Written by Sarah Bergstrom, USC blog contributor
"Tonight I really felt the Trojan love," said Carroll when asked about returning to the school he led to seven consecutive BCS bowl games and two national titles. "I love this place. It feels really good to be back."
Coach Carroll, one of just three coaches to ever win both an NCAA championship and a Super Bowl, is one of the best in the business and has reached that level thanks to strict adherence to a philosophy he developed early in his career. He described competition as the central theme of his program and the integral component of winning forever.
The coach walked the audience through his journey, explaining the obstacles and opportunities he encountered on his way to USC and his current position with the Seattle Seahawks. According to Carroll, being successful takes vision, hard work, a deep understanding of yourself and discipline. But when you have those ingredients, anything is possible.
In addition to his wealth of wisdom, the night included several special guests who dropped by for surprise visits including Coach Sark and USC alumnus Will Ferrell. Ferrell reminisced with Carroll about USC football practice memories and even brushed up on his kicking skills driving a football into the audience through imaginary field goal posts. Sark and Carroll compared coaching notes, explaining what they admired about the other and where they saw the future of USC Football.
"What has always stood out to me about Sark is his agile mind, his ability to think openly, and his ability to understand people," Carroll said. "He can handle any situation. Not everyone can do that. I'm thrilled that he has this opportunity. He knows what SC is all about. He's going to do a great job."
As the evening came to a close, it was easy to forget that Carroll's main title is football coach and not inspirational speaker. Drawing on the tenants of his life philosophy and delivering on the purpose of the night (he was invited by a business class to speak on entrepreneurship and success), the coach gave the audience a locker room-esque speech for the ages.
"As you go through challenges, remember that grit is real," Carroll challenged. "It's about competing, it's about pushing yourself, it's about striving to be your best. The thing that's great about grit is that no one else controls it but you. You have the opportunity to create your own value. No one else will control what happens to you. You have the power. That's being in control of your own destiny."
Check out the John McGillen gallery with photos from the entire event:
Pete Carroll Bovard Talk - Images by John McGillen
Pete Carroll Bovard Talk - Images by John McGillen
