Chatting With Pete Carroll

Last week, I had an opportunity to speak with Pete Carroll.  As many of you who read my blog know, I have a great admiration for him, the way that he coaches; and his ability to draw the most from his players.  In order to frame this conversation, I’ll give you a bit of back story in terms of my relationship with Coach Carroll, and how it has impacted my life.

It began in high school, while I was working hard to be the best athlete possible.  I honestly didn’t have plans or goals to play collegiate sports–I just wanted to be very good at my sport.  After my Junior season, my coach called me into his office and said Pete Carroll was on the phone for me.  I had no idea who that was.  I was just a local boy in Hawai’i, and unfamiliar with any of the coaching staff from major Universities.  Coach then told me that he was the head coach of the USC Trojans. I remember standing there wondering why he’d want to speak with me, but took the phone. Coach Carroll told me that he had just watched some of my game film, and wanted to call right away to offer me a full scholarship.  I was in shock.  I thanked him, and then went on to phone my parents. It brought them so much joy that they cried.

The joy and tears were due to many things.  My parents worked and struggled hard, to be able to send me and another one of my brothers to a private school for our High School years. The public High School in our area was and still is, one of the worst in the country–in terms of academics, graduation rates, and all other measures.  Most of my close friends who went on to that school, have ended up incarcerated, or worse.  My parents were aware of how important it was for us to be surrounded by positivity, high standards, and opportunity. To be given that opportunity, is something that not all of my siblings had.

Now, back in my High School days, recruiting was not as crazy as it is now.  Meaning that the recruiting services back then, did not know more about players than College Coaches did.  So when Pete Carroll offered me a scholarship, it opened the door to media sources and other coaches contacting me for more information.  Within a couple of months, I had so many College scholarship offers that I could not keep track of them, and it started to become overwhelming.  I eventually decided to play for the University of Washington.

Attending the University of Washington really opened my eyes to the bigger world, and everything out there.  It went beyond football. I met my wife there, and deepened my passion for training after my football career.  I later started a business, and in the process, became a huge fan of Coach Carroll’s book, “Win Forever”.  We have used his principles to successfully bring out the best in our athletes.

When we spoke last week, I was able to thank him for opening that door for me–but also for passing along the knowledge he shares in his work.  I am now married with young children, and I have the great fortune of loving what I do.  I just love everything in my life–my family, career, the people I am lucky to train, and my faith.  It could have easily gone the other way for me, and I understand that every person in my life played a vital role in helping me along the way.  Coach Carroll thanked me for telling him, stating that he loves to hear how he has been able to impact people’s lives, and that it made his day.  Please tell those who have helped you along your journey, just how much they mean to you.  No matter who they are, they will love and appreciate hearing how they were able to help guide you.

That is our goal with the athletes we train.  We want to help them to not only perform their best, but to truly improve their lives.  When you put your heart and soul into something you are passionate about, you will be amazed at how things begin coming together for you.  Even if things do not work out for you according to your original plan, you will not have any regrets, and will learn lessons to help you along with the big plan.  Contact us now and let us help you take your game to the next level!

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