Pete Carroll
Encyclopedia
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach
and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks
of the National Football League
. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets
, New England Patriots
and the University of Southern California
Trojans football team.
. After being an athlete in childhood, his lack of physical growth as a teenager caused him frustration in high school sports; weighing 110 pounds as an incoming freshman, he was required to bring a special doctor's clearance in order to go out for football
. He tried hard to prove himself, a trait that carried on throughout his later life. As a result, he was a three-sport standout in football (playing quarterback
, wide receiver
and defensive back
)--often throwing passes to himself--basketball
and baseball
, earning the school's Athlete of the Year award as a senior in 1969; forty years later he was inducted into the charter class of the Redwood High School Athletic Hall of Fame in April 2009.
, Carroll attended junior college
at the nearby College of Marin
, where he played football for two years (lettering in his second year), before transferring to the University of the Pacific, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
fraternity. At Pacific, Carroll played free safety for two years, earning All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference honors both years (1971–72) and earning his Bachelor of Science
in Business Administration in 1973.
After graduation, Carroll tried out for the Honolulu Hawaiians of the World Football League
at their training camp in Riverside
but did not make the team due to shoulder problems combined with his small size for the position. To make ends meet, he found a job selling roofing materials in the Bay Area, but he found he wasn't good at it and soon moved on; it would be his only non-football-related job.
at Pacific, Chester Caddas
. When Caddas found out Carroll was interested in coaching, he offered him a job as a graduate assistant
on his staff at Pacific. Carroll agreed and enrolled as a graduate student, earning a secondary teaching credential
and Master's degree
in physical education
in 1976, while serving as a graduate assistant for three years and working with the wide receiver
s and secondary defenders
. The assistants at Pacific during this time included a number of other future successful coaches, including Greg Robinson
, Jim Colletto
, Walt Harris
, Ted Leland and Bob Cope. He was inducted into the Pacific Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
After graduating from Pacific, Carroll's colleague Bob Cope was hired by the University of Arkansas
and he convinced Lou Holtz
, then the head coach of the Razorbacks
, to also hire Carroll. Carroll spent the 1977 season as a graduate assistant working with the secondary under Cope, making $182 a month. During his season with Arkansas, he met his future offensive line coach Pat Ruel
, also a graduate assistant, as well as the future head coach of the Razorbacks Houston Nutt
, who was a backup quarterback. Arkansas' Defensive Coordinator at the time, Monte Kiffin
, would be a mentor to Carroll; Carroll's wife Glena would help babysit Monte's two-year-old son Lane Kiffin
, who would later become Carroll's offensive coordinator at USC and then head coach of the Oakland Raiders
and Tennessee Volunteers
, and the head coach of USC. The Razorbacks won the 1978 Orange Bowl that season.
The following season, Carroll moved to Iowa State University
, where he was again an assistant working on the secondary under Earle Bruce
. When Bruce moved on to Ohio State University
, he brought Carroll, who acted as an assistant coach in charge of the secondary. The Ohio State squad made it to the 1980 Rose Bowl where they lost to USC.
Carroll next spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator
and secondary coach at North Carolina State University
. In 1983, Cope became head coach of Pacific and brought Carroll on as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator
.
s coach of the Buffalo Bills
. The next year, he moved onto the Minnesota Vikings
where he held a similar position for five seasons (1985–89). In 1989, he was a candidate for the head coaching position at Stanford University
; the position went to Dennis Green
. His success with the Vikings led to his hiring by the New York Jets
, where he served as defensive coordinator under Bruce Coslet
for four seasons (1990–93). When there was an opening for the Vikings' head coach position in 1992, he was a serious candidate but lost the position, again to Green.
In 1994, Carroll was elevated to head coach of the Jets. Known for energy and youthful enthusiasm, Carroll painted a basketball court in the parking lot of the team's practice facility where he and his assistant coaches regularly played three-on-three games during their spare time. The Jets got off to a 6–5 start under Carroll, but in week 12, he was the victim of Dan Marino
's "clock play
"—a fake spike that became a Miami Dolphins
game-winning touchdown. The Jets lost all of their remaining games to finish 6–10. He was fired after one season.
Carroll was hired for the next season by the San Francisco 49ers
, where he served as defensive coordinator for the following two seasons (1995–96). His return to success as the defensive coordinator led to his hiring as the head coach of the New England Patriots
in 1997, replacing coach Bill Parcells
, who had resigned after disputes with the team's ownership. His 1997 Patriots team won the AFC East
division title, but his subsequent two teams did not fare as well—losing in the wild card
playoff round in 1998, and missing the playoffs after a late-season slide in 1999—and he was fired after the 1999 season. Patriots owner Robert Kraft
said firing Carroll was one of the toughest decisions he has had to make since buying the team, stating "A lot of things were going on that made it difficult for him to stay, some of which were out of his control. And it began with following a legend." Before leaving for college football he coached with the Seattle Seahawks as cornerbacks coach. His combined NFL record as a head coach was 33–31, and he was later considered a much better fit for college football than the NFL after his success at USC.
Even though several NFL teams approached him with defensive coordinator positions, Carroll instead spent the 2000 season as a consultant for pro and college teams, doing charitable work for the NFL, and writing a column about pro football for CNNSI.com.
Carroll was named the Trojans'
head football coach on December 15, 2000, signing a five-year contract after USC had gone through a tumultuous 18 day search to replace fired coach Paul Hackett. He was not the Trojans' first choice, and was considered a long shot as the USC Athletic Department under Director Mike Garrett
initially planned to hire a high-profile coach with recent college experience. Meanwhile Carroll, who had not coached in over a year and not coached in the college ranks since 1983, drew unfavorable comparisons to the outgoing Hackett.
USC first pursued then Oregon State
coach Dennis Erickson
, who instead signed a contract extension with the Beavers; then Oregon
coach Mike Bellotti
, who similarly signed an extension. The search then moved to the San Diego Chargers
coach Mike Riley
, who had been an assistant coach at USC before later becoming the head coach of Oregon State. Stuck in contractual obligations to the Chargers (who were still in the midst of an NFL season) and hesitating about moving his family, Riley was unable to give a firm answer, opening an opportunity for Carroll, the school's fourth choice.
Carroll actively pursued the position, as his daughter, Jaime, was then a player on the school's successful volleyball
team. After the first three primary candidates turned down the position, USC hired Carroll. Under Garrett, USC had tried to recruit Carroll to be their head coach in 1997, while he was coaching the Patriots, but Carroll was unable to take the position. The second time the opening came up, Daryl Gross
, then senior associate athletic director for USC, recommended Carroll to Garrett based on his experience as a former scout for the New York Jets while Carroll coached there. Garrett cited Carroll's intelligence, energy and reputation as a defensive specialist as reasons for his hire.
