Former USC football coach and Super Bowl champion Pete Carroll will return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as the 2026 commencement speaker for the USC Marshall School of Business, it was announced Wednesday.
Carroll, who led the Trojans to two national championships and seven consecutive conference titles during his tenure from 2001 to 2009, will address graduates during ceremonies in May.
Head coach Pete Carroll, left, and assistant Steve Sarkisian on the sidelines for the USC Trojans during a game with California on Nov. 18, 2006. USC won, 23-9. (Photo by Scott Varley, The Daily Breeze/SCNG)
“I am fired up to return to USC and the L.A. Coliseum, the place where we competed, won, and shared lifelong memories with the Trojan Family,” Carroll said in a statement. “I look forward to celebrating and challenging the Marshall Class of 2026 to pursue excellence in everything they do.”
Carroll later coached the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship and is one of only a few coaches to win both a college football national title and a Super Bowl.
USC officials said Carroll will speak on leadership, resilience and lessons from his decades-long coaching career.
“Pete embodies the kind of human leadership we strive to develop at USC Marshall, and we’re thrilled to welcome him back to inspire the Class of 2026 as they begin the next chapter of their leadership journeys,” said Geoff Garrett, dean of the USC Marshall School of Business.
Carroll has maintained ties to the university, including co-teaching a USC Marshall course in 2025 focused on leadership and performance.
The university-wide commencement is scheduled for May 14, although the specific time for the Marshall School ceremony is expected to be announced closer to the event.