Marc Trestman

Marc Trestman is an American professional football coach renowned for his expertise in offensive strategies and quarterback development, with a career spanning over 40 years across the NFL, CFL, college football, and other leagues. Born in 1956 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he rose from a standout high school athlete in St. Louis Park to become a head coach who led teams to three Grey Cup championships in the CFL and set franchise offensive records during his tenure with the Chicago Bears. As of 2025, Trestman serves as the senior offensive assistant for the Los Angeles Chargers under head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Trestman began his football journey as a quarterback at the University of Minnesota, where he played behind future NFL coach Tony Dungy, before transferring to Moorhead State University for his senior year. After attending training camps with the Minnesota Vikings as a safety, he transitioned to coaching, earning a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Minnesota and later a law degree from the University of Miami School of Law, where he was admitted to the Florida bar in 1983. Despite his legal qualifications, Trestman pursued coaching full-time, starting as a volunteer assistant at the University of Miami in 1981 and quickly advancing to quarterbacks coach there by 1983.

Marc Marlyn Trestman was born on January 15, 1956, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Jewish parents.

Trestman's father, Jerry Trestman, was a musician who owned and operated a musical instrument store for 45 years and had no background in sports or higher education. The family resided in St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis known for its large and prominent Jewish community, where they lived a middle-class life. Trestman occasionally helped at a family restaurant, sharing his father's interests in music and football during his early years.

Trestman, who is Jewish and maintains deep roots in his native Minnesota from his upbringing in the Minneapolis area, has resided in several cities tied to his coaching positions, with his family adapting to the demands of his nomadic professional life. He lived in Montreal from 2008 to 2012 while serving as head coach of the Canadian Football League's Alouettes; in Chicago from 2013 to 2014 as head coach of the NFL's Bears, where the family settled in the suburb of Winnetka; and in Baltimore from 2015 to 2016 as offensive coordinator for the Ravens, though Cindy chose to remain in the Glencoe townhome the family purchased in 2015 to provide stability. Trestman then moved to Toronto from 2017 to 2018 for another CFL head coaching stint with the Argonauts, after which the family sold their Glencoe home. As of November 2025, Trestman resides in Southern California, where he joined the Los Angeles Chargers as a senior offensive assistant in 2024.