Bears Running Back David Montgomery Surprises Oswego East Football Players, Donates $2.5K

OSWEGO, IL — "As coaches ... sometimes it's a good thing to sometimes bring people around our team that sometimes know a little bit more than we do," an Oswego East High School football coach told his players as they kneeled on the field during practice Monday afternoon. Seconds later, out walked Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery to surprise the boys and later donate $2,500 to the school's athletic association.

The professional player partnered with ReadyRefresh, a beverage delivery service, and made the donation to the school, causing an eruption of cheers from the high school students. The company offers a variety of spring water brands including Ice Mountain and Poland Spring.

Montgomery stood in front of a large group of Oswego East boys, with his back to a ReadyRefresh truck, as he talked to them about his career — spanning high school to the pros — and the importance of staying hydrated.

Afterward, he stood in front of the crowd and gave out free water bottles to each player. Some of the boys stuck their hands out for fist bumps from the player, and one boy shouted to him, "You're on my fantasy [team]."

The Bears placed the 24-year-old running back on injured reserve after a knee sprain he suffered during the team's winning game against the Detroit Lions Oct. 3. From that point, Montgomery was expected to be sidelined for four to five weeks, according to reports from ESPN.

Prior to his injury, the first major one of his NFL career, the player from Iowa State University had 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

(For more news and information like this, subscribe to the Oswego Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to like us on Facebook!)