The choice of Carroll for USC's head coaching position was openly criticized by the media and many USC fans, primarily because of USC's stagnation under the outgoing Hackett and Carroll's record as a head coach in the NFL and being nearly two decades removed from the college level. Garrett took particular criticism for the hire, with the press tying his future with Carroll's after he had to fire two head coaches in four years for USC's premiere athletic coaching position. Former NFL players (including USC alumni), such as Ronnie Lott
, Gary Plummer, Tim McDonald
and Willie McGinest
offered their support for Carroll, who they noted had a player-friendly, easygoing style that might suit the college game and particularly recruiting. The USC Athletic Department received 2,500 e-mails, faxes and phone calls from alumni—mostly critical—and a number of donors asking for Carroll's removal before they would donate again.
Within a year of his hiring, many prominent critics reversed course. In 2008, ESPN.com named Carroll's hiring #1 in a list of the Pac-10's Top 10 Moments Of BCS Era
.
Carroll was considered one of the most effective recruiters in college football, having brought in multiple top-ranked recruiting classes; he was also known for getting commitments from nationally prominent players early in high school. His son, Brennan Carroll
, was USC's recruiting coordinator as well as the tight ends coach during the elder Carroll's tenure as head coach. He had consistently been on the forefront of recruiting due to his ability to connect with potential players on their level, including becoming the first college coach with a Facebook
page, as well as an early adopter of Twitter
.
Carroll's team won a then school-record 34 straight games from 2003–2005, a streak that started after a triple-overtime loss to California
and ended with the national championship game in the 2006 Rose Bowl
, against the Texas Longhorns
. Fourteen of those games were later vacated for breaking NCAA rules. During his tenure, USC broke its average home attendance record four times in a row (they play at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
); the USC home attendance average in 2001, his first season, was 57,744; by 2006 it was over 91,000. During this period, USC had a 35-game winning streak at the Coliseum, spanning 6 years, after a 21-26 loss to the Stanford Cardinal
on Sept. 29, 2001 (during Carroll's first year) through a 24-23 loss to a 41-point underdog Stanford team on Oct. 6, 2007. The success of the USC football team under Carroll led to a sharp rise in overall athletic-department revenue, growing from $38.6 million in Carroll's first season at USC to more than $76 million in 2007–08.
In explaining why he allegedly didn't care about earning a spot in the 2003 National Championship Game, Carroll noted "We can only control getting to the Rose Bowl. -->[...] Our goal isn't about national championships, because we don't have control of that – that's in somebody else's hands. We found that out years ago [2003] , when we were No. 1 but then we were No. 3."
Carroll was approached regarding vacant head coach positions in the NFL repeatedly since 2002. Carroll hesitated to return to the NFL after his previous experiences, and said that his return would likely rest on control over personnel matters at a level unprecedented in the league. He had insisted over the years that he was happy at USC and that money was not an issue; he also was said to enjoy the Southern California lifestyle. When asked if he would retire at USC, Carroll responded:
When originally hired, Carroll signed a five-year contract worth approximately $1 million annually. He received a significant raise after the 2002 season and earned close to $3 million in the 2004 season, which ended with USC winning the BCS title in January 2005. He agreed to a contract extension in December 2005. His total compensation, including pay and benefits, for the 2007 fiscal year was $4,415,714.
Not long before an NCAA report on violations at USC under Carroll was released, on January 10, 2010, Carroll told his players that he would resign his position with the Trojans and become the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks
. According to the Los Angeles Times
, Carroll came to agreement with the Seahawks on a 5-year $33 million contract to become head coach.
As head coach, Pete Carroll led a resurgence of football at the University of Southern California. Carroll was generally regarded as one of top college football coaches in the country, and has been compared to College Football Hall of Fame
coach Knute Rockne
. Program highlights under Carroll include (note that a number of these accomplishments involve wins that were later vacated by NCAA rulings against the football program):
In July 2007, ESPN.com
named USC its #1 team of the decade for the period between 1996 and 2006, primarily citing the Trojans' renaissance and dominance under Carroll. In 2007, his effect on the college football landscape was named one of the biggest developments over the past decade in ESPN the Magazine
. In May 2008, Carroll was named the coach who did the most to define the first 10 years of the BCS Era.
title), and all team victories from the undefeated 2005-06 regular season, when USC lost to Texas in the BCS title game. With the vacated games removed, Carroll drops to fourth on USC's all-time wins list, behind John McKay, Howard Jones and John Robinson. His 97 on-field wins would put him ahead of Robinson for third in Trojan history.
The allegations centered on former Trojan star Reggie Bush
. He was found to have accepted several improper gifts, including the use of a San Diego area home by members of Bush's family. It was reported that USC might appeal the sanctions.
After Carroll announced that he was leaving for the Seahawks, he had denied the possibility of the NCAA sanctions was a factor in his leaving USC to return to pro football in Seattle. "Not in any way," Carroll stated. "Because I know where we stand. It's just a process we have to go through. We know we've fought hard to do right."
Reacting to the USC sanctions in a video produced by his new employers, Carroll said on June 10, 2010 "I'm absolutely shocked and disappointed in the findings of the NCAA."
, who said that in one stroke, Carroll went
Sporting News writer Mike Florio called for the Seahawks to fire Carroll, saying that "justice won't truly be served until the only coaching Carroll ever does entails holding an Xbox controller."
On August 26, 2010, the Football Writers Association of America
announced it would take back USC's 2004 Grantland Rice Trophy and leave that year's award vacant, the only vacancy in the over half century of the history of the award. The FWAA also said it would not consider USC as a candidate for the award for the 2010 season. New USC athletic director Pat Haden
said USC would return the trophy, stating "While we know that some fans and former student-athletes may be disappointed, our central priority at this time is our overall commitment to compliance and this action is in line with the standards we have set for our entire athletic program."
would hurt USC's appeal of the sanctions. Carroll's hire was found to be a violation of NCAA rules that place a cap on the number of coaches a college team is allowed to have. Carroll had denied the hire was a violation in an interview with the paper in July 2009; however he was reported to have admitted to the NCAA it was. The Times stated "The association also said that Carroll did not clear the hire with USC's compliance office, a finding that contradicts what he told The Times last year."
