"60 MINUTES" CAPTURES THE UNIQUE COACHING STYLE OF PETE CARROLL THAT HAS MADE HIM AND USC ONE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BIGGEST SUCCESSES -- SUNDAY ON CBS

Cameras Also Follow Him on His Late-Night Missions to Stop LA's Gang Violence

Whether he's coaching his University of California Trojans to another Pac Ten college football victory or reasoning with Los Angeles street gang members, Pete Carroll's unique style is a winning one. 60 MINUTES' gained exceptional access to capture that style on and off the field as CBS News Correspondent Byron Pitts interviews Carroll for a profile to be broadcast Sunday, Dec. 14 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

Carroll had two unsuccessful stints as a head coach of the N.Y. Jets and New England Patriots before finding his niche as one of college football's top coaches. Some say his non-traditional style of coaching - more motivational speaker than in-your-face coach - was a better fit with young amateur athletes. In just seven years, he has won two national championships, six conference titles, produced three Heisman Trophy winners and sent 42 players to the NFL on his way to claiming the highest winning percentage among active college coaches.

60 MINUTES was at practice in the Coliseum in Los Angeles to videotape his positive build-them-up style of individual coaching and cameras in the locker room picked up more of Carroll's interaction with his players. He also takes practice to new heights of realism, with game situations recreated down to the roar of the crowd on large speakers and calling "TV timeouts." Carroll explains to Pitts, "A great coach once said that the best players don't always win, the players that play the best do. That's why we train so hard. That's why we focus so much on practicing better than anybody's ever practiced before." Click here for an excerpt.

Before he arrived at USC, the Trojans had floundered for 20 years and many fans were skeptical of Carroll's chances at success. For the past several years, he has been impressing other skeptics as he tackles Los Angeles' chronic street-gang problem. For the first time, he allowed a camera crew to follow him on his late-night rounds in the city projects to talk gang members of the rival Crips and Bloods out of violence and connect with former gang members who help keep younger kids in school and out of gangs. He used his own time and some of his money to start "A Better LA," an organization that brings other city groups together in support of his anti-gang cause.

The Los Angeles Police say Carroll's efforts have helped bring violence, especially murder, down significantly. He's carried his winning ways on the field to the battle in the street, all because the coach treats the gang members like players. "Each person holds so much power within themselves that needs to be let out," Carroll tells Pitts. "and sometimes they need a little nudge, a little direction...a little coaching and ...the greatest of things can happen."