Pete Carroll

Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951, in San Francisco, California) is an American football coach, former National Football League head coach, and the current head coach of the University of Southern California Trojans football team, having held that position since 2001. In his time at USC, the Trojans have made it to multiple national championship games (winning the National Championship in 2004 and splitting the National Championship in 2003) and have consistently emerged as Pacific-10 Conference champions. Carroll's winning percentage (.847) is the highest among all active coaches with a minimum of five years at a football bowl subdivision program.

Early life

Pete Carroll was born in San Francisco to Jim and Rita Carroll. He and his older brother Jim were raised in nearby suburban Greenbrae, in Marin County, where his father was a liquor salesman. The Carroll household was popular with the neighborhood, and local kids often went there to play sports and watch them on television. As a child, Carroll played in the same Pop Warner league as future NFL quarterback and commentator Dan Fouts.

College

Carroll attended Redwood High School in nearby Larkspur, where he was a three-sport standout in football, basketball and baseball, earning the school's Athlete of the Year award as a senior in 1969. After high school, he 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. 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.

Coaching career

Collegiate assistant (1973–1983)

Carroll's energetic and positive personality made a good impression on his head coach 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 receivers 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. 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 onto 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.

National Football League (1984–1999)

Carroll left Pacific after a year and entered the NFL in 1984 as the defensive backs 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). 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 to Dennis 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 there during their spare time. The Jets got off to a 6-4 start under Carroll, but in week 12, he was the victim of Dan Marino's "fake spike" play that led to 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 respected 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 head coach was 33-31.

Even though 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.

USC Trojans (2000–present)

Hiring

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 Women of Troy's successful volleyball team. After the first three primary candidates turned down the position, USC hired Carroll. USC under Garrett had actually 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. 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.

In 2008, ESPN.com named Carroll's hiring #1 in a list of the Pac-10's Top 10 Moments Of BCS Era.

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 national championships and bringing USC back to college football prominence.

Carroll is considered one of the most effective recruiters in college football, having brought in multiple top-ranked recruiting classes; he is also known for getting commitments from players who are still only Sophomores in high school. His son, Brennan Carroll, is USC recruiting coordinator as well as tight ends coach. He has 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 of January 1, 2008, Carroll is 76-14 as a head coach at USC. His team won a 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. During his tenure, USC has broken its average home attendance record four times in a row, without any stadium expansions (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.

Despite consistently fielding national championship contenders, Carroll's goal for USC every season is to win the Pac-10 Conference and go to the Rose Bowl. In explaining why, 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 has been approached regarding vacant head coach positions in the NFL every year since 2002. Carroll has hesitated to return to the NFL after his previous experiences, and his return would likely rest on control over personnel matters at a level unprecedented in the league. He has insisted over the years that he is happy at USC and that money is not an issue; he also enjoys the Southern California lifestyle. When asked if he would retire at USC, Carroll responded:

Accomplishments

Since becoming USC head coach Pete Carroll has led a resurgence of football at the University of Southern California. Carroll is universally regarded as one of top college football coaches in the country, and has been compared to College Football Hall of Fame coach Knute Rockne. Here is a summary of program highlights:

Two BCS Championship Game appearances (win over Oklahoma, loss to Texas)
Six Associated Press Top-4 finishes, including the split 2003 national championship and the undisputed 2004 national championship.
A record five BCS bowl victories
A record six consecutive BCS bowl appearances
A record six consecutive years as Pac-10 Champions or Co-Champions
A national-record 33 consecutive weeks as AP's No. 1-ranked team
A winning record of 78-14 (84.8%), including 12-2 against traditional rivals Notre Dame and UCLA
A NCAA record of 63 straight 20-point games
Twenty-two All-American first teamers
Three Heisman Trophy winners (Carson Palmer, 2002; Matt Leinart, 2004; Reggie Bush, 2005)
Four Top-5 recruiting classes
Win streaks for home games (34) and Pac-10 home games (22).
USC became the first NCAA FBS team to achieve six consecutive 11-win seasons.

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.

Coaching records

National Football League

Year	Team	Record	Playoffs	Other Notes
1994	New York Jets	6–10	0–0	Lost final 6 games; Carroll was fired
1997	New England Patriots	10–6	1–1	Division champions
1998	New England Patriots	9–7	0–1
1999	New England Patriots	8–8	0–0	Carroll was fired

College

Personal awards

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

2006

Pac-10 Coach of the Year

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 you to express your ability without discursive thoughts and concerns."

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 having USC alumnus and comedic actor Will Ferrell suit up and play during practice, using a Halloween practice to stage fake argument and subsequent falling death of runningback LenDale White, and having a defensive end Everson Griffen arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department during a team meeting for "physically abusing" freshman offensive linemen. 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.

Carroll 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.

Philanthropy

In April 2003, after hearing about murders in the Los Angeles area, Carroll co-founded A Better LA, a charity devoted to reducing violence in targeted urban areas of Los Angeles. Carroll's foundation now supports several violence prevention nonprofit groups. Twice a month, Carroll goes with community activists and former gang members into some of LA's most crime-plagued neighborhoods, such as the Jordan Downs project, at night in order to talk and listen to residents, help youth find part-time jobs and encourage a stop to violence. Carroll's Facebook page is also aimed at recruiting help for the project.

Carroll regularly participates in USC's annual "Swim with Mike", an annual swim-a-thon held to raise money for the USC Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship Fund; his participation in 2007 included soundly defeated USC alumnus Will Ferrell in a charity swim match.

Personal

Carroll's wife Glena (née Goranson) played indoor volleyball at the University of the Pacific. Together they have three children, oldest son Brennan, middle daughter Jaime, and youngest son Nathan. 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 Tight Ends 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 is an undergraduate student at USC. The Carrolls live in Rolling Hills, California. 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.

Carroll credits Bruce Springsteen's song "Growin' Up" for helping him reach a pivotal moment in professional development during the summer of 1999, while he was under heavy criticism after his second season with the New England Patriots: