Hired as coach on January 11, 2010, Pete Carroll becomes the eighth head coach in Seahawks history after one of the most successful runs in USC history in the college ranks. He brings 16 years of NFL experience and 19 years of collegiate experience to Seattle.

He returns to the NFL after spending the previous nine years (2001-09) as head coach at USC, where he won seven consecutive Pac-10 titles (2002-08), two national championships (2003-04) and led the Trojans to a 97-19 record. He reached a bowl in each of his nine seasons and won seven. His 88 victories from 2001 to 2008 tied Bob Pruett of Marshall for most by a Division I coach in their first eight seasons since 1900 (Penn’s George Woodruff - 102). He reached 50 career USC wins faster than any head coach in Trojan history. From 2002-08, his teams appeared in an NCAA-record seven consecutive BCS bowls, recorded at least 11 victories (an NCAA record) and finished ranked in the AP Top 4. USC was AP's No. 1 team for a national-record 33 straight polls (including two preseason polls) and was ranked in the AP Top 10 for a school-record 63 consecutive games. His teams were ranked in the AP Top 25 for 102 consecutive games, a school record. In 2009, he was named Coach of the Decade by Lindy's.

Also under Carroll, USC is the first school to have three Heisman Trophy winners in a four-year span (Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush). He has also coached winners of the Walter Camp, Chuck Bednarik, Johnny Unitas, Doak Walker and John Mackey Awards. Carroll has produced 34 All-American first-teamers and 53 NFL draft picks (including 14 first-rounders, with a No. 1 selection in Carson Palmer and a No. 2 in Reggie Bush). His USC program had the nation's most draftees in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

USC posted a 12-1 record in 2008 and advanced to its fourth-consecutive Rose Bowl, defeating Penn State, 38-24, to become the first team to win three straight Rose Bowls. In the polls, the Trojans finished ranked second by USA Today and third by AP. USC finished first in scoring defense (9.8 ppg, its finest in 41 years), surrendering just 14 touchdowns in 2008.

In 2007, USC went 11-2 and finished second in the USA Today poll and third in the AP poll, for its sixth AP Top 4 ranking in a row. Its 49-17 win over Illinois in the Rose Bowl equaled the most points ever in the bowl game. Five players were named All-American first teamers.

In 2006, USC went 11-2, finished No. 4 in the final polls and shared the Pac-10 title at 7-2 to capture an unprecedented fifth straight league crown. Five Trojans were All-American first teamers and Carroll was named the 2006 Pac-10 Coach of the Year (for the third time).

In 2005, his Trojans held AP's No. 1 ranking for the entire regular season. USC went 12-1 overall to advance to the BCS Championship Game in the Rose Bowl. The Trojans, who finished second in both polls, boasted a school-record six All-American first-teamers, including Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Reggie Bush. He was the 2005 Pac-10 Co-Coach of the Year, as well as the American Football Coaches Association Division I-A Region 5 Coach of the Year.

In 2004, he guided No. 1-ranked USC to its second consecutive national championship with a convincing win over Oklahoma in the BCS Championship Game in the Orange Bowl. USC became only the second team ever to hold its AP preseason No. 1 ranking all the way through a season. It was only the 10th time that a team won back-to-back AP crowns. His team was 13-0 (a school-record for wins) and went 8-0 in the Pac-10. A school-record six Trojans were named All-American first teamers, including current Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu.

The Trojans won the AP national championship, its first national crown since 1978, and entered the Rose Bowl also ranked No. 1 in the USA Today/ESPN poll, in 2003. USC was 12-1 overall and finished the season ranked second. USC's 534 points was a Pac-10 record. Five Trojans were first-team All-Americans. For this, Carroll was named the 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 and All-American Football Foundation Frank Leahy Co-Coach of the Year. He also was the Pac-10 Co-Coach of the Year.

In 2002, USC posted its first 11-win season since 1979 and its highest ranking (No. 4) since 1988. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Carson Palmer and safety Troy Polamalu were first team All-Americans.

Carroll was named USC’s head football coach on December 15, 2000, and in his first season, led the Trojans to the Las Vegas Bowl and a 6-6 record.

He began his NFL career as defensive backs coach for Buffalo (1984) and Minnesota (1985-89) before becoming the New York Jets defensive coordinator (1990-93) and head coach (1994). He spent two years as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator (1995-96), leading the league in total defense in 1995, before leading New England to a 27-21 record and two playoff appearances as head coach (1997-99). Carroll’s overall head coaching record is 33-31 in the regular season and 1-2 in the postseason.

Carroll spent the 2000 season as a consultant for pro and college teams, doing charitable work for the NFL and writing a column on pro football for CNNSI.com.

Carroll began his coaching career at the college level, serving as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Pacific, for three years (1974-76), working with the wide receivers and secondary. 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 (1980-82) 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.

Carroll was a two-time (1971-72) All-Pacific Coast Conference free safety at Pacific and earned his bachelor's degree in 1973 in business administration. He received his secondary teaching credential and a master's degree in physical education from Pacific in 1976. He was inducted into the Pacific Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.

He was a three-sport (football, basketball and baseball) standout at Redwood High in Larkspur, Calif., earning the school's Athlete of the Year award as a senior. He played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. He was inducted into the inaugural Redwood High Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. He then played football at Marin Junior College in Kentfield, Calif., from 1969-70 before transferring to Pacific.

In 2003, he helped develop “A Better L.A.,” a non-profit group consisting of a consortium of local agencies and organizations working to reduce gang violence by empowering change in individuals and communities. In the spring of 2009, he received the Crystal Heart Award from the USC School of Social Work for his involvement with “A Better L.A.” and the Pete Carroll Scholarship was established for students pursuing graduate study in the school. He received the Courageous Leadership Award from Women Against Gun Violence in 2005. In the fall of 2008, he helped organize “L.A. LivePeace 08,” a march and rally at the Coliseum to promote gang intervention and non-violence in Los Angeles.

Carroll was born on September 15, 1951, in San Francisco. He and his wife, Glena, who played volleyball at Pacific, have three children, sons Brennan, who played tight end at Delaware and Pittsburgh, Nate, and daughter Jaime, who played on the Women of Troy's volleyball team that competed in the 2000 NCAA Final Four. He also has one grandson, Dillon.