Richard Hightower enters his third season as the Chicago Bears special teams coordinator in 2024 and his fourth year overall in Chicago after previously serving as the club's assistant special teams coach in 2016. Hightower has 17 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).
Most recently in 2023, the club saw a career-year from kicker Cairo Santos. He went 35-38 on field goals and 31-33 on extra points on the season and set the Bears single-season record for field goals made in a season. He also set career-highs in field goals made, points scored in a season (136) and field goals made from 50+ yards (7). Santos was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in November. Wide receiver Trent Taylor served as the club's 2023 punt returner all season. Taylor had 23 returns on the season for 188 yards (8.2 avg.) with 21 fair catches. In the kick return game, wide receiver Velus Jones Jr., who owns 1,042 yards on 38 career returns (27.4 avg.), got the majority of the workload. On the season, Jones returned 16 kicks for 435 yards (27.2 avg.). He passed 1,000 kick return yards for his career in Week 18 against the Packers. Rookie wideout Tyler Scott also added to the kick return game this season. Scott returned five kicks for 108 yards (21.6 avg.). His four returns for 84 yards in Week 1 was good for 8th among all returners and third among NFC returners.
In Hightower's first year as the Bears special teams coordinator, the Bears finished as one of the top special teams units across the league in several categories: they led the NFL in fewest penalties committed, were second in the NFL in special teams takeaways, second in the league in kickoff return average (fifth in drive start position), second in the NFL in opponent field goal percentage, third in the NFL in tackles inside the 20-yard line on kickoff while also posting the third-highest net punt average in Bears history.
Individually, Bears kicker Cairo Santos connected on 21-of-23 field goal attempts (91.3%) this past season. In doing so, he became the most accurate kicker in Bears history (min. 80 attempts), knocking in 78-of-87 (89.7%) field goals in a Bears uniform. Newcomer Trenton Gill finished the 2022 regular season logging 66 punts and compiled a 46.0 average (40.3 net). Gill's net average is the third-highest single-season net average dating back to 1920, and the 46.0 average was the fourth-highest single-season average in franchise history. In the return game, rookie wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. showed growth as a kick returner, producing an average of 27.6 yards on 22 returns, good for the 12th-highest single-season kick return average in Bears history (min. 15 attempts).
Prior to his arrival in Chicago, Hightower spent the 2017-21 seasons in San Francisco as the club's special teams coordinator. During the 2021 season, the 49ers' special teams played a key role in the team's postseason run to the NFC Championship game. In the divisional round win at the Packers, Hightower's unit blocked a punt for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to tie the game, and also converted on the game-winning field goal as time expired. They also blocked a field goal as time expired going into halftime to keep it a one-possession game. Then to open the second half, Deebo Samuel set the 49ers up with great field position with a 45-yard kickoff return.
Punter Mitch Wishnowsky had an outstanding year in 2021. He earned his second-career NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honor after Week 2 after his outing against the Eagles where he recorded two punts that pinned Philadelphia inside their own 10-yard line, neither resulting in points, and finished the day with five punts for 226 yards (45.2 average) with three landing inside the 20. He also earned NFC Player of the Month honors for September. That month, Wishnowsky registered 11 punts for 515 yards (46.8 average), including a long of 59. Those 11 punts were returned for a total of only 19 yards and of his 11 punts, six landed inside the opposition's 20-yard line. Wishnowsky and special teamer Trenton Cannon also were named Pro Bowl alternates following the 2021 season.
From 2017-20, the 49ers kicking unit tied for second in the NFL in made field goals (124) and fifth in field goal percentage (88.6). In addition, San Francisco's punt coverage ranked second over that time span, holding opponent punt returns to an average of 6.2 yards per return.
In 2020, Hightower helped Wishnowsky record the ninth-most punts inside the 20-yard line (25) in the NFL while finishing in the top-12 in both net (41.6, 12th) and gross (46.9, 11th) average. Kicker Robbie Gould converted 19 of 23 field goals (82.6 percent) and earned NFL Special Teams Player of the Week honors in Week 12.
In 2019, Hightower led the 49ers special teams unit that had an average starting field position of the 32.1-yard line, ranking second in the NFL. San Francisco also held opponents to an average starting field position of the 24.7-yard line, which ranked seventh. Kicker Robbie Gould connected on 23 of 31 field goal attempts and finished the season with 110 points, marking his third-consecutive 100-or-more point season with the 49ers. He was also named Special Teams Player of the Month for December for the third-consecutive season since joining the 49ers in 2017. Wishnowsky registered a 44.9 punt average which ranked second among all rookies in franchise history (min. 20 punts) and wide receiver Richie James Jr. ranked seventh in the NFL in punt return average (8.0) and 10th in kickoff return average (21.4).
