CHICAGO -- Former Minnesota State University Moorhead quarterback Marc Trestman has been named the head coach of the NFL's Chicago Bears, the team announced on Wednesday.
Trestman was most recently the head coach of the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes, where he went 59-31 in five seasons and led the team to two Grey Cup championships.
The 57-year-old Trestman transferred from the University of Minnesota was a quarterback for MSUM under Dragon Sports Hall of Fame Head Coach Ross Fortier in 1978. He started five games and completed 34-of-91 passes for 423 yards. He also had a rushing touchdown. The Dragons went 6-5 that season, including 5-3 in the Northern Intercollegiate Conference.
He took over the starting job from Dragon Sports Hall of Famer Ed Schultz, currently a successful national talk show host for MSNBC. Schultz was the starting quarterback for MSUM in 1976 and 1977.
Trestman served as an assistant coach for 17 years in the NFL, including a stop as the San Francisco offensive coordinator when the 49ers led the league with 457 points. He also was the offensive coordinator for the Raiders in 2002 and helped quarterback Rich Gannon earn league MVP honors.
After playing at MSUM, he returned to Minnesota and completed his degree, and later earned a law degree from the University of Miami, where he began his coaching career.
Chicago Bears website story
Chicago Sun-Times Story
Minneapolis Star-Tribune Story
