The Chicago Bears have hired Marc Trestman, who was head coach of the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football Leage, to replace Lovie Smith. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz, File)
Marc Trestman, the new Chicago Bears head coach from St. Louis Park, was hired by Vikings coach Bud Grant as an assistant in 1985-86. Grant, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, said Wednesday morning, Jan. 16, that he wasn't surprised Trestman got the Bears job.
"It's about time," Grant said. "He's certainly qualified. He's been around the block. He's had successful programs."
Before coaching the Vikings, Grant, who also is a Canadian Football League hall of famer, coached the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers to four Grey Cup championships in 10 seasons.
Trestman coached the Montreal Alouettes to two Grey Cup titles in five seasons.
"Football is football," Grant said of the CFL. "The secret is to get the best players. Most coaches can win with the best players. It's up to the team to get the best players."
Grant said he won't take any credit for Trestman's success or his hiring by the Bears.
"I'm happy for him. He's a good guy. We've been in touch, he's from here -- St. Louis Park -- played for Minnesota. All that is good," Grant said. "But I can't say that anything I imparted to him helped him get the head coaching job in Chicago -- that was more than 25 years ago.
"But I'll be watching Chicago a little closer now."
Trestman, 57, is a former Gophers quarterback who has a law degree. Grant said Trestman doesn't need his endorsement.
"He's got other endorsements," he said. "He's got a resume that starts here, but it's a long resume of
success."How tough is it to win the Grey Cup?
"There are nine teams, so maybe you've got a better chance there than you do in (the NFL)," Grant said. "Here, we've got 32 teams. It's harder to win here than it is up there."
How will Trestman do in Chicago?
"They've got to get players," Grant said. "(Trestman) called the plays as offensive coordinator with Oakland and San Francisco, so he's pretty close to quarterbacks. (The Bears) have (QB Jay) Cutler, who's kind of a volatile guy. I think (Trestman) can handle him."
Meanwhile, Grant, 85, just returned from a deer hunting trip to Mexico.
"I'm keeping busy," he said. "Life is good."
Trestman's special-teams coordinator-running backs coach in Montreal the past five seasons has been Andy Bischoff, the former Cretin-Derham Hall assistant head football coach and dean of students.
"Marc's spent his whole life preparing for this," Bischoff said. "He's going to look to duplicate the blueprint that was used in Montreal, which was being humble, hardworking, and coming to work every day with a great appreciation for your job."
On the field, Bischoff said, Trestman is "going to find a way to protect the quarterback and make sure to hit the opposing quarterback."
At Montreal, Bischoff said Trestman "created an environment of complete buy-in from everyone, from the top player on the team to the mail delivery person to the front office, of complete respect from top to bottom.
"All the talk about (Trestman being) a guru of quarterbacks, all that's valuable. But he's going to work to create an environment in Chicago where the locker room is going to be completely connected and they will want to play for this guy."
Look for University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler on Friday in Dallas to present former Gophers QB Tony Dungy the NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award, the highest honor the NCAA can bestow on an individual who has competed in intercollegiate athletics. Kaler also is a Minnesota alumnus.
One local scalper got $550 for a pair of tickets near the court for Thursday evening's Gophers-Michigan basketball game at Williams Arena.
ESPN's Dick Vitale, Dan Shulman and Andy Katz will be in town for the Gophers-Michigan telecast.
Ex-Mr. Basketball Minnesota Royce White, suspended by the Houston Rockets, who made him their first-round draft pick in June, will be profiled on HBO on Jan 22.
DON'T PRINT THAT
Some notable Gophers football alumni lobbied hard for Marc Trestman, the new Chicago Bears' head coach, to get the head coaching job at alma mater Minnesota before Tim Brewster was hired in 2007.
Vikings wideout Jarius Wright, who would replace the enigmatic Percy Harvin if Harvin isn't back, said he definitely wants Harvin back.
"I'm probably one of the biggest team players you'll ever meet," Wright said. "I'm hoping he comes back and I get a chance to play with him. I've always looked up to Percy."
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 2,097 yards this season, has considered giving his offensive linemen wither four-wheel ATVs or snowmobiles for blocking for him.
By the way, that was Vikings Pro Bowl fullback Jerome Felton making sure to have the guy for whom he blocks, Peterson, sign some No. 28 jerseys for friends before departing for the offseason.
Gophers men's basketball coach Tubby Smith has 118 victories at Minnesota, tying him with Dan Monson for No. 6 on the school's all-time victory list.
Monson this season has Long Beach State at 8-8 overall, 4-1 in the Big West Conference.
Word is former Vikings offensive coordinator Brian Billick's interview with the Philadelphia Eagles for their head coaching job lasted eight hours.
OVERHEARD
Gophers senior forward Rodney Williams on Thursday evening's game against Michigan at Williams Arena: "We're ready. We've got a lot of gas in the tank."
Charley Walters can be reached at cwalters@pioneerpress.com.
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