Just two men have coached champions in the NCAA and the NFL. Pete Carroll can become the third if his Seahawks are victorious Sunday in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Carroll, in his fourth season guiding Seattle after nine years with USC, won two AP National Championships with the Trojans.
He would follow in the footsteps of Jimmie Johnson, who won at the college level with the Miami Hurricanes, and Barry Switzer, who won it all three times at Oklahoma. Both men won Super Bowls while with the Cowboys during the 1990s.
Carroll’s counterpart on the Denver sidelines is John Fox, who lost two prior bids at a Super Bowl victory — one as the Giants’ defensive coordinator in Super Bowl XXXV and then as the Panthers’ head coach for Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Unlike the more exuberant Carroll, Fox’s sideline demeanor is reserved. They do have this much in common: Both cut their teeth in the coaching ranks by coaching defensive backs.
Sunday’s winner will join the 29 other head coaches who’ve achieved the pinnacle in NFL head coaching: a Super Bowl victory.
