The Seattle Seahawks are 2-1 to start 2023 ready to face the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. A key to the strong start is a face that’s been around the team for a while, Pete Carroll.
Hired in 2010, Carroll has taken the Seahawks to the playoffs 10 times and the Super Bowl twice, winning it once in 2013. Under his tenure, the team has gone a combined 130-82-1. Oh yeah, he won back-to-back BCS national championships in 2003 and 2004 with USC.
Now, while he may be one of only four head coaches to win a college football national championship and an NFL championship, he’s known for something else: Chewing gum on the sidelines of games.
Someone could make a 20 minute highlight reel of Pete Carroll tossing his gum & getting angry pic.twitter.com/GnthvX5zkQ
— Sideline Daily (@sideline_daily) September 24, 2023
What Kind of Gum Does Pete Carroll Chew?
The question has been looming for a while. It’s a pretty simple answer though, he’s a Bubble Yum kind of guy. It’s even been reported by Seahawks.com that the head coach goes through about 15 pieces each game day. On a 17-game schedule, that’s roughly 255 pieces each regular season.
Where does he get all the gum from? The organization’s got his back. ESPN once reported that Carroll’s Bubble Yum gum supply is stocked by the Seahawks’ director of equipment, Erik Kennedy, and his son.
Carroll’s preferred flavor? The original flavor is his favorite, former Seahawks statistician Todd Nielson told USA Today.
When Did He Start Chewing Gum on the Sidelines?
Actually, no one knows. It’s pretty mysterious, as Carroll has never told anyone a specific time.
MORE: PFN Life — Off-the-Field Content
We may not remember the last time he didn’t chew gum on the sideline, but we do remember when Russell Wilson dressed up as Carroll for Halloween.
The young, charming, darker skinned, gum chewing @PeteCarroll @SeattleChildren #HappyHalloween #TraceMe pic.twitter.com/q1w3CO54LA
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) October 31, 2017
Carroll’s habit may be entertaining, but it can be a mess sometimes. He admits that his gum doesn’t always end up in the trash, although he tries. Cameras have caught him throwing it on the sideline quite a few times in anger.
“I don’t always hit the garbage cans, so sometimes they wind up on the ground somewhere.”
Fans still love it. ESPN has noted that a Seahawks fan, Tyler Freier, got a piece of game-used Carroll gum and put it in a special resin container to keep. Freier lives in Germany, taking the unique collectible across borders.
The 72-year-old may have the most infamous habit in sports, but it is his only habit, he shared. He doesn’t plan to stop and thinks it’s a silly question to ask. So, looks like we’re going to have to watch him chew gum on the sidelines for years to come.