"It is one of those dream jobs," Breske said. "One of the reasons why I got into this was for an opportunity to potentially work with the Bears. It is crazy that it happened."

He spent the past seven seasons as an assistant athletic trainer and director of rehabilitation with the San Francisco 49ers, who played in Super Bowl XLVII during Breske's tenure with the team. After the Bears did not retain former head athletic trainer Chris Hanks, they called the 49ers to ask about Breske's availability.

"Initially they didn't want to let me go, just because they kind of had plans with me moving into the head position there and doing some things with San Francisco," Breske said.

Breske talked with 49ers' general manager, Trent Baalke, about possibly interviewing for the position and how he wanted to pursue a job closer to home. Breske, 38, interviewed for the job on May 26 and was going back to the airport after the interview when Bears general manager Ryan Pace called him.

"He said the interview went great and they would like to make me the head athletic trainer for the Chicago Bears," Breske said.

The limousine drove him back to the Bears' headquarters and he had dinner that night with Pace and head coach John Fox to discuss the position. Breske was then officially announced as the Bears' head athletic trainer on May 29.

"He's a physical therapist and an athletic trainer, so he has a well-rounded background," Pace said in a news release. "He's progressive and forward-thinking. I like that he's thinking 'preventative injury.' He's thinking, 'OK, how can we stay ahead of the curve and prevent injuries' rather than just fixing current injuries. He's just a high-energy, high-burn guy who just puts off a positive presence that I like."

After flying back to San Francisco, Breske was in Chicago for the start of the second organized team activity practice on June 1.

"It has been one thing after another," Breske said, "but it's been a great challenge. It is a cool opportunity for us."

Chicago just finished up its organized team activities. The Bears have a mandatory full-squad minicamp Tuesday through Thursday. Training camp starts July 30.

"You can about imagine the amount of people I'm trying to meet," Breske said. "It is borderline overwhelming."

He is also in the process of moving his family from the West Coast to the Midwest. Breske's wife, Tia, is an independent stylist for Stella & Dot Jewelry. Tia, whose maiden name is Setness, was born in Harrisburg and grew up in Mitchell before graduating from Edgeley, N.D. She played basketball for Northern State.

"When we were dating in college, we would always go to Bears games after our football season was done. She has been a Bears fan with me ever since we started dating," Breske said. "She realizes that it is a dream come true. She has been super excited about the opportunity since it presented itself."

The Breskes celebrated their 11th anniversary on Friday. They have two sons, Jherek (8), Keon (6) and one daughter, Emsley (3). The Breskes did not get back to South Dakota as often when they lived in California, but now they will have the option to go home more. Chicago is about a 10-hour drive from Webster.

"It is just a great opportunity for him and family-wise, too, because Chicago is definitely a lot closer for us and for him to bring his family here," said Leon Breske, Nate's father.

Leon Breske has been a Bears fan dating back to the days of Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus (1965-1973). The family has no immediate plans to attend a game this year, but Leon said he and his wife, Cathy, hope at some point to make the trip to Soldier Field.

Nate Breske said it still hasn't quite hit him yet that he goes into work at Halas Hall, the team headquarters, or the Walter Payton Center Indoor Facility. He said it might not set in until the season starts.

"I'm sure that first kickoff once the season gets started will be pretty neat," Breske said. "I'm guessing by then it probably will have hit me, and then I will just be a little bit awestruck for a moment and it will be right back to work."

Breske still keeps tabs on the NSU football team through updates from his father and by emails that head coach Tom Dosch sends out to former players throughout the year.

"I try and support them with memorabilia and things like that as much as I can to help with their fundraising," Breske said. "They are still very, very close to my heart."

Breske was a two-year starting quarterback for the Wolves. He guided NSU to the 1999 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship, which he said is his favorite memory during his time with the Wolves.

"That is pretty special," he said. "I put that up there with going to the Super Bowl."