Pete Carroll Returning to USC in New Role

Legendary head coach Pete Carroll is returning to the University of Southern California… as a teacher.

Carroll, 72, is going back to USC to teach a class, he told Sports Radio 93.3 KJR-FM on Tuesday. While he didn’t offer any specifics regarding the class, he expressed excitement for this opportunity.

“I’m looking forward to that,” Carroll said. “It’s going to be a really exciting endeavor when it’s finalized and all that.”

Carroll spent nine seasons as the head coach of the USC football program from 2001-09. He’s known as the coach who turned the program around, after they experienced much failure in the 1990s, including losing eight straight games to rival UCLA.

Under Carroll, the Trojans underwent an incredible turnaround, winning four Rose Bowls and two National Championships.

The Trojans had an unbelievable 34-game winning streak across 2003 and 2004 and spent a national record 33 weeks as the Associated Press’ No. 1 ranked team.

USC’s record under Carroll was 97-19 — and against UCLA, they were 8-1.

Carroll ended up leaving USC for the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 just before sanctions came down on the school for violations in football, men’s basketball, and women’s tennis. He then spent 14 seasons with Seattle, where he led them to two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos in dominant fashion.

In January, Carroll and the Seahawks mutually agreed to part ways. While there were many questions about Carroll returning to coaching, for now, he’s just focused on teaching.

“Well, you know, I get asked a lot, so I’m pretty familiar with answering that I could coach tomorrow,” Carroll said on 93.3 KJR. “I’m physically in the best shape I’ve been in a long time. I’m ready to be ready to do all the activities that I’m doing and feeling really good about it. I could, but I’m not desiring it at this point.”

Carroll didn’t rule out a potential return to coaching down the line.

“We’ll see what happens,” Carroll said. “I’m not waiting on it at all. I’m going ahead and I got other things that I want to do that I’m excited about, and I’m going to see how all that goes. I’m not thinking that it’s — that I’m holding my breath and that kind of thing. So, if it’s been 40-something years, 48 years or whatever coaching and that’s it. I feel OK about that.”

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