USC to award Pete Carroll with honorary degree

USC is honoring former head football coach Pete Carroll with an honorary degree at commencement ceremonies in May.

Pete Carroll coached the Trojans for nine seasons, compiling an 83-19 record, but the end of his tenure was marred by NCAA sanctions.

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He was one of the best college coaches of his era and one of the best in the modern era of college football with a pair of AP national championships and seven consecutive finishes ranked in the top four of the AP poll. He would have ranked third on the all-time wins list for USC coaches if not for the sanctions stemming from the Reggie Bush investigation that stained his time at the Pac-12 powerhouse.

So it was mildly surprising to see USC decide to honor their former head coach with an honorary degree at commencement ceremonies in May, according to USA Today college football writer, Paul Myerberg.

The Trojans were hit hard by the NCAA who handed down a two-year postseason bowl ban, loss of 30 scholarships, and the vacating of some victories from 2004, including winning BCS national title over Oklahoma, and all victories from the undefeated 2005 regular season when Bush won the Heisman Trophy and USC lost to Texas in the BCS title game.

So will this honorary degree have to be vacated in three years and say it doesn’t really count?

Maybe Bush can get an honorary Heisman Trophy at commencement too since he had to give the real thing back.

How do you remember Carroll’s time at USC? Do you think USC’s decision to award him an honorary degree is as smart as Carroll’s decision to pass from the one-yard line in the Seattle Seahawks loss to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl?

USC is honoring former head football coach Pete Carroll with an honorary degree at commencement ceremonies in May.

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