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Long-Time Seahawks Assistant Line Coach Pat Ruel Announces Retirement

Joining forces with Pete Carroll at USC in 2005, Ruel jumped to the NFL with him in 2010 and served as an assistant offensive line coach for the past 10 seasons.
Corbin K. Smith|
Long-Time Seahawks Assistant Line Coach Pat Ruel Announces Retirement
Long-Time Seahawks Assistant Line Coach Pat Ruel Announces Retirement

In a significant move for Pete Carroll's staff heading towards the expected start of Seahawks training camp, long-time assistant coach Pat Ruel plans to retire after a decade with the organization.

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times originally reported Ruel's decision to step away from the sidelines and a replacement on the staff has yet to be revealed.

Ruel, 69, originally broke into the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at the University of Miami in 1973. Among other notable college stops, he served as Washington State's offensive coordinator from 1978 to 1981 as well as brief stops at Kansas, Michigan State, and Texas A&M.

Following stints with the Lions, Packers, and Bills as an offensive line coach in the early 2000s, he joined Carroll's staff at USC in 2005. When Carroll took the Seahawks head coaching position five years later, he followed him to the NFL as a replacement for Alex Gibbs, maintaining the title of assistant line coach under both Tom Cable and most recently Mike Solari.

Overall, Ruel coached 45 years combined in the college and NFL ranks, with his longest tenure being in Seattle.

Published
Corbin K. Smith
CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.

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