CFL.ca
CFL.ca Staff
MONTREAL — For the first time since 2008, the Montreal Alouettes will be looking for a new head coach following the departure of Marc Trestman who has accepted a position with the Chicago Bears of the NFL.
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Related: Trestman Era Over |
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For the first time since 2008, the Alouettes will be looking for a new head coach following the departure of Marc Trestman who has accepted a position with the Chicago Bears. Here’s the latest on his departure and what it means for the Als. Headlines: |
Trestman joined the Alouettes in ’08 and immediately made his mark, leading the club to a Grey Cup berth in his first season as head coach. Montreal would fall to Calgary that year but Trestman would guide them to two consecutive championship seasons in 2009 and 2010.
In his tenure with the Als, Trestman steered the team to a 59-31 record and first place finishes in four of the five years he coached Montreal.
Trestman began his coaching career in 1981 with the University of Miami while attending law school there. In 1983, after passing the Florida Bar exam, he was named the Hurricanes’ quarterbacks coach and Miami won the National Championship that year, defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 31-30 in an Orange Bowl.
“My family and I are delighted for Coach Trestman, his lovely wife Cindy, and their two daughters upon his appointment as the head coach of the Chicago Bears,” said Alouettes Owner Bob Wetenhall. He has recently visited with me about going back to the National Football League where he spent 17 years and I was delighted to let him do that after 5 years of service to the Alouettes. His contributions to our franchise, our community and the CFL have extended far beyond his very successful coaching record.”
Prior to Trestman’s hiring, legendary coach Don Matthews patrolled the sidelines before leaving the team for personal reasons in the middle of the 2006 season. Current VP, GM & Director of Football Operations and Player Personnel Jim Popp took over for Matthews and coached the club through the end of the 2007 season before appointing Trestman to the post.
“When we recruited him over five years ago, he expressed to me then that along with fulfilling his coaching obligations, he also wanted to have a positive influence on the players in their personal lives which he has done so well,” continued Wetenhall. “Our franchise will miss him, as will I, as we’ve become very good friends. We wish him and his family all good things in the future. I will be announcing the appointment of our new head coach in the weeks ahead.”
Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp also wished Trestman the best of luck saying, “I am very happy for Marc, Cindy, Sarahanne, and Chloe today. This has been a life long dream that has come true. All Montreal and CFL fans should also be happy for Marc. No question, we have a huge challenge to find our next coach to follow the footsteps of Marc, but we have had success in the past and we will meet the challenge head on and find a new head coach who can continue setting the high standards that we expect in Montreal.”
In 1985, legendary NFL head coach Bud Grant came out of retirement and hired Trestman to his first job in the National Football League with the Minnesota Vikings. Four years later, Trestman was named the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns, reuniting him with Kosar.
In 1995, he was hired by George Seifert as the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. In Trestman’s first season with the then-defending Super Bowl champions, the 49ers ranked first in the NFL with 457 points for, 644 pass attempts and 4,779 passing yards. They also ranked second with 391.1 total yards per game, while legendary receiver Jerry Rice set an NFL record with 1,848 yards on 122 catches, scoring 15 touchdowns along the way. Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young made the Pro Bowl after throwing for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns.
