and dedication to that detail. That’s definitely something that will carry over with me going forward."
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The team is scheduled to meet with Montgomery later in the school day on Tuesday. That's when he and his coaching staff, which a large chunk is set to return, will get Montgomery’s initial introduction. From there, offseason expectations will be laid out and things will get started for the Lions, who have just their 12th football coach since 1919.
“My motto going forward is, ‘Change lives and win football games,’” Montgomery said. “That’ll be my goal and my aim.”
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA football: Peoria High hires new head coach to replace Tim Thornton
