St. Louis Park Native Marc Trestman Picked to Lead Chicago Bears

After waiting literally years to get his first head coaching shot in the National Football League, St. Louis Park native Marc Trestman will have a chance to lead one of pro football's storied franchises.

Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times, himself a one-time Minnesotan, announced at 4 a.m. Wednesday the Chicago Bears had offered the head coaching job to Trestman, who now was most recently the head coach of the Montreal Allouettes in the Canadian Football League.  The franchise won Grey Cups (the equivalent of the Super Bowl in the CFL) in 2009 and 2010.

Trestman, a quarterback for the Minnesota Gophers and Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons in his college career, graduated from St. Louis Park High School in 1974.

He broke into the National Football League in 1985, one of Bud Grant’s final seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (Grant would retire, then return for one season). He served as running backs coach. He returned as quarterbacks coach 1990-1991.

He would coach around the National Football League in the 1990s, with stints in Cleveland, Detroit, and going to a Super Bowl with Rich Gannon and the Oakland Radiers in 2002.

He was offensive coordinator for North Carolina State in the NCAA for one season before heading to Canada for his first head coaching job.

Now, he takes over the Chicago team that was 6-0 at one point in last year’s season, but was beset by injuries and an offense that ranked close to last in the league.

He will join Matt Spaeth, a former Gopher and St. Michael-Albertville High School graduate, in Chicago.

Trestman will have to decide if he will keep another Minnesotan, former Vikings head coach and Edina resident Mike Tice, on his new staff as he puts his touches on the team.