Under Hightower in 2018, San Francisco's special teams units flourished. Gould set the 49ers single-season franchise record for field goal percentage (97.1), as he connected on 33 of 34 field goal attempts and finished the season with 126 points. He also set the franchise record for most consecutive field goals made (33) and finished the season connecting on each of his final 23 attempts. Gould was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December and was a two-time recipient of the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week Award (Week 2 & 15). Rookie WR Richie James Jr. was named All-NFC kick returner by the PFWA as he averaged 25.2 yards per kickoff return, which ranked seventh in the NFL. James Jr. also registered the team's first kickoff return for a touchdown (97 yards) since 2011.
In 2017, the 49ers special teams units excelled under Hightower's guidance. In his first season with the 49ers, Gould had a career year, leading the NFL with a career-high 39 made field goals and finishing third in the NFL with a career-high 145 points. Gould's 39 made field goals were the second-most in a single-season in franchise history (K David Akers – 44 made field goals in 2011) and tied for the third-most in a single-season in NFL history. P Bradley Pinion set a career high with a 41.3 net punting average and the punt coverage unit ranked second in the NFL, allowing 4.2 yards per return. The 4.2 opponent punt return average was the eighth-best in the NFL since 2001.
As an assistant special teams coach with Chicago in 2016, the Bears kickoff coverage team finished seventh in the NFL in opponent drive start average. Deonte Thompson led the NFL in kickoff returns with 35 and ranked second with 810 yards. Punt returner Eddie Royal scored on a 65-yard touchdown on Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles, while Sherrick McManis led the Bears in special teams tackles and finished top 10 in the NFL, recording 13 stops.
In 2015, Hightower first joined San Francisco as an assistant special teams coach. That season, Hightower helped the 49ers punt coverage unit rank eighth in the NFL allowing just 6.4 yards per return, while working with rookie P Bradley Pinion. K Phil Dawson was 10th in the NFL with an 88.9 field goal percentage (tied for the fourth highest percentage of his 17-year career at the time).
Hightower spent the 2014 season working on offense in Cleveland assisting the wide receivers after working as an assistant special teams coach for four seasons in Washington (2010-13). With Washington, he worked under longtime special teams coordinator Danny Smith. Hightower also spent two seasons (2012-13) as the assistant defensive backs coach with Washington. Over his four seasons in Washington, they ranked third in the NFL in kickoff coverage, allowing just 21.2 yards per return, including leading the league in 2010 and 2011. Hightower's coaching on special teams helped Lorenzo Alexander lead the NFL with 21 special teams tackles en route to being named the NFC's special teams player in the Pro Bowl, in 2012. Hightower was also instrumental in the development of first-year kicker Kai Forbath, who broke an NFL record by hitting his first 17 field goal attempts and led the NFL with a 94.4 field goal percentage.
As assistant defensive back coach, Hightower helped the unit rank sixth in the NFL in interceptions (37) and tied for second in the NFL in interception returns for touchdowns (seven) over the two-year span. DeAngelo Hall led the NFL in defensive touchdowns (three). In 2012, Washington ranked first in the NFC in passes defensed and had four returned touchdowns.
From 2006-08, Hightower was on Houston's coaching staff as a coaching assistant (2006-07) before being elevated to special teams assistant (2008). In Houston, he served under widely respected then-special teams coordinator Joe Marciano, who had more than 30 years of experience coaching special teams at the time. In 2008, Houston was 11th in the NFL in kickoff coverage (22.3 yards per return). Punt returner Jacoby Jones finished fifth in the NFL and second in Houston single-season annals with a 12.1 average, including a franchise single-season record two punt return touchdowns. Kicker Kris Brown set franchise records for points (124), field goals made (29) and field goal percentage (87.9). In 2007, the kickoff return unit featuring Jerome Mathis and Andre Davis became only the fourth team in NFL history to score four touchdowns on kickoff returns in a single season.
In between his time in Houston and Washington, Hightower spent the 2009 season as wide receivers coach at the University of Minnesota. Under his tutelage, Eric Decker was named a First-Team All-Big Ten selection that season before being selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round (87th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.
A native of Houston, Hightower earned his bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Texas where he was a three-year letterman and special teams standout for the Longhorns. He went to Austin as an academic scholar and later earned an athletic scholarship after walking on. Following his senior season, then-head coach Mack Brown and his staff voted Hightower the D. Harold Byrd Leadership Award winner.
Hightower and his wife, Lanet, have two sons Jaxson and Kaden and a daughter, Reagan.
