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USC Fan's Open Letter To Pete Carroll

Ashley Smith |
February 27, 2014 | 5:39 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

Pete Carroll (Twitter @oliverdarcy)
Pete Carroll (Twitter @oliverdarcy)
I didn’t like you. I didn’t want you to win the Super Bowl. I was holding a grudge but last Wednesday you converted a hater to a bona fide fan. Let me explain…

When I arrived at USC four years ago, it was the beginning of the infamous NCAA sanctions. This beast of a football program that I’d heard so much about and was looking forward to witnessing, was experiencing great turmoil. I saw you running away from the adversity as an admission of your wrongdoing. You might have apologized, but I didn’t know and I don’t remember. It felt like you left us in a time of need and that didn’t seem like a great way to make a first impression. You went to Seattle, and appeared to trade up and away from the controversy. 

I begrudged all of your successes over the next four years and frowned upon much of the commentary regarding our new coaching staff because I thought they were going to be just like you and whatever legacy you had chosen to run from. And then your Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl. I’m from Indiana, and despite Peyton Manning’s position on the Broncos, my strong allegiance to him outweighed whatever little Trojan connection I thought I should be expressing for you. The Broncos were obliterated and my distaste for you grew. Then I heard you were coming to speak at USC. 

So many people spoke so highly of you, and with your newest title of Super Bowl winning coach, I wanted to give you a shot. Everyone talks about the glory days of Pete Carroll and I figured they couldn’t be so nostalgic about nothing. I reserved my ticket and two weeks later got in line to see you speak at Bovard. 

Your entrance on stage was met with raucous applause and after hearing the statistics of your success I realized why everyone so fondly remembers you. A 34 game winning streak? Two consecutive National Championships? Wow. But it wasn’t those stats that changed my mind for the better. It was your insightful advice. After explaining the Three Pillars of your Win Forever, Always Compete philosophy I started to see you as more than a wins-hungry-old-white-guy football coach. You spoke about the power of knowing yourself and the understanding that by working to improve your strengths and not focusing on your weaknesses that the power was within each of us. As a coach you mentioned how significant it is to really get to know your players—to figure out who they truly are. Then you emphasized how this step was also crucial for our own individual growth as a means of understanding our potential. 

Suddenly Will Ferrell appeared and you demonstrated how much you really enjoy fun. It was evidence that you have a soul and aren’t some concrete-character that calls plays and churns out wins. It’s more than black and white wins and losses and numbers. You want to tap into individual potential and see people succeed. You explained that competing is for, and not against. You’re striving for something, not against it. And finally, what resonated with me most was the following, “It’s not about the quality of the job, it’s about the quality of the job you do.” A simple sentiment, and one I’ve heard before but something about you sharing it with us made me tear up. You believed so much in each person in that auditorium. And I thank you for that. The night wasn’t about how great it felt to win a Super Bowl or how awesome the glory days were, you came to share your tools for success. Your approach is being invested in individuals and the belief that everyone can succeed if their mindset is positive. 

I gave you a standing ovation. I also decided that you would make a pretty great life coach/therapist so when you retire please contact me. Hopefully at that point I will have put your advice into good practice. But until then, thank you for coming back to USC to share your wisdom and for being honest about the adversity you’ve faced and overcome. I’m inspired by you and your optimism and appreciate all of the advice. You officially have a new fan.  

Fight On! 

 

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