The Times noted that Caroll had been asked, through his new team, the Seattle Seahawks, for an interview on the subject of the illegal hiring of Rodriguez, but that he had not responded to the request.
The newspaper additionally noted that "lawyers and legal scholars agreed that the hire, coupled with the lack of intervention by the USC compliance staff, underscores the NCAA's larger determination that there was a pattern of administrators and coaches failing to be vigilant about the rules."
fired head coach Jim L. Mora
, Carroll was rumored to be in the running for the job. On January 8, 2010, ESPN
's Chris Mortensen
reported that Carroll will be the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks
so long as "minor details" are finalized in the pending contract. According to the Los Angeles Times, Carroll was "close to reaching an agreement with the Seattle Seahawks on Friday evening". On the morning of January 9, 2010, Carroll reportedly came to agreement with the Seahawks on a 5-year contract that would appoint him as head coach. He was officially hired as the Seahawks head coach on January 11.
In his first season, Carroll would almost completely overturn the Seahawks roster, totaling over 200 transactions in the course of only one season. However, these moves would paved the way for an 4-2 start to the 2010 NFL Season
. Although Seattle would falter through the latter half of the season, Carroll would beat the division rival Rams
in the final week of the regular season for the NFC West championship, becoming the first 7-9 in NFL history to win a division title. Carroll would go on to make even more history as the Seahawks would later upset the then-Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints
during the wild card round of the playoffs. However, they would go on to fall to the Chicago Bears
, whom they defeated earlier in the season.
On defense, Carroll favors a bend-but-don't-break scheme of preventing the big plays: allowing opposing teams to get small yardage but trying to keep the plays in front of his defenders.
Carroll draws coaching inspiration from the 1974 book The Inner Game of Tennis, by tennis coach W. Timothy Gallwey, which he picked up as graduate student at the University of the Pacific; he summarizes the philosophy he took from the book as "all about clearing the clutter in the interactions between your conscious and subconscious mind" enabled "through superior practice and a clear approach. Focus, clarity and belief in yourself are what allows [sic] you to express your ability without discursive thoughts and concerns." He wrote a foreword
for a later edition, noting that athletes "must clear their minds of all confusion and earn the ability to let themselves play freely." He also cites influences from psychologist
s Abraham Maslow
and Carl Jung
, Buddhist
meditation
master Chögyam Trungpa
and Zen
master D. T. Suzuki.
After he was fired by the New England Patriots, Carroll read a book by former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden
which heavily influenced how he would run his future program at USC: emulating Wooden, Carroll decided to engineer his program in the way that best exemplified his personal philosophy. He decided his philosophy was best summarized as "I'm a competitor". As a fan of the Grateful Dead
, Carroll then tied Wooden's thoughts into those by Jerry Garcia
, and decided that he wanted his football program to not be the best, but the only program following his competitive philosophy.
Carroll is known for his high-energy and often pleasant demeanor when coaching. In explaining his enthusiasm, Carroll has stated "I always think something good's just about to happen." In a 2005 interview, Carroll explained his motivation:
Carroll has been known to plan elaborate surprises and pranks during practice to lighten the mood and reward the players; notable examples include using a Halloween
practice to stage a fake argument and subsequent falling death of runningback LenDale White
, having a defensive end Everson Griffen
arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department
during a team meeting for "physically abusing" freshman offensive linemen, and several pranks involving USC alumnus and comedic actor Will Ferrell
. During practices, Carroll frequently gets involved doing drills: running sprints and routes as well as throwing the ball. Under Carroll, nearly all USC practices are open to the public, a move that is uncommon among programs; he believes that having fans at practice helps his team prepare, making mundane drills seem more interesting, causing players to perform at a high level when they know they have an audience and preparing them for larger crowds on game days.
Despite his penchant for humor, Carroll's USC program has strictly prescribed routines that cover what players may eat, the vocabulary they use, and the theme of daily practices. Under his tenure, days have descriptive nicknames like Tell the Truth Monday, Competition Tuesday, Turnover Wednesday.
Carroll favorably compares college recruiting to any other competition, and enjoys the ability to recruit talent, which he was unable to do in the NFL. He likens being a college head coach to being both the "coach and general manager. He assigns all jersey numbers to his players, an assignment he takes seriously. When he was an incoming freshman at Pacific, he wanted No. 40, the number he had worn in all sports growing up; however, Pacific had retired the number in honor of quarterback/safety Eddie LeBaron
, so Carroll ended up with 46.
-related murders taking place in poorer areas. In April 2003, Carroll helped organize a meeting with political leaders, high-ranking law enforcement officials and representatives from social service, education and faith-based communities met at USC's Heritage Hall for a brainstorming session. The result was the founding of A Better LA, a charity devoted to reducing violence in targeted urban areas of Los Angeles.
at the University of the Pacific. Together they have three children: elder son Brennan
, daughter Jaime, and younger son Nathan. Through Brennan and his wife Amber, he has one grandchild, Dillon Brennan Carroll. Pete Carrol is a celebrity "Deadhead" which is a fan of the jam band The Grateful Dead
Brennan Carroll played tight end
at the University of Pittsburgh
after transferring from University of Delaware
; he graduated from Pitt in 2001 and joined his father as a graduate assistant (he is now an assistant coach). Jaime Carroll started attending USC in the fall of 2000, several months before her father was hired as football coach, she was a player on the Women of Troy's women's volleyball team. Nathan Carroll graduated from USC with a bachelor's degree in May 2010. Carroll's late father-in-law, Dean Goranson, graduated with a Master's degree from USC. His older brother, Jim Carroll, played tackle at Pacific, operated a few businesses in the upper Midwest, and is now retired in Phoenix, Arizona
.
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
Trojans football team.
Early life
Carroll attended Redwood High School in Larkspur, CaliforniaLarkspur, California
Larkspur is a city in Marin County, California, United States. Larkspur is located south of San Rafael, at an elevation of . As of the 2010 Census, the city's population was 11,926. Larkspur is located north of San Francisco near Mount Tamalpais. Larkspur's Police Department is shared with that...
. After being an athlete in childhood, his lack of physical growth as a teenager caused him frustration in high school sports; weighing 110 pounds as an incoming freshman, he was required to bring a special doctor's clearance in order to go out for football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. He tried hard to prove himself, a trait that carried on throughout his later life. As a result, he was a three-sport standout in football (playing quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
and defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
)--often throwing passes to himself--basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, earning the school's Athlete of the Year award as a senior in 1969; forty years later he was inducted into the charter class of the Redwood High School Athletic Hall of Fame in April 2009.
