Bears’ Richard Hightower to participate in the Coach Accelerator Program

On Wednesday, the League announced the participants in this year’s Coach Accelerator Program, which is a “continuation of the NFL’s commitment to promoting greater diversity across the NFL.” The Chicago Bears will have Special Teams Coordinator Richard Hightower in attendance.

The 2023 Coach Accelerator will take place on May 21-23 at the Spring League Meeting in Minneapolis, and here are a few more specifics from the NFL press release:

The Coach Accelerator aims to increase exposure between owners, executives, and diverse coaching talent, providing ample opportunity to develop and build upon their relationships.

The 40 participants this year are attending based on their high potential to be considered for a Head Coach position in the future.

“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.”

Hightower is in his second season with the Bears as their coordinator after previously serving as a special teams assistant in 2016. The 42-year-old has been coaching in the NFL since 2006.

A few other participants this year with previous connections to the Bears are Sean Desai, Leslie Frazier, and Pep Hamilton.

The Bears had two participants at last year’s inaugural Coach and Front Office Accelerator when assistant general manager Ian Cunningham and defensive coordinator Alan Williams were selected.