On January 11th, 2010 Pete Carroll was named the 8th Seattle Seahawks head coach, making him one of the most successful Seahawks coaches in franchise history. He brought to the Seahawks 35 years of collegiate and NFL experience. Early this month on January 10th, after 39 years in the league, he announced that he would be stepping down as head coach. His legacy was not just invaluable for Seattle, but he also benefited the NFL in its entirety.
Before he stepped down he left one last heirloom for Seattle, an unbelievable legacy. After a horrendous season in 2009 going 5 – 11, head coach Jim Mora was fired and Seattle stated it would be going in a new direction, interviewing candidates such as Pete Carroll, the USC Trojans head coach, and the Vikings Defensive Coordinator. Ultimately they went with Carroll who brought the Seahawks their first ever dynasty. Before the start of the season, he revamped the coaching staff and gained key players in the 2010 draft like safety Earl Thomas III and Golden Tate. With his preseason record going 1 – 3 fans were doubting the decision of letting Mora go.
In the regular season, Carroll led his team to a 7 – 9 record, while still taking them to the playoffs. He restored hope in his fans during the very first game where the team blew the 49ers out, beating them 31 – 9. Their season was going smoothly until week 8 against the Raiders where they were slammed with a horrible loss losing 33 – 3. One loss wasn’t enough for the team to give up. They knew they would come back from this loss the following week. When the time came and they needed to show up, they couldn’t do it. Again, they were obliterated and lost to the Giants 41 – 7.
After these two losses, both the team and fans had completely lost faith in Carroll and the Seahawks. After week nine they only had a few more wins getting beaten by the Saints, Chiefs, 49ers, Falcons, and Buccaneers. Somehow, they still made the playoffs and went into the series playing against the Saints who had previously blown them out. With no hope walking into the wild card round they finally showed up and won by a miracle, beating the Saints 41 – 36. They lost to the Bears in the divisional round but the wild card win would be the very start of one of the most dominant team eras ever in the NFL.
The following year they again finished with a 7 – 9 record but did not go to the playoffs. Expected to be one of the league’s mediocre teams, the Seahawks changed fan’s perspectives in 2012. Carroll had his best season yet finishing 11 – 5. In the preseason Seattle shocked America by crushing all four teams they played. They only took five losses making them Super Bowl prospects. Going into the playoffs they beat the Redskins 1st round, but just barely lost in the 2nd round to the Falcons, with the score being 28 – 30, Atlanta. This loss saddened all fans, but everyone knew the Seahawks were not just an average team anymore, they were one of the best lineups ever seen from Seattle.
With an exciting off season, fans were expecting the most out of the upcoming season knowing the Seahawks had become a power to reckon with on the field. With the start of the season, the Hawks had not lost their momentum. They went through the season with an even better record going 13 – 3. Quarterback Russell Wilson was a star, and Carroll knew it. That year they would become the dynamic duo of the NFL. Together, they lead the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, winning it and becoming the league champions. The next season fans’ hopes were up after an incredible season, and yet again the Seahawks tore through their schedule with the iconic duo reaching the Super Bowl again. Playing against the Patriots it was a very stressful game. It all came down to the final play, the Seahawks down by four on the one yard line. Likely the most famous play in Seahawk history, Carroll decided to pass the ball instead of rushing with their star running back, Marshawn Lynch, named “Beast Mode”. Wilson attempted to pass it to a receiver, but it was intercepted in the endzone by Patriots cornerback, Malcolm Butler.
They haven’t gone back to the Super Bowl since, but they stayed dominant. From 2013 – 2016 the Seahawks won more than 10 games every season. They even hosted one of the best defensive secondaries in the NFL, given the name, “The Legion of Boom”. From 2017 – 2024 the farthest the Seahawks made it was the divisional round of the playoffs, but according to most players, and fans, Pete Carroll was the greatest Seahawks coach in NFL history, and gave Seattle an awe striking experience.
