DeMontie E. Cross (born 1974) is the current director of player personnel for TCU. He was formerly the defensive coordinator of the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

football team.

Biography

Cross is a graduate of

Hazelwood East High School Hazelwood East High School is one of three high schools in the Hazelwood School District, St. Louis County, Missouri, the others being Hazelwood West High School and Hazelwood Central High School. It is at 11300 Dunn Road in Spanish Lake, Missour ...

in St. Louis County, Missouri and the

. While at Missouri, he played on the football team as a free safety and was named second-team All- Big Eight in 1995 and second-team All-

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...

in 1996. Cross has two children.

Coaching career

Cross began his college coaching career at his alma mater. He served as the outside linebackers coach from 1998 to 1999. In 2000, he served as the defensive backfield coach with the

Sam Houston State Bearkats The Sam Houston State Bearkats are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Sam Houston State University, located in Huntsville, Texas. Sam Houston's colors are orange and white and their sports teams' nickname is the Bearkats. Sam Ho ...

. From 2001 to 2005, he was the outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator of the

Iowa State Cyclones The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's an ...

. Cross joined the staff of the Buffalo Bills in 2006. He first served as a defensive and special teams assistant before being promoted assistant linebackers coach and special teams coordinator, serving in those positions for three seasons. Cross spent his final season with the Bills as the inside linebackers coach. In 2016, Cross was selected by new Missouri head coach,

Barry Odom Barry Stephen Odom (born November 26, 1976) is an American football coach and currently the head coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Odom spent 15 years with the Missouri Tigers program as a player, recruiter, assistant coach, and head ...

, to become the defensive coordinator. Mid-season, Cross was stripped of his play calling duties by Odom. In 2018, Cross returned to TCU as director of player personnel.

References

1974 births Living people Sportspeople from St. Louis County, Missouri Players of American football from Missouri American football safeties Missouri Tigers football players Coaches of American football from Missouri Wisconsin Badgers football coaches Missouri Tigers football coaches Sam Houston Bearkats football coaches Iowa State Cyclones football coaches Buffalo Bills coaches TCU Horned Frogs football coaches Kansas Jayhawks football coaches {{Amfoot-coach-stub