College
After high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Carroll attended junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
at the nearby College of Marin
College of Marin
The College of Marin is a community college in Marin County, California, U.S., with two campuses, one in Kentfield, and the second in Novato. It is the only institution operated by the Marin Community College District. Its chief executive officer is currently Superintendent/President David Wain...
, where he played football for two years (lettering in his second year), before transferring to the University of the Pacific, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
fraternity. At Pacific, Carroll played free safety for two years, earning All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference honors both years (1971–72) and earning his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Business Administration in 1973.
After graduation, Carroll tried out for the Honolulu Hawaiians of the World Football League
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
at their training camp in Riverside
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
but did not make the team due to shoulder problems combined with his small size for the position. To make ends meet, he found a job selling roofing materials in the Bay Area, but he found he wasn't good at it and soon moved on; it would be his only non-football-related job.
Collegiate assistant (1973–1983)
Carroll's energetic and positive personality made a good impression on his head coachHead coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
at Pacific, Chester Caddas
Chester Caddas
Chester Caddas is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of the Pacific from 1972 to 1978 and at Colorado State University in 1981, compiling a career college football record of 38–44–2....
. When Caddas found out Carroll was interested in coaching, he offered him a job as a graduate assistant
Graduate assistant
A graduate assistant is a position who serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The individual typically assists professors or with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants, coaches with an athletic team, or university department...
on his staff at Pacific. Carroll agreed and enrolled as a graduate student, earning a secondary teaching credential
Teaching credential
A United States teaching credential is a basic multiple or single subject credential obtained upon completion of a bachelor's degree and prescribed professional education requirements. Teaching credentials are required in the United States in order to qualify to teach public school, as well as many...
and Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
in 1976, while serving as a graduate assistant for three years and working with the wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
s and secondary defenders
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
. The assistants at Pacific during this time included a number of other future successful coaches, including Greg Robinson
Greg Robinson
-External links:**-References:...
, Jim Colletto
Jim Colletto
-External links:* *...
, Walt Harris
Walt Harris
Walt Harris is a former American football player and coach in the United States. Harris served as the head football coach at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California from 1989 to 1991, the University of Pittsburgh from 1997 to 2004, and at Stanford University from 2005 to 2006,...
, Ted Leland and Bob Cope. He was inducted into the Pacific Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
After graduating from Pacific, Carroll's colleague Bob Cope was hired by the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
and he convinced Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
, then the head coach of the Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
, to also hire Carroll. Carroll spent the 1977 season as a graduate assistant working with the secondary under Cope, making $182 a month. During his season with Arkansas, he met his future offensive line coach Pat Ruel
Pat Ruel
Golden Pat Ruel is an offensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League.-Career:Ruel has 35 years of college and National Football League coaching experience....
, also a graduate assistant, as well as the future head coach of the Razorbacks Houston Nutt
Houston Nutt
Houston Dale Nutt, Jr. is an American football coach and former player. Most recently he was the head football coach at the University of Mississippi from 2008 to 2011. Previously, he served as the head coach at Murray State University , Boise State University , and the University of Arkansas...
, who was a backup quarterback. Arkansas' Defensive Coordinator at the time, Monte Kiffin
Monte Kiffin
Monte Kiffin is an American football coach. He is widely considered to be one of the preeminent defensive coordinators in modern football, as well as one of the greatest defensive coordinators in NFL history...
, would be a mentor to Carroll; Carroll's wife Glena would help babysit Monte's two-year-old son Lane Kiffin
Lane Kiffin
Lane Monte Kiffin is the current head coach of the University of Southern California Trojans college football team. He was previously the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers college football team, the Oakland Raiders of the NFL, and the offensive coordinator for the Trojans...
, who would later become Carroll's offensive coordinator at USC and then head coach of the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
, and the head coach of USC. The Razorbacks won the 1978 Orange Bowl that season.
The following season, Carroll moved to Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
, where he was again an assistant working on the secondary under Earle Bruce
Earle Bruce
Earle Bruce is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Tampa , Iowa State University , Ohio State University , the University of Northern Iowa , and Colorado State University , compiling a career college football record of 154–90–2...
. When Bruce moved on to Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, he brought Carroll, who acted as an assistant coach in charge of the secondary. The Ohio State squad made it to the 1980 Rose Bowl where they lost to USC.
Carroll next spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
and secondary coach at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
. In 1983, Cope became head coach of Pacific and brought Carroll on as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
.
National Football League (1984–1999)
Carroll left Pacific after a year and entered the NFL in 1984 as the defensive backDefensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
s coach of the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The next year, he moved onto the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
where he held a similar position for five seasons (1985–89). In 1989, he was a candidate for the head coaching position at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
; the position went to Dennis Green
Dennis Green
Dennis "Denny" Green is an American football head coach for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League...
. His success with the Vikings led to his hiring by the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, where he served as defensive coordinator under Bruce Coslet
Bruce Coslet
Bruce Coslet is a former American college and professional football player and professional football coach. A tight end, he played for the University of the Pacific and in 1969 debuted with the American Football League's Cincinnati Bengals...
for four seasons (1990–93). When there was an opening for the Vikings' head coach position in 1992, he was a serious candidate but lost the position, again to Green.
In 1994, Carroll was elevated to head coach of the Jets. Known for energy and youthful enthusiasm, Carroll painted a basketball court in the parking lot of the team's practice facility where he and his assistant coaches regularly played three-on-three games during their spare time. The Jets got off to a 6–5 start under Carroll, but in week 12, he was the victim of Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
's "clock play
The Clock Play
The Clock Play aka The Fake Spike Game refers to a National Football League game that took place on November 27, between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets that featured one of the most audacious finishes in league history...
"—a fake spike that became a Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
game-winning touchdown. The Jets lost all of their remaining games to finish 6–10. He was fired after one season.
Carroll was hired for the next season by the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, where he served as defensive coordinator for the following two seasons (1995–96). His return to success as the defensive coordinator led to his hiring as the head coach of the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in 1997, replacing coach Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
, who had resigned after disputes with the team's ownership. His 1997 Patriots team won the AFC East
AFC East
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets...
division title, but his subsequent two teams did not fare as well—losing in the wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
playoff round in 1998, and missing the playoffs after a late-season slide in 1999—and he was fired after the 1999 season. Patriots owner Robert Kraft
Robert Kraft
Robert K. Kraft is an American business magnate. He is the Chairman and was the Chief Executive Officer of The Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio...
said firing Carroll was one of the toughest decisions he has had to make since buying the team, stating "A lot of things were going on that made it difficult for him to stay, some of which were out of his control. And it began with following a legend." Before leaving for college football he coached with the Seattle Seahawks as cornerbacks coach. His combined NFL record as a head coach was 33–31, and he was later considered a much better fit for college football than the NFL after his success at USC.
