Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll receives honorary doctorate degree from Pacific

Hannah Workman, The Record
·2 min read
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has a sash place on him by University of the Pacific regent Mary-Elizabeth Eberhardt after he received an honorary MBA degree during the 2022 commencement ceremonies at Pacific's Knoles Lawn in Stockton.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has a sash place on him by University of the Pacific regent Mary-Elizabeth Eberhardt after he received an honorary MBA degree during the 2022 commencement ceremonies at Pacific's Knoles Lawn in Stockton.
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University of the Pacific celebrated its class of 2022 graduates at its all-university commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 14.

Among those who were celebrated was Pete Carroll, a Pacific alumnus and coach of the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks. Carroll was presented with an honorary doctorate degree at Saturday’s ceremony, which is one of the highest honors the university can bestow.

“I’m not quite sure how I feel about this,” Carroll said on receiving the honor. “They want to call me a doctor, but that might be a bit of a stretch.”

University of the Pacific President Christopher Callahan, left, confers an honorary MBA degree upon Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll an honorary MBA degree during the 2022 commencement ceremonies.
University of the Pacific President Christopher Callahan, left, confers an honorary MBA degree upon Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll an honorary MBA degree during the 2022 commencement ceremonies.

Aside from receiving the honor, Carroll said it felt “thrilling” to be back on the campus where his career started. Pacific is also where he met his wife, Glena Carroll, who graduated from the university in 1977.

“We’ve been stunned by the beauty of the campus and its growth,” Carroll said. “There’s been such a tremendous amount of care that’s gone into the decision-making and the choices that have built up this campus. It’s just added to something that was already beautiful.”

Carroll attended junior college at the College of Marin in Marin County, where he played football for two years. He transferred to Pacific in 1971 and played free safety for the final two years of his college career. His performance earned him All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference honors.

University of the Pacific president Christopher Callahan, left, congratulates Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll after conferring an honorary MBA degree upon him during the 2022 commencement ceremonies.
University of the Pacific president Christopher Callahan, left, congratulates Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll after conferring an honorary MBA degree upon him during the 2022 commencement ceremonies.

Carroll graduated from Pacific in 1973 with a degree in business administration, but he didn’t leave the university for long. He returned to Pacific to complete his master’s degree in physical education and earned a secondary teaching credential in 1978, while serving as a graduate assistant on the football team’s coaching staff. He entered the NFL in 1984 as the defensive backs coach of the Buffalo Bills.

Four decades after leaving Pacific, Carroll had a few words of advice for the university’s current student-athletes.

“Go forth and don’t hold back,” he said. “Make the most of it. Enjoy your time here, but go forth. That means putting in the hard work, the preparation, and the dedication it takes to get it done.”

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman . Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll gets honorary doctorate from Pacific