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Pete Carroll to receive honorary degree from USC

Sam Cooper
College football writer

Though his tenure as USC head coach ended five years ago under rather unceremonious circumstances five years ago, the school announced Wednesday that Pete Carroll will receive an honorary degree on May 15 during the school’s commencement ceremony.

Carroll, now the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, will also be inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame on the following day, May 16. He led the Trojans to a 97-19 record, two AP national championships in 2003 and 2004 and a BCS National Championship in 2004, which was later vacated.

Carroll left for the Seahawks after the 2009 season while the program was investigated for improper benefits given to Heisman Trophy-winning running back Reggie Bush while Carroll ran the program. As a result of those findings, the NCAA vacated the program’s BCS title, two wins from the 2004 season and all of its wins in 2005. The program also was hit with reduced scholarships and a two-year bowl ban.

After leaving USC, Carroll led the Seahawks to three division championships won the 2013 Super Bowl.

“Carroll returned USC football to national prominence during his nine- year tenure as head coach at the university,” said the university in a release. “His ‘Always Compete’ philosophy has led to a successful four-decade career in football. Carroll is one of just a few coaches in football history to have won a Super Bowl and a national college championship.”

The university also lauded Carroll for his charitable efforts both in Los Angeles and Seattle.

“He is also the founder of A Better LA and A Better Seattle, two gang- violence prevention and community-building organizations that empower inner- city youth and forge relationships with service organizations,” the statement said.

In addition to Carroll, Attorney General Kamala Harris, health-care policy expert Leonard Schaeffer, conductor-composer Michael Tilson Thomas, Nobel Prize- winning chemist Ada Yonath, and Ariel Investments president Mellody Hobson will also receive honorary degrees.

For more USC news, visit TrojanSports.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!