Erica sat down with Ben Malcomson, who worked with Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll for 14 years. The words Ben uses to describe Pete come as no surprise: consistency, clarity of identity, positive influence, fun-loving nature, and competitive spirit. We love getting this window of insight into the man we have loved as our head coach all these years. We’re going to miss him.
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TRANSCRIPTION:
Erica:
I emailed this guy at 10:30 last night because I knew he would give us a great window into Pete Carroll’s heart and his passion for the Seahawks, which I believe will continue. Ben Malcomson, welcome back to SPIRIT 105.3. How are you doing?
Ben Malcomson:
Great. How are you doing?
Erica:
Oh, I am just so glad to reconnect with you. I hope you and your family are well.
Ben Malcomson:
We are. Yeah. So good to hear from you. Thanks for reaching out.
Erica:
Oh, absolutely. Boy, this is a big day, Ben. I was so surprised to see that breaking news yesterday on my phone. Pete Carroll out as head coach of our hawks after 14 years. How did you react when you heard it?
Ben Malcomson:
Yeah, I think it was shocking for everyone. Erica, he’s been such a pillar in the Seattle community, and obviously with the Seahawks, the most successful coach in franchise history, so I don’t know if anyone would’ve ever seen this coming. So, it’s definitely been a shock for a lot of people.
Erica:
It is a shock. You were a Pete’s right hand man for, what was it, 14 years, Ben?
Ben Malcomson:
Yeah, that’s right. Yeah. But between USC and Seattle, we had a really good run and he’s obviously had a huge impact on my life and just become an incredible influence on me.
Erica:
How did he impact your life? What did you learn from him?
Ben Malcomson:
Oh man. I wish we had a couple hours here, but I’ll keep it brief. But I mean, just the way he carries himself, he operates out of this identity where he’s so clear and he knows who he is and he knows what he stands for, and he spent the time, he did the hard work to really dig in and figure it out. Did some soul searching back when he was really struggling in his career and really got to the truth of who he is. And from that point on, that was probably 20 plus years ago now. From that point on, he really started operating out of that. Whenever you’re around someone who operates out of their true identity and is so consistent, it’s remarkable and you can’t help but be impacted by that.
Erica:
I love knowing that. Ben, what is Pete like off the field? I mean, you spent a great deal of your life with him.
Ben Malcomson:
Yeah, I mean, I think he just always kept things so light and loose and was always having fun. So, whether it was just pulling pranks in the office, I mean, you could go on YouTube and type in Pete Carroll prank, and you’ll get a bunch of them right there, but he’s a kid at heart, and whether it was rolling around on a razor scooter through the office. Or whenever we would travel, he treated going through the security line like a competition. He is like, okay, you pick that lane, I’ll pick this lane and whoever can get through faster wins. And there was no prize or anything, but he just kept things so fun and was, he’s just an incredible person.
Erica:
He just loves to win that Pete Carroll, doesn’t he?
Ben Malcomson:
Yeah, that’s for sure.
Erica:
Oh, Ben, I feel like this is not the end for Pete Carroll. I know he’s staying on with the Hawks, but I mean, don’t you feel like he’s got years to give in the NFL?
Ben Malcomson:
Yeah. Well, I think it’s funny, a lot of people are kind of treating this like an obituary where it’s looking back on his career and everything, but it’s like if you saw even just a glimpse of his press conference yesterday, you can tell that he’s got a lot of vigor left in him. He’s got lot of energy and excitement left. I mean, he’s the Benjamin Button of the NFL, and he truly gets younger by the year. It’s crazy. And just the energy that he has, and I mean, you see him yesterday and it’s like you would’ve never guessed that he’s 14 years into his time at Seattle. He’s 72 years old. There’s just no way. It’s just crazy. So yeah. I’m excited to see whatever he does next, whatever it is, he’s going to have an incredible impact on a lot, a lot of people.
Erica:
I love it. Well, Ben Malcomson, by the way, author of the book Walk On one of my son’s favorite books, he still keeps it on his dresser. Thank you for hanging out with us today and come back soon.
Ben Malcomson:
Thanks, Erica. Have a great day.
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