USC’s legendary coach, Pete Carroll, is making a triumphant return to the Trojans’ campus, but he won’t be near the gridiron. At least not in any official capacity.
Hanging up his whistle and playbook for a blazer and a syllabus, Carroll stated that he will begin teaching classes at USC starting in the spring of 2025.
Returning to his old stomping grounds will be peak nostalgia for the two-time AP National Champion after experiencing so much success in his time donning the cardinal and gold.
Let’s take a look back at Pete Carroll’s time as the USC Trojans’ head coach — the good, the bad, and the NCAA sanctions.
Rocky Start Paved the Way For Carroll’s Epic Run at USC
Three coaches turned down the USC job before Carroll was hired as the school’s fourth choice in 2000.
It was a polarizing choice among the Trojans faithful, with Carroll having no collegiate head coaching experience and not having coached in the college ranks since he was the DC at Pacific in 1983.
Stifling the excitement further was the fact that Carroll was out of coaching altogether for a year before taking the USC job. He was fired in 1999 following a failed attempt in the pro ranks as head coach of the New England Patriots (1997-99).
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
The lack of enthusiasm turned into anger after Carroll started his first campaign 2-5. The growing calls for his job quieted when the Trojans went 4-1 the rest of the way, finishing at an even .500 at 6-6.
That 2000 season was the only one of Carroll’s nine seasons in charge in which the Trojans failed to win nine games or more. Following that year, USC was on the precipice of a dynasty.
Carroll and the USC Trojans Dominate College Football
After that 2-5 start in 2000, Carroll guided the Trojans to a 67-7 record over the next six seasons, including 34 consecutive wins from 2003 to 2005.
The Trojans won consecutive AP National Championships in 2003 and 2004 and almost completed the three-peat in 2005, losing in an all-time game in the Rose Bowl to Texas. It was Carroll’s only loss in the Rose Bowl, with wins in 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Carroll’s Trojans won 11 games or more seven consecutive seasons (2002-08), with seven straight top-four finishes in that time. Following a 9-4 finish in 2009, Carroll ended his USC career at 97-19 (2000-09).
Carroll coached 25 first-team All-Americans, 14 first-round NFL draft picks, and three Heisman Trophy winners: Carson Palmer (2002), Matt Lienhart (2004), and Reggie Bush (2005).
Months after Carroll left USC, the NCAA imposed heavy sanctions on the Trojans, including a two-year bowl ban, the elimination of 30 football scholarships, and the forfeiture of some football victories from 2004 to 2005.
The sanctions surrounded Bush’s receiving impermissible compensation during his playing days, which also led to his Heisman Trophy being revoked.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest news and analysis, rankings, transfer portal information, top 10 returning players, the 2024 college football season schedule, and much more!