Even though several NFL teams approached him with defensive coordinator positions, Carroll instead spent the 2000 season as a consultant for pro and college teams, doing charitable work for the NFL, and writing a column about pro football for CNNSI.com.
Hiring
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
head football coach on December 15, 2000, signing a five-year contract after USC had gone through a tumultuous 18 day search to replace fired coach Paul Hackett. He was not the Trojans' first choice, and was considered a long shot as the USC Athletic Department under Director Mike Garrett
Mike Garrett
Michael Lockett Garrett is a former American collegiate and professional football player who won the 1965 Heisman Trophy as a tailback for the University of Southern California Trojans. Garrett also played professional football for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers...
initially planned to hire a high-profile coach with recent college experience. Meanwhile Carroll, who had not coached in over a year and not coached in the college ranks since 1983, drew unfavorable comparisons to the outgoing Hackett.
USC first pursued then Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers
The Oregon State Beavers is a name shared by all sports teams at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers are part of the Pacific-12 Conference . Oregon State's mascot is Benny the Beaver...
coach Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Arizona State University until November 28, 2011, a position he had held since the 2007 season. In 2008 the Arizona Board of Regents had approved a contract extension to keep Erickson at Arizona...
, who instead signed a contract extension with the Beavers; then Oregon
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks refers to the sports teams of the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon. The Oregon Ducks are part of the Pacific-12 Conference in the Division 1 of the NCAA. With seventeen varsity teams, the Oregon Ducks are best known for their football team and Track and Field...
coach Mike Bellotti
Mike Bellotti
Robert Michael "Mike" Bellotti is a college football analyst for ESPN and ABC. A native of California, he was hired as football offensive coordinator by the University of Oregon in 1989. From 1995 to 2009, he was the head coach of the Oregon Ducks football team...
, who similarly signed an extension. The search then moved to the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
coach Mike Riley
Mike Riley
Michael Joseph "Mike" Riley is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference...
, who had been an assistant coach at USC before later becoming the head coach of Oregon State. Stuck in contractual obligations to the Chargers (who were still in the midst of an NFL season) and hesitating about moving his family, Riley was unable to give a firm answer, opening an opportunity for Carroll, the school's fourth choice.
Carroll actively pursued the position, as his daughter, Jaime, was then a player on the school's successful volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team. After the first three primary candidates turned down the position, USC hired Carroll. Under Garrett, USC had tried to recruit Carroll to be their head coach in 1997, while he was coaching the Patriots, but Carroll was unable to take the position. The second time the opening came up, Daryl Gross
Daryl Gross
Daryl Gross is the athletic director for Syracuse University.Formerly, Gross coached and worked at the University of Southern California in intercollegiate athletics after being a graduate coaching assistant . While serving as senior associate athletic director, Gross was credited for bringing in...
, then senior associate athletic director for USC, recommended Carroll to Garrett based on his experience as a former scout for the New York Jets while Carroll coached there. Garrett cited Carroll's intelligence, energy and reputation as a defensive specialist as reasons for his hire.
The choice of Carroll for USC's head coaching position was openly criticized by the media and many USC fans, primarily because of USC's stagnation under the outgoing Hackett and Carroll's record as a head coach in the NFL and being nearly two decades removed from the college level. Garrett took particular criticism for the hire, with the press tying his future with Carroll's after he had to fire two head coaches in four years for USC's premiere athletic coaching position. Former NFL players (including USC alumni), such as Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
, Gary Plummer, Tim McDonald
Tim McDonald
Tim McDonald is a former professional American football player who played strong safety in the NFL.-High school:McDonald played high school football at Edison High School in Fresno....
and Willie McGinest
Willie McGinest
William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:...
offered their support for Carroll, who they noted had a player-friendly, easygoing style that might suit the college game and particularly recruiting. The USC Athletic Department received 2,500 e-mails, faxes and phone calls from alumni—mostly critical—and a number of donors asking for Carroll's removal before they would donate again.
Within a year of his hiring, many prominent critics reversed course. In 2008, ESPN.com named Carroll's hiring #1 in a list of the Pac-10's Top 10 Moments Of BCS Era
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
.
Tenure
The criticism of Pete Carroll became louder when Carroll's first USC team opened the 2001 season going 2–5, with some sportswriters writing off the once-dominant Trojans, who were the only Pac-10 football team to never finish in the national top 10 during the previous decade, as a dying program. However, after the slow start, Carroll's teams proceeded to go 67–7 over the next 74 games, winning two AP titles and a BCS National Championship which was later stripped for breaking NCAA rules.Carroll was considered one of the most effective recruiters in college football, having brought in multiple top-ranked recruiting classes; he was also known for getting commitments from nationally prominent players early in high school. His son, Brennan Carroll
Brennan Carroll
Brennan Carroll is an American football coach at the University of Miami. His nickname is BC.-Coaching career:In 2002, Carroll joined the USC Trojans football team staff as a graduate assistant, under his father, Pete Carroll, who was then head coach. During his first season he worked with...
, was USC's recruiting coordinator as well as the tight ends coach during the elder Carroll's tenure as head coach. He had consistently been on the forefront of recruiting due to his ability to connect with potential players on their level, including becoming the first college coach with a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page, as well as an early adopter of Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
.
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
and ended with the national championship game in the 2006 Rose Bowl
2006 Rose Bowl
The 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
, against the Texas Longhorns
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
. Fourteen of those games were later vacated for breaking NCAA rules. During his tenure, USC broke its average home attendance record four times in a row (they play at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
); the USC home attendance average in 2001, his first season, was 57,744; by 2006 it was over 91,000. During this period, USC had a 35-game winning streak at the Coliseum, spanning 6 years, after a 21-26 loss to the Stanford Cardinal
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams...
on Sept. 29, 2001 (during Carroll's first year) through a 24-23 loss to a 41-point underdog Stanford team on Oct. 6, 2007. The success of the USC football team under Carroll led to a sharp rise in overall athletic-department revenue, growing from $38.6 million in Carroll's first season at USC to more than $76 million in 2007–08.
