Few, if any, expected Pete Carroll to be standing at a podium Wednesday announcing he would no longer be head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
Carroll is moving to the front office, so he’s not leaving football altogether.
But after 14 years and one Super Bowl ring, it was an emotional news conference for the longtime head coach.
The hardest part for Carroll was thanking his wife, Glena.
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"I’ve been blessed with, like, the rarest of best friends and mentor, loving partner, the angel in my life," Carroll said, fighting back tears. "This is worth crying for. Glena, nobody would ever understand how significant … she’s been through all the stuff we’ve been through. How important she is – she’s just been an angel in my life.
"I owe you everything."
Carroll’s coaching journey has been a family affair that goes beyond his wife. His sons, Brennan and Nate, have been a part of the Seahawks’ coaching staff.
PETE CARROLL OUT AS SEAHAWKS HEAD COACH
Carroll has worked in football since he was a graduate assistant at Pacific University at 22 years old in 1973. He worked the college circuit before getting a chance in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills as a defensive backs coach.
It’s a position he also held with the Minnesota Vikings for five seasons before joining the New York Jets in 1990 as their defensive coordinator. It was the first team to give him a job as a head coach, and he went 6-10 and only lasted one season before moving on to the San Francisco 49ers.
The New England Patriots came calling next to give him a shot with their head coaching vacancy, and he lasted three seasons before returning to college.
It was at USC where Carroll began to build one of the country’s most recognizable powerhouses, leading the Trojans to back-to-back national titles.
The Seahawks came after that, and Carroll has been with them ever since, once again building a program that reached its peak during the 2013 season when they won the Super Bowl.
Throughout all those moves, all the teams and different positions, was Glena Goranson.
Despite being 72, Carroll is excited to tackle his new front office role.
"That’s it for now, and I’m freaking jacked. I’m fired up," he told reporters. "I’m not tired, I’m not worn down. You guys tried your best. You didn’t wear me out. It’s the end of the season, I’m supposed to be laying on a cot somewhere. I ain’t feeling like that. What’s coming? I don’t know. I have no idea, and I really don’t care right now.
"But I’m excited about [the new role] because there’s a lot to learn, there’s a lot to study. There’s some great discoveries that are going to come our way."
