Pete Carroll is a one-of-a-kind football coach. Stop and ask yourself if you can recall another coach doing what Carroll did when he was the big man in charge at USC. The memorable LA Magazine profile of Carroll from 2007, written by J.R. Moehringer, documented Carroll’s late-night visits to the roughest, toughest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Carroll talked to gang members and gave them his cell phone number, trying to be a mentor and an outlet for anyone willing to talk.
Lincoln Riley isn’t doing what Carroll did, but Carroll and Riley do share something in common as USC head coaches: They love the comparative anonymity of living in Los Angeles. Some people will recognize them in public settings, but many won’t.
Riley told Oregon-based journalist and talk-show host John Canzano at Pac-12 media day that he read a story about Pete Carroll. It was sent to him by a friend shortly after Riley took the USC job in 2021.
Riley was struck by what Carroll said about going out to eat at a restaurant after USC lost a game.
“Nobody cares, because everybody’s looking at George Clooney or that guy from ‘Friends,'” Riley quoted Carroll as saying.
Riley then told Canzano, “In a small college town, you are George Clooney or that guy from ‘Friends.'”
Riley is an introvert. If you listened to our Riley Files podcast series from the summer of 2022, you would know that. You also know this from seeing Riley at work as USC head coach. He’s a guy who simply doesn’t give much away. He has a poker face. He keeps a lot of details hidden.
It’s not a surprise at all that Riley loves being in Los Angeles instead of the fishbowl of Norman, Oklahoma. Knowing that not everyone will recognize him in public suits Riley just fine. He loves L.A.
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