In explaining why he allegedly didn't care about earning a spot in the 2003 National Championship Game, Carroll noted "We can only control getting to the Rose Bowl. -->
Carroll was approached regarding vacant head coach positions in the NFL repeatedly since 2002. Carroll hesitated to return to the NFL after his previous experiences, and said that his return would likely rest on control over personnel matters at a level unprecedented in the league. He had insisted over the years that he was happy at USC and that money was not an issue; he also was said to enjoy the Southern California lifestyle. When asked if he would retire at USC, Carroll responded:
When originally hired, Carroll signed a five-year contract worth approximately $1 million annually. He received a significant raise after the 2002 season and earned close to $3 million in the 2004 season, which ended with USC winning the BCS title in January 2005. He agreed to a contract extension in December 2005. His total compensation, including pay and benefits, for the 2007 fiscal year was $4,415,714.
Not long before an NCAA report on violations at USC under Carroll was released, on January 10, 2010, Carroll told his players that he would resign his position with the Trojans and become the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. According to the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Carroll came to agreement with the Seahawks on a 5-year $33 million contract to become head coach.
Accomplishments
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
coach Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
. Program highlights under Carroll include (note that a number of these accomplishments involve wins that were later vacated by NCAA rulings against the football program):
- Two vacated BCS Championship Game appearances: 2005 win over OklahomaOklahoma Sooners footballThe Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
and 2006 loss to TexasTexas Longhorns footballThe Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
) - The Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
2003 National Championship2003 NCAA Division I-A football seasonThe 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with an abundance of controversy, resulting in a split national championship. This was the first split title since the inception of the BCS, something the BCS intended to eliminate.... - The Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
2004 National Championship2004 NCAA Division I-A football seasonThe 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with several undefeated teams vying for a spot in the national title game, triggering controversy. In the 2003 season, no team finished the regular season unbeaten, and five teams finished the season with one loss... - Seven consecutive Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Top-4 finishes - Six BCS bowl victories (including one that was vacated)
- Seven consecutive BCS bowl appearances
- A national-record 33 consecutive weeks as the Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
's No. 1-ranked team - An offical winning record of 83-19 (81.4%); before NCAA sanctions stemming from a loss of institutional control, Carroll's record was 97–19 (83.6%)
- A official winning record of 11–2 against traditional rivals Notre DameNotre Dame Fighting Irish footballNotre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
and UCLA; before NCAA sanctions stemming from a loss of institutional control, Carroll's record was 14-2 - A NCAA record of 63 straight 20-point games
- Twenty-five 1st team All-Americans
- 53 players selected in the NFL DraftNFL DraftThe National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
, including 14 in the first round - Three Heisman TrophyHeisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winners: Carson PalmerCarson PalmerCarson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
in 2002, Matt LeinartMatt LeinartMatthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
in 2004, and Reggie BushReggie BushReginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
in 2005 (since vacated) - Four Top-5 recruiting classes
- 34 game winning streak (2003–04)
- Win streaks for home games (21) and Pac-10 home games (17)
- A 25–1 record in the month of NovemberRecord includes wins later vacated due to NCAA sanctions stemming from a loss of institutional control. USC vacated two games from the 2004 season2004 USC Trojans football teamThe 2004 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2004-2005 NCAA Division I-A college football season. Although now vacated for breaking NCAA rules, the team won the 2004 BCS National Championship by winning the 2005 Orange Bowl, that year's BCS National...
(including win in 2005 BCS Championship game2005 Orange BowlThe 2005 Orange Bowl represented the BCS National Championship Game of the 2004 season and was played on January 4, 2005 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida....
) and the entire 2005 season2005 USC Trojans football teamThe 2005 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the college football season of 2005–2006, winning the Pacific-10 Conference , and playing for the NCAA Division I-A national championship...
(including loss in 2006 BCS Championship game2006 Rose BowlThe 2006 Rose Bowl Game, played on January 4, 2006, was a football game that served as the national championship of the 2005-2006 Bowl Championship Series...
).
In July 2007, ESPN.com
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
named USC its #1 team of the decade for the period between 1996 and 2006, primarily citing the Trojans' renaissance and dominance under Carroll. In 2007, his effect on the college football landscape was named one of the biggest developments over the past decade in ESPN the Magazine
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....
. In May 2008, Carroll was named the coach who did the most to define the first 10 years of the BCS Era.
NCAA ruling
On June 9, 2010, The Los Angeles Times reported that Carroll, along with other active and former USC officials, had appeared in front of a ten-member NCAA Committee on Infractions the previous February. The next day, June 10, the NCAA announced sanctions against the USC football program including a two-year bowl ban, the elimination of thirty football scholarships, and forfeiture of some football victories from 2004-05 (a season which had included winning the Bowl Championship SeriesBowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
title), and all team victories from the undefeated 2005-06 regular season, when USC lost to Texas in the BCS title game. With the vacated games removed, Carroll drops to fourth on USC's all-time wins list, behind John McKay, Howard Jones and John Robinson. His 97 on-field wins would put him ahead of Robinson for third in Trojan history.
The allegations centered on former Trojan star Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
. He was found to have accepted several improper gifts, including the use of a San Diego area home by members of Bush's family. It was reported that USC might appeal the sanctions.
After Carroll announced that he was leaving for the Seahawks, he had denied the possibility of the NCAA sanctions was a factor in his leaving USC to return to pro football in Seattle. "Not in any way," Carroll stated. "Because I know where we stand. It's just a process we have to go through. We know we've fought hard to do right."
Reacting to the USC sanctions in a video produced by his new employers, Carroll said on June 10, 2010 "I'm absolutely shocked and disappointed in the findings of the NCAA."
Reactions
Among Carroll's critics in the media was longtime Los Angeles Times sportswriter Bill PlaschkeBill Plaschke
William Paul "Bill" Plaschke is an American sports journalist who has written for the Los Angeles Times since 1987. As a child he attended St. Albert the Great Elementary School in Louisville. He then went on to attend Ballard High School. He spent his freshman year at Baylor University in Waco,...
, who said that in one stroke, Carroll went
Sporting News writer Mike Florio called for the Seahawks to fire Carroll, saying that "justice won't truly be served until the only coaching Carroll ever does entails holding an Xbox controller."
On August 26, 2010, the Football Writers Association of America
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
announced it would take back USC's 2004 Grantland Rice Trophy and leave that year's award vacant, the only vacancy in the over half century of the history of the award. The FWAA also said it would not consider USC as a candidate for the award for the 2010 season. New USC athletic director Pat Haden
Pat Haden
Patrick Capper "Pat" Haden is the athletic director at the University of Southern California. He played quarterback for the USC Trojans before playing professionally in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams from 1976 to 1981...
said USC would return the trophy, stating "While we know that some fans and former student-athletes may be disappointed, our central priority at this time is our overall commitment to compliance and this action is in line with the standards we have set for our entire athletic program."
