We don’t do a very good job of linking here. We read a lot of different blogs and we appreciate other folks’ work, links just aren’t the way we show it. However, this is an exception.
I think college football fans (certainly all USC supporters) should read this LA Magazine “profile” of Pete Carroll. It’s a little long, but absolutely worth the read.
After getting through the piece, it inspired me to share my personal Pete Carroll story. It supports a great deal of what JR Moehringer addresses in his pseudo-profile, and certainly brings a smile to my face.
Back in 2002, I was an Orientation Advisor at USC the summer before my Senior year. At USC, they do their freshman orientations throughout the summer in 6-8 large groups. Students register for classes, attend workshops, get to know each other and the university with their parents in tow. The OA’s attend a variety of trainings to prepare them for the rigors of advising freshman that include meetings with a variety of clubs and organizations on campus. These groups always wanted us to push their various agendas, ranging from “Go Greek!” to “Counseling isn’t just for Crazy People”, to the incoming freshman class.
Our day for our pow-wow with an Athletic Department representative arrived and they invited us to eat at the Galen Center, the athletes only cafeteria. Rumors of the bountiful feasts that occurred in the exclusive building swept through our staff. Would they serve filet mignon? Is the head chef really that one guy from the Food Network? When we arrived, we were disappointed to find that the place was empty. No chef, no janitor, no wait-staff, not even the masseuse we expected. It looked like we’d been shafted. Finally after what seemed like 30 minutes, some work-study lackey came in with pizzas. Really? Pizzas in the Galen Center? That would be like having Subway delivered to you at Lawry’s or (fill in local high-quality steakhouse)… at least in our minds. We’d expected a lavish dining experience, usually reserved for the scholarship athletes when they took a break from the hero worship heaped upon them by common-folk like ourselves.
Needless to say, we were beyond unhappy and prepared to unleash our rage in the form of smarmy and passive-agressive questions, like any good college student. Those sessions can get ugly fast. Just the previous year, I watched a group of Resident Advisors grill the douchey President of the Greek Council about sexual assault, closeted homosexuality and underage drinking practices until a staff member had to step in and end the session. (It started with a priceless question after President Douche-Nozzle talked about increasing accountability and new bylaws voted in place by the council. One jaded RA asked: “Which bylaw is it that encourages the rape of unsuspecting, drunk freshman?”)
In the middle of devouring our disappointing pizza lunch, the door swings wide open and two men glide into the room like a stuntman on fire: urgent, aggressive but in control. One man dwarfs the other, who seemed to be a normal-sized guy. Once they got to the front of the audience we could recognize that it was Pete Carroll, coming off his 1st season, and a giant man he called Coach O. I can’t remember exactly what either of them said, even though it was supposed to be about encouraging Freshman to buy an activity sticker that gave them access to all Home athletic events. Pete would talk very quickly in his characteristic upbeat tone, making him difficult to understand, then Coach O would jump in yelling something completely incomprehensible to emphasize Carroll’s point… I think. He could’ve just as easily been talking about killing a wolverine with his bare hands. After 60 seconds, everyone in the room was so fired up we were literally banging on tables and jumping up and down. High fives all over the place and even a few chest bumps. Carroll and O only spoke to us for what seemed like 3 minutes, but when they jogged out of the room we nearly followed them out of the Galen Center onto the practice field. I’m convinced our group of 20+ OA’s could’ve beaten Nebraska that day without pads or a playbook.
Never in my life have I encountered someone that inspired people better than Pete Carroll. From that moment on, even though it was just a glimmer of what players see everyday, I’ve understood the rise of the USC football program. The victories and stacked recruiting classes come from Carroll’s ability to get you motivated to follow him, checking your cynicism and baggage at the door, regardless of the circumstance in front of you. His force of personality could account for 8 wins and a Top 10 class alone. Whatever happens to the USC Football program, I will always fondly remember Coach Carroll’s inspirational speech… even though I still have no clue what he or Coach O actually said.
“Coach O” was probably Coach Orgeron (sp?). Maybe you should forward this to EDSBS; sounds like a story they’d be interested in.