LAKE FOREST, IL – The Chicago Bears have hired Curtis Johnson as their wide receivers coach, Ben McDaniels as their offensive assistant and promoted Pierre Ngo to assistant strength and conditioning coach.-Curtis JohnsonJohnson has 32 years coaching experience including the last four as head coach at Tulane after 28 seasons as a wide receivers coach at the NFL, collegiate and high school levels.-In four seasons (2012-15) at Tulane, Johnson compiled a 15-34 record, highlighted by the school’s first bowl bid in 11 years following the 2013 season.-From 2006-11 Johnson was the wide receivers coach of the New Orleans Saints. During those six seasons, Johnson helped the wide receivers become part of a Saints passing offense that led the NFL in gross passing yards (28,749), completion percentage (67.6) and passing touchdowns (202). The Saints had 42 100-yard receiving performances by wide receivers during those six seasons. The Saints made four playoff appearances, won three division titles and won Super Bowl XLIV following the 2009 season while Johnson was with the team. In 2011, New Orleans established an NFL record for gross passing yards (5,505; now second in NFL history)-Johnson oversaw the development of Marques Colston, a seventh round selection (252nd overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft. During Johnson’s six seasons with the Saints, Colston ranked eighth in the NFL in receiving yards (6,240), ninth in receptions (449) and seventh in receiving touchdowns (48), while compiling five of his six career 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Colston’s 98 receptions in 2007 established a new franchise mark (now second) and his 11 touchdowns that season tied a franchise record (now tied for second).-Prior to his time in New Orleans, Johnson spent 22 seasons as a wide receivers coach at the collegiate level. From 1996-2005, Johnson was a wide receivers coach of the Miami Hurricanes helping recruit and develop future NFL Pro Bowlers Andre Johnson, Santana Moss and Reggie Wayne among 10 NFL Draft picks at the wide receiver position. The Hurricanes went on to win the 2001 National Championship during Johnson’s tenure with the school.-Johnson came to Miami from California where he coached six-year NFL receiver Bobby Shaw in 1995. A year prior, Johnson was the wide receivers coach at SMU (1994) after spending five seasons at San Diego State (1989-93). While at SDSU, Johnson helped recruit RB Marshall Faulk, who was a New Orleans native like Johnson, as well as eight-year NFL receiver Darnay Scott.-His first collegiate coaching job came at his alma mater, Idaho, in 1987 coaching the wide receivers for two seasons. His first overall coaching experience was at Lewiston (Idaho) High School where he coached the wide receivers from 1984-86.Johnson and his wife, Angel, have six children.-Ben McDanielsMcDaniels has 13 years of coaching experience, spending the previous two seasons at Rutgers, including 2015 as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach of the Scarlet Knights.-In 2015, McDaniels helped sophomore quarterback Chris Laviano to a 60.9 completion percentage (187-of-307), the first Rutgers QB to complete over 60 percent of his passes since Mike Teel in 2008. Laviano’s 386 passing yards at Indiana, in 2015 were tied for the fifth-best mark in school history.-McDaniels joined Rutgers in 2014 as the school’s wide receivers coach. In two seasons at the school, McDaniels helped wide receiver Leonte Carroo set a Rutgers career record with 29 touchdown receptions while ranking third with 2,373 receiving yards in 31 games played.-Prior to his time at Rutgers, McDaniels spent two seasons (2012-13) as an offensive assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From 2009-10, McDaniels worked on the staff of the Denver Broncos, overseeing the quarterbacks in 2010 after starting as an offensive assistant in 2009.-McDaniels joined the NFL ranks after spending four years coaching high school football in Ohio at Massillon’s Jackson High School (2008, quarterbacks), Canton McKinley Senior High School (2006-07, quarterbacks) and Warren Harding High School (2003, wide receivers). In between high school coaching stops, McDaniels spent two seasons (2004-05) as a graduate assistant at the University of Minnesota, working with the wide receivers in 2004 and the defensive backs in 2005.-The Canton, Ohio native played quarterback at Kent State from 1999-2001.He and his wife, Kyle, have a daughter.Pierre NgoNgo spent the 2015 season as a strength and conditioning assistant with the Bears.Prior to joining the Bears, Ngo was a strength and conditioning assistant at UCLA in 2014 working with the Bruins football program.Before his time with the Bears, Ngo previously worked in the NFL spending two seasons with the New York Jets as an assistant strength and conditioning coach (2013) and strength and conditioning intern (2012).-He joined the Jets after spending one season at Arizona State, where he served as an assistant strength coach for the Sun Devils football team and the head strength coach for the women’s volleyball, women’s tennis and men’s golf programs.-From 2009-11, Ngo worked at the Philippi Sports Institute in Las Vegas, training NFL, MMA, MLB, and high school athletes. He started his strength and conditioning coaching career as an intern at ASU (2008) and UNLV (2008-09).
