Pete Carroll and John McKay: Two Trojan Coaching Legends and the NFL

When Pete Carroll announced he was leaving USC, the school he turned into a dynasty by winning two National Championships and nearly a third along with seven straight Pac 10 titles, similarities immediately surfaced between one Trojan coaching legend and another 34 years earlier.

USC had not been in the National Championship hunt since the late thirties and the era of Howard Jones, but John McKay arrived in 1960 and turned the school’s fortunes completely around by winning four National Championships and taking Troy to the Rose Bowl eight times in his 16 seasons.

Carroll had two earlier NFL coaching stints with New England. He had one major question in discussions with Seattle Seahawk brass before agreeing to leave USC for the northwest. He sought greater control than had been the case in his previous pro coaching experiences and received this important concession, whereupon Carroll agreed to become Seattle’s new coach.

McKay had never coached in the NFL when Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse sought to convince him to leave USC and become the coach of the new expansion team slated to open shop in Central Florida in 1976.

The Trojan coach later acknowledged that he only agreed to have breakfast with Culverhouse while he was in Los Angeles as a courtesy but eventually decided to accept his coaching offer.

If there was one characteristic of McKay’s winning formula that dominated all others it was independence. Before agreeing to Culverhouse’s offer McKay stipulated that he be given total control. As in the case of the Seattle Seahawks currently with Carroll, McKay was provided such an assurance.

When McKay took over the reins in Tampa Bay he proclaimed an objective of developing a defensive foundation as the initial hallmark of a winning team. Carroll’s specialty is defense, the hallmark he established in building a winning foundation at USC.

In fact, what famous defensive player who grew up in Seattle looms as an immediate draft possibility for Carroll? None other than Taylor Mays, former Carroll USC All-American, a speedy, punishing tackler at safety who the scouts believe could be another Ronnie Lott, the former Trojan who assisted mightily in helping the San Francisco Forty-Niners win four Super Bowl titles.

When McKay assumed the Tampa Bay post he was quick to draft Ricky Bell, his last star running back at USC. He would also draft his son J.K. McKay, a star wide receiver at Troy.

Other ex-USC stars who played for McKay at Tampa Bay included linebackers Richard “Batman” Wood and David Lewis while Willie Brown, a former stellar running back under McKay at Troy joined the Bucs‘ coaching staff, as did another former assistant, Phil Krueger.

We already know about Carroll bringing offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates and defensive guru Ken Norton Jr. with him to Seattle. What about seeking out former Trojans as players in the manner of McKay?

We already know about Carroll bringing offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates and defensive guru Ken Norton Jr. with him to Seattle. What about seeking out former Trojans as players in the manner of McKay?

Will the Seahawks actively pursue former Trojan Heisman Trophy winners Reggie Bush from New Orleans or Matt Leinart from Arizona?

Stay tuned. Things are always interesting on the Pete Carroll watch just as they were better than a generation ago with John McKay.