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Come Fan with UsTuesday, August 4, 2026

Pete Carroll voted NFL’s most popular coach

Seattle is riding high these days, partially due to a coach with an infectious personality.

USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks are in the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history, and this time with the NFL's most popular head coach.

Pete Carroll was given the honor by ESPN's NFL Nation, as voted on by anonymous players. Carroll received 23 percent of the vote, making him the top vote-getter with more than 320 votes. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin came in second place with 14 percent of the vote.

Carroll, typically portrayed a "rah-rah" playerss coach, believes that isn't the case. While he is high-energy and appears to be constantly pumping his players up, Seahawks captain Heath Farwell explains that Carroll is much more than a cheerleader.

“If you make a mistake, he uses that as a teachable moment,” Farwell said. “Pete explains what you did wrong and how you can correct. If you do something wrong, he will say that’s not acceptable by the organization and explain why.

Carroll is trying to win his first Super Bowl, already having a pair of national championships under his belt from his time with USC. Carroll was widely panned when Seattle hired him, with many claiming he was an ideal college head coach but a mediocre choice at the pro level.

The Seahawks clearly don’t regret the decision.

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