Pete Carroll

One of only three coaches to win a Super Bowl and a college football national championship, Pete Carroll led the Seattle Seahawks as head coach and executive vice president from 2010-2023. His brand of inclusive leadership, combined with his ability to create an “atmosphere of understanding” within teams, has made him one of the most recognizable and respected figures in modern sports and beyond. He empowers his players to be the best version of themselves, with the freedom to make mistakes, speak their minds, and be truly seen and heard for who they are.

Carroll returned to the NFL after spending the previous nine years (2001-2009) as head coach at USC, where he won seven consecutive Pac-10 titles (2002-2008), two national championships (2003-2004) and led the Trojans to a 97-19 record.

Carroll was a two-time (1971-1972) All-Pacific Coast Conference free safety at Pacific and was inducted into the Pacific Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. Carroll began his coaching career at the college level, serving as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Pacific, for three years (1974-1976). He then spent a season as a graduate assistant working with the secondary at Arkansas (1977) under Lou Holtz as the Razorbacks won the 1978 Orange Bowl, and then a season each as an assistant in charge of the secondary at Iowa State (1978) and at Ohio State (1979). He next spent three seasons (1980-1982) as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at North Carolina State, before returning to Pacific in 1983 as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.

He began his NFL career as defensive backs coach for Buffalo (1984) and Minnesota (1985-1989) before becoming the New York Jets defensive coordinator (1990-1993) and head coach (1994). He spent two years as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator (1995-1996), leading the league in total defense in 1995, before leading New England to a 27-21 record and two playoff appearances as head coach (1997-1999).

In his first season with the Seahawks, Carroll almost completely overturned the roster, totaling over 200 transactions in the course of only one season. However, these moves paved the way for a 4–2 start to the 2010 season. Although Seattle faltered through the latter half of the season, the team beat their NFC West division rival Rams in the final week of the regular season for the division championship, becoming the first 7–9 team in NFL history to win a division title. In February 2014, Carroll led the Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl win in franchise history after defeating the Denver Broncos, 43–8, in Super Bowl XLVIII.

His leadership approach is rooted in compassion and love, and the knowledge that each of us—whether player or coach, student or teacher—is constantly learning and evolving. He’s founded a number of organizations and initiatives over the years that take this philosophy far beyond the football field, to help individuals, companies, teams, and young people connect with their life’s purpose and perform at their best.