Carroll, a child of United Brethren missionaries, was born in the Philippines in 1903. He enrolled at Otterbein in 1922 and earned eight letters, three each in track and basketball, and one in both football and baseball. He earned All-OAC honors in basketball, serving as captain in 1925-26. Following graduation, he taught and coached in the Massillon, Ohio school system and became an assistant under Paul Brown in 1934. In 1941, Carroll followed Brown to Ohio State and became interim head coach of the Buckeyes when Brown entered the Navy in 1943 during World War II. Carroll guided the 1944 team to a 9-0 record and a Big Ten title. The Buckeyes finished the season ranked second behind Army in the national poll. Carroll was named Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. He spent one more season as OSU’s interim head coach. In 1949, Carroll became head football coach and, later, athletic director at Ohio University, guiding the Bobcats to a 42-36-5 record over nine seasons. He retired from OU in 1969.