Pete Carroll gets emotional speaking about wife’s impact on coaching journey: ‘I owe you everything’

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Few, if any, expected Pete Carroll to be standing at a podium Wednesday announcing he would no longer be head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. 

Carroll is moving to the front office, so he’s not leaving football altogether. 

But after 14 years and one Super Bowl ring, it was an emotional news conference for the longtime head coach. 

The hardest part for Carroll was thanking his wife, Glena.

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Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with his wife Glena after a 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium Feb. 2, 2014, in East Rutherford, N.J.  (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

"I’ve been blessed with, like, the rarest of best friends and mentor, loving partner, the angel in my life," Carroll said, fighting back tears. "This is worth crying for. Glena, nobody would ever understand how significant … she’s been through all the stuff we’ve been through. How important she is – she’s just been an angel in my life. 

"I owe you everything."

Carroll’s coaching journey has been a family affair that goes beyond his wife. His sons, Brennan and Nate, have been a part of the Seahawks’ coaching staff. 

PETE CARROLL OUT AS SEAHAWKS HEAD COACH

Carroll has worked in football since he was a graduate assistant at Pacific University at 22 years old in 1973. He worked the college circuit before getting a chance in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills as a defensive backs coach. 

It’s a position he also held with the Minnesota Vikings for five seasons before joining the New York Jets in 1990 as their defensive coordinator. It was the first team to give him a job as a