Pete Carroll is the former head coach for the Seattle Seahawks as the Seahawks removed Carroll as head coach following a 9-8 season in 2023. The coaching legend spent the last 14 years in Seattle and spent nine years at USC in the years prior, which has helped Pete Carroll amass a net worth of $50 million.
He has been coaching in the NFL since 1984. He won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks and a National Championship with USC in 2004.
Carroll is also a four-time Rose Bowl champion, the most prestigious of bowl games for someone from USC. His propensity to stay put at one job for a long time has also shown in his personal life, as he and his wife have been together since high school. Therefore, Pete Carroll's wife, Glena Goranson, has been there for his entire coaching career.
Who is Glena Goranson?
Pete Carroll and Glena Goranson officially became husband and wife in 1976 after several years of dating. The relationship hasn't been very public for someone in the limelight for as long as Carroll, but the couple prefers to keep their family private. Since she is a big part of Pete Carroll's life, let's look at Glena Goranson outside of her relationship with Pete Carroll.
Glena Goranson's background
Goranson attended the University of the Pacific, the same college as Carroll. While Carroll played football, Goranson played for the volleyball team. The couple wed in 1976, and since then, Carroll has done his best to keep their family's lives private.
One interesting tidbit about Glena is that in Carroll's time at the University of Arkansas, working with Monte Kiffin, she helped the coaches by babysitting Monte's son. Monte's son turned out to be Lane Kiffin, a former NFL head coach and the current coach of the University of Mississippi.
Pete Carroll, Glena Goranson's relationship
While Carroll prefers to keep his family life private, he did pay a touching tribute to Goranson in his press conference where he announced he would no longer be coaching the Seahawks. Clearly, Goranson's support behind the scenes has meant a lot to Carroll.
The couple have had three kids since getting married: Brennan, Jamie, and Nate. Their lives have been difficult to keep private as they have been successful members of the public sphere.
Brennan is currently the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Wildcats. He also was a player with the University of Pittsburgh as a tight end. He was a graduate assistant at USC under his father, a role that expanded to tight ends coach and recruitment coordinator by 2007. Brennan was also a member of the Seahawks staff before moving on to the University of Arizona.
Jaime is a real estate professional but previously contributed on the business side to Compete to Create, which was a performance institute established by Pete Carroll. She was also a good athlete, excelling on the USC volleyball team.
Nate was the Senior Offensive Assistant for the Seattle Seahawks this past season. He was a three-star athlete in high school but opted to focus on school and not play college football.
He graduated with a degree in Psychology from USC. Pete offered him a job with Seattle after graduation, and he has been with the team ever since, notably being a part of the Super Bowl win with his father. His future with the team will be determined once a new head coach is hired.
Pete Carroll's relationship controversy
Carroll's reasoning for keeping his family life private was evident in 2009 when rumors started circulating about the coach. After comments from Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis, it was alleged that Carroll was involved with a USC grad student.
Carroll denied the allegations, but they no doubt caused problems between him and his wife. No other sources were able to confirm other than Weis' allegations, so the rumors were dropped without gaining traction.
There is no doubt that Carroll and Goranson have a special relationship to stay together through all the moving and stress that comes with being a football coach. As Carroll himself said, their significant other is the biggest contributor to their success.
Goranson has been a major part of Carroll's ability to be a Super Bowl and National Champion. This is all we know about Pete Carroll's wife, Glena Goranson.