RSS
PETE CARROLLBORN: Sept. 15, 1951, San Francisco, CA
SPORT: Football
POSITION: Head Coach
AFFILIATION: Seattle Seahawks
HIRED: Signed by the Seahawks on Jan. 11, 2010, to a five-year, $35 million contract.
The Seahawks introduced the charismatic Carroll as their eighth head coach in franchise history on Jan. 12, 2010, replacing the deposed Jim Mora, jettisoned after a 5-11 season in 2009. Carroll came to the club with a glittering resume at USC, where he won seven consecutive Pac-10 Conference Championships and two national championships. Prior to coaching at USC, Carroll had two stints as a head coach in the NFL, with the New York Jets in 1994, and with the New England Patriots from 1997-99. He had also served as a defensive backs coach with the Buffalo Bills (1984) and Minnesota Vikings (1985-89), as a defensive coordinator for the New York Jets (1990-93), and as defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers (1995-96). Carroll, as expected, infused a tremendous amount of energy into the Seahawks in his first year, his first step into turning the franchise into a more positive direction.
FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE (JAN. 12, 2010)
- Todd Leiweke, Seahawks CEO: “We are excited to add Pete as our coach. He brings a great passion for winning and a positive attitude that is contagious.”
- Carroll’s reaction: “I’m so fired up to be here. They’ve embraced my approach, the way I see things and the way I want to do stuff and the manner they want to wipe the past clear and give me the clearest opportunity to bring everything I have to offer. That’s really what I was looking for. It was the trust and the belief from the top of the organization. They don’t have an agenda of how they want their football played. They want me to do that.”
- Carroll, on taking over the job: “I’m ready. I couldn’t be more prepared for it. I couldn’t be more excited about it, and I can’t wait to get started.”
2010
- Coached the Seahawks to the NFC West title with a 7-9 record, and pulled off one of the biggest upsets in franchise history when Seattle toppled 11-point favorite New Orleans, the defending Super Bowl champion, in an NFC Wild Card game at Qwest Field.
- In conjunction with GM John Schneider made 284 official transactions from the day (Jan. 11, 2010) he became coach through the end of Seattle’s postseason.
- Despite his roots, showed no disinclination to shed former USC personnel, trading former Trojan Lawrence Jackson, cutting running back LenDale White and firing Offensive Coordinator Jeremy Bates, who worked under Carroll at USC.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS (USC)
- Compiled a 97-19 record in nine years (2001-09), including a 16-2 record against USC’s two traditional rivals, UCLA and Notre Dame.
- Won the national championship outright in 2004 with a 13-0 record, and shared the national championship in 2003 (12-1 record) with Louisiana State (USC voted No. 1 by the Associated Press).
- Won or shared seven consecutive Pac-10 titles, a conference record.
- Posted a 7-2 record in bowl games, losing the 2001 Las Vegas (10-6 to Utah), winning the 2003 Orange (def. Iowa 38-17), 2004 Rose (def. Michigan 28-14), 2005 Orange (def. Oklahoma 55-19), losing the 2006 Rose (41-38 to Texas), winning the 2007 Rose (def. Michigan 32-18), the 2008 Rose (def. Illinois 49-17), the 2009 Rose (def. Penn State 38-24) and the 2009 Emerald (def. Boston College 24-13).
- Won three consecutive Rose Bowls in 2006, 2007 and 2008 – only school in Pac-10 history to accomplish that feat.
- Had seven consecutive Associated Press top-four finishes.
- Won at least 11 games (first NCAA team to do so) for seven consecutive seasons from 2002 through 2008, going 11-2 (2002), 12-1 (2003), 13-0 (2004), 12-1 (2005), 11-2 (2006), 11-2 (2007) and 12-1 (2008).
- Selected the American Football Coaches Division 1-A Coach of the Year in 2003. Also named National Coach of the Year in 2003 by Home Depot, the Maxwell Club, ESPN.com, Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C. and the All-America Football Foundation.
- Named National Coach of the Year in 2004 by the National Quarterback Club and ESPN.com.
- Named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 2003, 2005 and 2006.
- Spent an NCAA record 33 consecutive weeks atop the Associated Press poll.
- Produced 25 first-team All-Americans.
- Had 53 players selected in the NFL Draft, including 14 in the first round.
- Coached three Heisman Trophy winners – Carson Palmer in 2002, Matt Leinart in 2004 and Reggie Bush in 2005.
COACHING CHRONOLOGY
- 1974-76: University of the Pacific, graduate assistant, wide receivers (1974), secondary (1975-76).
- 1977: University of Arkansas, graduate assistant, secondary.
- 1978: Iowa State University, secondary coach.
- 1979: Ohio State University, secondary coach.
- 1980-82: North Carolina State University, defensive coordinator, secondary coach.
- 1983: University of the Pacific, assistant head coach, offensive coordinator.
- 1984: Buffalo Bills, defensive backs coach.
- 1985-89: Minnesota Vikings, defensive backs coach.
- 1990-93: New York Jets, defensive coordinator.
- 1994: New York Jets, head coach (6-10); Jets got off to a 6-5 start but lost all of their remaining games, leading to Carroll’s dismissal.
- 1995-96: San Francisco 49ers, defensive coordinator.
- 1997-99: New England Patriots, head coach (27-21).
- 2001-09: University of Southern California (97-19); hired on Dec. 15, 2000.
- 2010: Seattle Seahawks (7-9).
PERSONAL / MISCELLANEOUS
- Played Pop Warner football in San Francisco in the same league as future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts.
- Attended Redwood High School in Larkspur, CA., where he played football, basketball and baseball.
- Attended the College of Marin in the Bay Area before transferring to the University of the Pacific.
- Began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Pacific.
- Backed Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election.
SAID
- “I never, ever thought it would come to this. After nine years of working at the university and going through all the challenges and the accomplishments that all of the people took part it, I’m extremely disappointed we have to deal with this right now. I never thought there were any facts that supported these significant sanctions that have come forth. The primary issue throughout the process is, “Did the university know?” The university didn’t know. We didn’t know. We were not aware of any of these findings.” — Pete Carroll, Seahawks coach, after his former school USC, was given a two-year bowl ban on June 10, 2010, for “lack of institutional control.”
SOURCES
