The Story is Never Over - A Lesson From Pete Carroll's Coaching Career

How can you not cheer for Pete Carroll and Seattle Seahawks, if you're a coach?  

Embarrassed after being  fired by New England Patriot; fired after one season with the New York Jets in 1994.   

The story could have been over for Pete Carroll. But Pete never lost his enthusiasm for the game of football and his positive outlook on life. Carroll could have gotten bitter; but instead he chose to get better. Carroll decided to set new goals; create new plans; redefine his coaching philosophy. Pete Carroll believed there were new opportunities on the horizon. Pete did not listen to the critics or feel sorry for himself. He set out to develop a new way to teach football and sell his philosophy. Carroll understood the principle that people or bad circumstances do not determine your destiny. Carroll put action behind his faith and found a new job with the USC Trojans. The rest was history. Carroll went on to win two National Championships and his team had a record of 67 wins and 7 losses.  At the age of 62, twenty years after being fired by the Jets, Pete Carroll has a chance to win the Super Bowl in New York and prove all his critics wrong.

Coaching Tips: Pete Carroll Rise in Popularity and Success

In his article Luke Hughes explains why, NFL Players Want To Play For Pete Carroll More Than Any Other Coach. One of Carroll’s Seahawks players, linebacker Heath Farwell, explained what separates his coach from the rest. “If you make a mistake, he uses that as a teachable moment,” Farwell said. “Pete explains what you did wrong and how you can correct. If you do something wrong, he will say that’s not acceptable by the organization and explain why. “We all make mistakes, but with Pete, it’s about learning from it. He’s not a talk-down-to-you or yell-at-you kind of coach.” Carroll was very popular among his players during nine seasons at USC, so it’s no surprise that his energy and coaching style are well received by his NFL players, too.

In Pete Carroll book, Win Forever; Carroll describes the importance of having philosophy; knowing the details of your philosophy; how the head coach must have the ability to teach his philosophy to the entire organization. Carroll describes the Seahawks core philosophy as, doing things better today than yesterday." The team's motto is, “To do it better than it has ever been done before.” Carroll has successfully sold his approach to the entire Seahawks organization. This has led to Carroll's rise in popularity and success.

Power Thoughts:

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.