Hiring of Pete Rodriguez
On July 14, 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported that Carroll's 2008 employment of extra coach Pete RodriguezPete Rodriguez
-USFL:Rodriguez served as defensive line coach for the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League from 1983-84. He was part of the USFL's first championship team, helping the Panthers to the title in 1983...
would hurt USC's appeal of the sanctions. Carroll's hire was found to be a violation of NCAA rules that place a cap on the number of coaches a college team is allowed to have. Carroll had denied the hire was a violation in an interview with the paper in July 2009; however he was reported to have admitted to the NCAA it was. The Times stated "The association also said that Carroll did not clear the hire with USC's compliance office, a finding that contradicts what he told The Times last year."
The Times noted that Caroll had been asked, through his new team, the Seattle Seahawks, for an interview on the subject of the illegal hiring of Rodriguez, but that he had not responded to the request.
The newspaper additionally noted that "lawyers and legal scholars agreed that the hire, coupled with the lack of intervention by the USC compliance staff, underscores the NCAA's larger determination that there was a pattern of administrators and coaches failing to be vigilant about the rules."
Seattle Seahawks (2010–present)
After the Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
fired head coach Jim L. Mora
Jim L. Mora
James Lawrence "Jim" Mora is an American former NCAA defensive back and National Football League head coach. As of 2010, he is currently an analyst for the NFL Network....
, Carroll was rumored to be in the running for the job. On January 8, 2010, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Chris Mortensen
Chris Mortensen
Chris "Mort" Mortensen , an award-winning journalist, provides reports for ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio and ESPN.com...
reported that Carroll will be the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
so long as "minor details" are finalized in the pending contract. According to the Los Angeles Times, Carroll was "close to reaching an agreement with the Seattle Seahawks on Friday evening". On the morning of January 9, 2010, Carroll reportedly came to agreement with the Seahawks on a 5-year contract that would appoint him as head coach. He was officially hired as the Seahawks head coach on January 11.
In his first season, Carroll would almost completely overturn the Seahawks roster, totaling over 200 transactions in the course of only one season. However, these moves would paved the way for an 4-2 start to the 2010 NFL Season
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...
. Although Seattle would falter through the latter half of the season, Carroll would beat the division rival Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
in the final week of the regular season for the NFC West championship, becoming the first 7-9 in NFL history to win a division title. Carroll would go on to make even more history as the Seahawks would later upset the then-Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
during the wild card round of the playoffs. However, they would go on to fall to the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, whom they defeated earlier in the season.
National Football League
| Team | |Regular Season | NYJ 1994 New York Jets season The 1994 New York Jets season was the 35th season for the team and the 25th in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 8–8 record from 1993 under new head coach Pete Carroll... |
1994 1994 NFL season The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season... |
6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 5th in AFC East | - | - | - | - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYJ Total | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | ||||||||
| NE 1997 New England Patriots season The 1997 New England Patriots season was the 28th season for the team in the National Football League and 38th season overall. They finished the season with a 10–6 record and a division title but lost in the playoffs to the Pittsburgh Steelers.... |
1997 1997 NFL season The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in AFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... in AFC Divisional Game. |
||
| NE 1998 New England Patriots season The 1998 New England Patriots season was the 29th season for the team in the National Football League and 39th season overall. They finished with a 9–7 record, good for fourth place in the division but also a playoff berth; they lost in the first round to the Jacksonville Jaguars.In the offseason,... |
1998 1998 NFL season The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS... |
9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4th in AFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Jacksonville Jaguars Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... in AFC Wild-Card Game. |
||
| NE 1999 New England Patriots season The 1999 New England Patriots season was the 30th season for the team in the National Football League and 40th season overall. They finished with a 8–8 record, tied for fourth place in the division, and out of the playoffs.... |
1999 1999 NFL season The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season... |
8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 5th in AFC East | - | - | - | - | ||
| NE Total | 27 | 21 | 0 | .563 | 1 | 2 | .333 | |||||
| SEA 2010 Seattle Seahawks season The 2010 Seattle Seahawks season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League. Jim Mora was fired on January 8, 2010, leading the Seahawks to come to an agreement with Pete Carroll, instating him as head coach the following day. This marks the 9th season that the Seahawks will... |
2010 2010 NFL season The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,... |
7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1st in NFC West | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... in NFC Divisional Game. |
||
| SEA 2011 Seattle Seahawks season The 2011 Seattle Seahawks season is the franchise's 36th season in the National Football League, the 10th playing their home games at CenturyLink Field and the second under head coach Pete Carroll... |
2011 2011 NFL season The 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on... |
4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | 2nd in NFC West | - | - | - | - | ||
| SEA Total | 11 | 15 | 0 | .423 | 1 | 1 | .500 | |||||
| Total | 43 | 46 | 0 | .483 | 2 | 3 | .400 | |||||
College
2003
- 2003 American Football Coaches Association Division I-A Coach of the Year
- Home Depot National Coach of the Year
- Maxwell Club College Coach of the Year
- ESPN.com National Coach of the Year
- Pigskin Club of Washington D.C. Coach of the Year
- All-American Football Foundation Frank Leahy Co-Coach of the Year
- Pac-10 Co-Coach of the Year
2004
- 2004 National Quarterback Club College Coach of the Year
- 2004 ESPN.com Pac-10 Coach of the Year
2005
- Pac-10 Co-Coach of the Year
- United States Sports AcademyUnited States Sports AcademyThe United States Sports Academy is an accredited, sport-specific institution located in Daphne, Alabama. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs as well as certificate programs. Founded in 1972, the Academy has provided its sports programs to more than 60 countries around the...
Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award
Coaching style
On offense, Carroll is known for using an aggressive, nonconservative play-calling that is open to trick plays as well as "going for it" on 4th down instead of punting the ball away. Because of his aggressive style, the USC Band has given him the nickname "Big Balls Pete". At football games, when Pete Carroll decides to go for it on 4th down, the USC band will start a chant of "Big Balls Pete" that carries over to the students section and the alumni.On defense, Carroll favors a bend-but-don't-break scheme of preventing the big plays: allowing opposing teams to get small yardage but trying to keep the plays in front of his defenders.
