Few expected Pete Carroll to stand at the podium on Wednesday and announce that he is retiring as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
Carroll will be moving into the front office, so he won't be stepping away from football completely.
But after 14 years and one Super Bowl ring, it was an emotional press conference for the longtime head coach.
The hardest part for Carol was thanking her wife, Glenna.
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Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll with his wife Glenna after a 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on February 2, 2014. celebrate. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
“I was blessed with the rarest friend, mentor, loving partner, and angel in my life,” Carol said, holding back tears. “This is worth crying about. Glenna, no one can ever understand how important… She went through everything we went through. How important she is – she He was truly an angel in my life.
“I owe you everything.”
Carroll's journey as a coach has been a family affair beyond his wife. His sons Brennan and Nate are part of the Seahawks' coaching staff.
Pete Carroll named Seahawks head coach
Carroll has been involved in football since 1973, when he was a graduate assistant at the University of the Pacific at the age of 22. He worked the college circuit and then got his NFL chance as a defensive backs coach with the Buffalo Bills.
He also held the position for five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before joining the New York Jets as defensive coordinator in 1990. This was the first team to give him a head coaching job, and he lasted just one season, going 6-10 before moving on to the San Francisco 49ers.
USC head coach Pete Carroll celebrates with his wife Glenna and daughter Jaime after the FedEx Orange Bowl at Pro Player Stadium on January 2, 2003 in Miami, Florida, against Iowa. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Next, the New England Patriots approached him to take a chance on their head coaching vacancy, but he stayed for three seasons before returning to college.
It was at USC that Carroll began building one of the most famous powerhouse schools in the country, leading the Trojans to back-to-back national titles.
Then the Seahawks came along, and Carroll has since rebuilt the program with them, peaking during the 2013 season when they won the Super Bowl.
Through all these moves, all teams, and different positions, Glenna Goransson was present.
Despite being 72 years old, Carroll is excited to take on his new role in the front office.
“That's all for now. I'm really excited. I'm fired up,” he told reporters. “I'm not tired, I'm not tired. You guys did your best. You guys didn't tire me out. It's the end of the season, I'm lying on a cot somewhere. “I'm not in the mood. What's going to happen? I don't know. I have no idea and I really don't care right now.”
Pete Carroll and his wife Glenna Goranson attend the 2015 Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards held at LA Live's Conga Room on July 14, 2015 in Los Angeles. (David Livingston/Getty Images)
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“But I'm excited [the new role] Because there's a lot to learn. Great discoveries are about to happen. ”
