Bears hire Richard Hightower as assistant special teams coach

The Chicago Bears have announced that they have hired Richard Hightower as assistant special teams coach. He replaces Derius Swinton who left to become the special teams coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers.

Hightower has ten years of coaching experience most recently as an assistant special teams coach with the 49ers. In 2014 he was offensive quality control coach for the Cleveland Browns working with Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, who was the Browns QB coach at the time.

From 2010-2013 Hightower was an assistant special teams coach for the Washington Redskins, and during his last two years in Washington he was also the assistant defensive backs coach.

In 2009 he was the wide receivers coach at the University of Minnesota.

From 2006-2008 he was on staff with the Houston Texans, serving as a coaching assistant his first two years and as a special teams assistant in 2008.

Hightower was a walk on wide receiver at the University of Texas in 1999, eventually earning a full scholarship. His senior year he was awarded the D. Harold Byrd Leadership Award by the coaching staff.