Pete Carroll

Pete Carroll was previously married to Wendy Pearl from 1973 to 1975. He has been married to Glena Goranson since May 21, 1976, and they have three children, Brennan, Jaime, and Nathan.

His sons have worked in football. Brennan Carroll served on his coaching staffs at USC, Seattle, and the Las Vegas Raiders, while Nate Carroll was also part of his Seattle and Raiders staffs.

Carroll played football at the College of Marin before transferring to the University of the Pacific, where he played free safety from 1971 to 1972. He earned All-Pacific Coast Athletic Association honors in both seasons and finished his college career with 22 interceptions. Carroll graduated from Pacific in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and later earned a master's degree in physical education along with a secondary teaching credential.

After an unsuccessful tryout with the World Football League's Honolulu Hawaiians, Carroll began coaching as a graduate assistant at Pacific. He later worked at Arkansas, Iowa State, Ohio State, and North Carolina State before returning to Pacific as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 1983.

Carroll entered the NFL in 1984 as defensive backs coach of the Buffalo Bills. He held the same position with the Minnesota Vikings from 1985 to 1989, then became defensive coordinator of the New York Jets. He was the Jets' head coach in 1994, defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers from 1995 to 1996, and head coach of the New England Patriots from 1997 to 1999.

Carroll became head coach of the USC Trojans in 2001 after nearly two decades away from college coaching. His first team began 2-5, but USC then went 67-7 over its next 74 games. The Trojans won seven consecutive Pac-10 championships and appeared in seven straight BCS bowls from 2002 through 2008.

Under Carroll, USC won the Associated Press national championship in 2003 and 2004. The BCS championship associated with the 2004 season was later vacated after NCAA sanctions involving former USC player Reggie Bush, while USC retained its AP championship. Carroll's USC teams posted a 97-19 record, produced three Heisman Trophy winners in Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Reggie Bush, and sent 53 players into the NFL draft, including 14 first-round selections.

Carroll's approach combined energetic recruiting with open practices, structured routines, and aggressive play-calling. He also helped establish A Better LA in 2003, a charity focused on reducing violence in targeted areas of Los Angeles.

Carroll returned to the NFL in 2010 as head coach and executive vice president of football operations for the Seattle Seahawks. In his first season, Seattle became the first 7-9 team in NFL history to win a division title, then defeated the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs in a game remembered for Marshawn Lynch's "Beast Quake" run.

The Seahawks developed into a championship contender after Russell Wilson became the starting quarterback in 2012. A defense featuring Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, and Earl Thomas became known as the "Legion of Boom." Seattle won Super Bowl XLVIII by defeating the Denver Broncos 43-8, giving the franchise its first championship and making Carroll the third coach to win both an NCAA title and a Super Bowl.

The Seahawks returned to the Super Bowl the following season but lost Super Bowl XLIX to the New England Patriots. Carroll remained in Seattle through the 2023 season, leading the team to 10 playoff appearances, five division titles, and a 137-89-1 regular-season record. He stepped down as head coach in January 2024 and moved into an advisory role with the organization.

In January 2025, Carroll became head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. The team acquired former Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith during the offseason, reuniting Smith with Carroll. Carroll coached one season with the Raiders before being fired after the team finished 3-14.