The Bears announced the hiring of Marc Trestman as their head coach at 4:08 a.m. Wednesday.
Trestman, who turned 57 on Tuesday, has been the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League since 2008. But he earned most of his reputation as a quarterback guru in 18 years as an NFL assistant.
Here's a quick look at Trestman's accomplishments prior to coming to Chicago:
1. Won two Canadian Football League championships in three Grey Cup appearances in five seasons as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes. The Alouettes were 8-10 the season prior to Trestman's arrival. They are 59-31 with four division titles since.
2. Was the offensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders when quarterback Rich Gannon won the NFL's MVP award and the Raiders reached the Super Bowl in 2002. Gannon's career completion percentage was 57.8 percent before Trestman coached him in Oakland and 66.8 in two seasons under Trestman.
3. With Trestman as offensive coordinator, the 49ers led the NFL in scoring (28.6 ppg) and passing (299 ypg) with Steve Young (92.3 rating in 11 starts) and Elvis Grbac (96.6 rating in five starts) at quarterback in 1995. Young led the NFL in passer rating (97.2) in 1996.
4. The Arizona Cardinals, with Jake Plummer at quarterback, made the playoffs for the first time in 16 years with Trestman as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 1998. Plummer had passer ratings of 94.1, 90.5 and 70.6 as the Cardinals won their last three games to make the postseason, then threw two TD passes in a road playoff victory over the Cowboys.
5. Inheriting a team in Montreal that had allowed 68 sacks in 2007, Trestman adjusted quarterback Anthony Calvillo's drops from five steps to three. The Alouettes allowed 22 sacks in 2008 and Calvillo threw 43 touchdown passes (after throwing 17 the previous season) and was named the CFL's most outstanding player.
6. Calvillo, a strong-armed veteran CFL gunslinger, had an average passer rating of 94.9 (182 TDs, 90 INTs) in seven seasons prior to Trestman's arrival in Montreal. In his first three seasons under Trestman -- at age 36-38 -- Calvillo had passer ratings of 107.2, 108.4 and 108.1 (101 TDs, 26 INTs total) and won two Grey Cups and two league MVP awards.
7. Trestman went to the playoffs in his first season with the Browns (1988), 49ers (1995), Lions (1997), Cardinals (1998) and Raiders (2001). He also won a national championship in his first year as quarterbacks coach with the University of Miami (1983) and went to a bowl game in his first season at North Carolina State (2005) and to the Grey Cup in his first season with the Alouettes (2008).
8. After a 2-4 start in 2005 as offensive coordinator at N.C. State, Trestman ditched the West Coast offense, changed quarterbacks and went to a running attack. The Wolfpack went 5-1 after the switch, including a victory over South Florida in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
9. Trestman recruited quarterback Russell Wilson of Richmond, Va. to North Carolina State in 2006, acknowledging his lack of height but calling Wilson one of the most accurate quarterbacks he had ever seen. N.C. State head coach Chuck Amato was fired after the 10-6 season and Wilson never played for Trestman.
10. Trestman was a finalist for the University of Miami opening that went to Al Golden in 2011, though he reportedly took his name out of consideration before a decision was made. He also was a candidate for the Indianapolis Colts opening last year that went to Chuck Pagano.
NC State beat South Florida in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Not Georgia.
Ummm..the Raiders lost the Super Bowl in 2002.
They didn't lose because of Trestman. Bill Callahan was a horrible head coach and he cost them any chance of winning. But even with a good head coach, Tampa was simply a much better team that year. I don't see how your comment is relevant to Trestman becoming the new Bear head coach.