Carroll draws coaching inspiration from the 1974 book The Inner Game of Tennis, by tennis coach W. Timothy Gallwey, which he picked up as graduate student at the University of the Pacific; he summarizes the philosophy he took from the book as "all about clearing the clutter in the interactions between your conscious and subconscious mind" enabled "through superior practice and a clear approach. Focus, clarity and belief in yourself are what allows [sic] you to express your ability without discursive thoughts and concerns." He wrote a foreword
Foreword
A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
for a later edition, noting that athletes "must clear their minds of all confusion and earn the ability to let themselves play freely." He also cites influences from psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
s Abraham Maslow
Abraham Maslow
Abraham Harold Maslow was an American professor of psychology at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research and Columbia University who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs...
and Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
, Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
master Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was a Buddhist meditation master and holder of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, the eleventh Trungpa tülku, a tertön, supreme abbot of the Surmang monasteries, scholar, teacher, poet, artist, and originator of a radical re-presentation of Shambhala vision.Recognized...
and Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
master D. T. Suzuki.
| "Reading Wooden, I realized: If I'm gonna be a competitor, if I'm ever going to do great things, I'm going to have to carry a message that's strong and clear and nobody's going to miss the point ever about what I'm all about. . . . Jerry Garcia said that he didn't want his band to be the best ones doing something. He wanted them to be the only ones doing it. To be all by yourself out there doing something that nobody else can touch — that's the thought that guides me, that guides this program: We're going to do things better than it's ever been done before in everything we do, and we're going to compete our ass off. And we're gonna see how far that takes us." |
| — Carroll on how John Wooden John Wooden John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games... and Jerry Garcia Jerry Garcia Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead... influenced his coaching philosophy. |
After he was fired by the New England Patriots, Carroll read a book by former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
which heavily influenced how he would run his future program at USC: emulating Wooden, Carroll decided to engineer his program in the way that best exemplified his personal philosophy. He decided his philosophy was best summarized as "I'm a competitor". As a fan of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, Carroll then tied Wooden's thoughts into those by Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
, and decided that he wanted his football program to not be the best, but the only program following his competitive philosophy.
Carroll is known for his high-energy and often pleasant demeanor when coaching. In explaining his enthusiasm, Carroll has stated "I always think something good's just about to happen." In a 2005 interview, Carroll explained his motivation:
Carroll has been known to plan elaborate surprises and pranks during practice to lighten the mood and reward the players; notable examples include using a Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
practice to stage a fake argument and subsequent falling death of runningback LenDale White
LenDale White
LenDale Anthony White is an American football running back. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Southern California....
, having a defensive end Everson Griffen
Everson Griffen
-Minnesota Vikings:Griffen was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 100th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.On January 28, 2011, Griffen was arrested in Los Angeles for public intoxication. Three days later, he was arrested again after he was found driving with an invalid drivers license...
arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
during a team meeting for "physically abusing" freshman offensive linemen, and several pranks involving USC alumnus and comedic actor Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
. During practices, Carroll frequently gets involved doing drills: running sprints and routes as well as throwing the ball. Under Carroll, nearly all USC practices are open to the public, a move that is uncommon among programs; he believes that having fans at practice helps his team prepare, making mundane drills seem more interesting, causing players to perform at a high level when they know they have an audience and preparing them for larger crowds on game days.
Despite his penchant for humor, Carroll's USC program has strictly prescribed routines that cover what players may eat, the vocabulary they use, and the theme of daily practices. Under his tenure, days have descriptive nicknames like Tell the Truth Monday, Competition Tuesday, Turnover Wednesday.
Carroll favorably compares college recruiting to any other competition, and enjoys the ability to recruit talent, which he was unable to do in the NFL. He likens being a college head coach to being both the "coach and general manager. He assigns all jersey numbers to his players, an assignment he takes seriously. When he was an incoming freshman at Pacific, he wanted No. 40, the number he had worn in all sports growing up; however, Pacific had retired the number in honor of quarterback/safety Eddie LeBaron
Eddie LeBaron
Edward Wayne LeBaron, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the 1950s and early 1960s in the National Football League.-Early years:LeBaron graduated from Oakdale High School in Oakdale, California....
, so Carroll ended up with 46.
Philanthropy
After moving to Los Angeles, Carroll was affected by the number of gangGang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
-related murders taking place in poorer areas. In April 2003, Carroll helped organize a meeting with political leaders, high-ranking law enforcement officials and representatives from social service, education and faith-based communities met at USC's Heritage Hall for a brainstorming session. The result was the founding of A Better LA, a charity devoted to reducing violence in targeted urban areas of Los Angeles.
Work with children
In April 2009, Pete Carroll launched CampPete.com, a multi-player online game "billed as a ground-breaking Web site aimed at bringing Coach Carroll's unique Win Forever philosophy to kids all over the country by taking advantage of one of the hottest technology trends online, the virtual world." The site, which can be accessed by creating a virtual avatar includes arcade-style games, motivational messages from Coach Carroll and a sports trivia section as well as a collection of virtual football skills workshops for kids. A portion of the proceeds from CampPete.com will go to support A Better LA.Personal
Carroll's wife Glena (née Goranson) played indoor volleyballVolleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
at the University of the Pacific. Together they have three children: elder son Brennan
Brennan Carroll
Brennan Carroll is an American football coach at the University of Miami. His nickname is BC.-Coaching career:In 2002, Carroll joined the USC Trojans football team staff as a graduate assistant, under his father, Pete Carroll, who was then head coach. During his first season he worked with...
, daughter Jaime, and younger son Nathan. Through Brennan and his wife Amber, he has one grandchild, Dillon Brennan Carroll. Pete Carrol is a celebrity "Deadhead" which is a fan of the jam band The Grateful Dead
Brennan Carroll played tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
after transferring from University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
; he graduated from Pitt in 2001 and joined his father as a graduate assistant (he is now an assistant coach). Jaime Carroll started attending USC in the fall of 2000, several months before her father was hired as football coach, she was a player on the Women of Troy's women's volleyball team. Nathan Carroll graduated from USC with a bachelor's degree in May 2010. Carroll's late father-in-law, Dean Goranson, graduated with a Master's degree from USC. His older brother, Jim Carroll, played tackle at Pacific, operated a few businesses in the upper Midwest, and is now retired in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
.
External links
- Pete Carroll official profile at USCTrojans.com
- Facebook page
- Twitter stream
- Pete Carroll coaching record at the College Football Data Warehouse
- A Better LA official website
- CampPete.com official kids' website
- http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawksblog/2012084045_pete_carroll_re.html Carroll's video response to NCAA sanctions (source: Seattle Times)