Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks
Current season
Established June 4, 1974[1]
Play in CenturyLink Field
Seattle, Washington
Headquartered in the Virginia Mason Athletic Center
Renton, Washington
Logo
League/conference affiliations

National Football League (1976–present)

Current uniform
Team colors

College Navy, Action Green, Wolf Grey[2]

              
Mascot Blitz, Boom, Taima the Hawk (live Augur hawk) (since 2007)
Personnel
Owner(s) Paul Allen
Chairman Paul Allen
CEO Peter McLoughlin
General manager John Schneider
Head coach Pete Carroll
Team history
  • Seattle Seahawks (1976–present)
Team nicknames
  • The 'Hawks
  • The Blue Wave (1984–1986)
  • The Legion of Boom (secondary, 2012–present)
Championships

League championships (1)

Conference championships (3)

  • NFC: 2005, 2013, 2014

Division championships (9)

Playoff appearances (14)
  • NFL: 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014
Home fields

The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football franchise based in Seattle, Washington. They are members of the West division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Seahawks joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Seahawks are owned by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, and are currently coached by Pete Carroll. Since 2002, the Seahawks have played their home games at CenturyLink Field (formerly Qwest Field), located south of downtown Seattle. The Seahawks previously played home games in the Kingdome (1976–1999) and Husky Stadium (1994, 2000–2001).

The Seahawks are the only NFL franchise based in the Pacific Northwest region of North America and thus attract support from a wide geographical area, including Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska, as well as Canadian fans in British Columbia and Alberta.[4]

Seahawks fans have been referred to collectively as the "12th Man",[5][6][7] "12th Fan",[8][9] or "12s".[10][11][12] The Seahawks' fans have twice set the Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd noise at a sporting event, first on September 15, 2013, registering 136.6 dB during a game against the San Francisco 49ers[13] and again on December 2, 2013, during a Monday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints, with a then record-setting 137.6 dB.[14][15]

Over the years the Seahawks have had some notable players on the team, including Steve Largent, Dave Brown, Jim Zorn, Dave Krieg, John Randle, Kenny Easley, Curt Warner, Joe Nash, Brian Blades, Cortez Kennedy, Joey Galloway, Walter Jones, Steve Hutchinson, Shaun Alexander, Matt Hasselbeck and Marcus Trufant. Largent, Kennedy, and Moon have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as was Jones in 2014.[16] Easley, Jones, Kennedy, Krieg, Largent, Warner, and Zorn have been inducted into the Seahawks Ring of Honor, along with cornerback Dave Brown and defensive end Jacob Green.

The Seahawks have won nine division titles and three conference championships. They are the only team to have played in both the AFC and NFC Championship Games. They have appeared in three Super Bowls, including Super Bowl XLVIII where they defeated the Denver Broncos 43–8 to win their first NFL title. However, the Seahawks went on to lose Super Bowl XLIX to the New England Patriots, 28–24. They are also the first, and to date only, post-merger expansion team in NFL history to advance to play in consecutive Super Bowls.

Franchise history

For more details on this topic, see History of the Seattle Seahawks.

As per one of the agreed parts of the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, the NFL began planning to expand from 26 to 28 teams.[17] In June 1972, Seattle Professional Football Inc., a group of Seattle business and community leaders, announced its intention to acquire an NFL franchise for the city of Seattle.[18] In June 1974, the NFL gave the city an expansion franchise. That December, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle announced the official signing of the franchise agreement by Lloyd W. Nordstrom, representing the Nordstrom family as majority partners for the consortium.[19]

In March 1975, John Thompson, former Executive Director of the NFL Management Council and a former Washington Huskies executive, was hired as the general manager of the new team. The name Seattle Seahawks ("Seahawk" is another name for Osprey) was selected on June 17, 1975 after a public naming contest which drew more than 20,000 entries and over 1,700 different names.

Thompson recruited and hired Jack Patera, a Minnesota Vikings assistant coach, to be the first head coach of the Seahawks; the hiring was announced on January 3, 1976. The expansion draft was held March 30–31, 1976, with Seattle and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers alternating picks for rounds selecting unprotected players from the other 26 teams in the league.[20] The Seahawks were awarded the 2nd overall pick in the 1976 draft, a pick they used on defensive tackle Steve Niehaus. The team took the field for the first time on August 1, 1976 in a pre-season game against the San Francisco 49ers in the then newly constructed Kingdome.

Members of the Seahawks special teams blocking a point-after-touchdown

The Seahawks are, to date, the only NFL team to switch conferences twice in the post-merger era. The franchise began play in 1976 in the aforementioned NFC West but switched conferences with the Buccaneers after one season and joined the AFC West. This realignment was dictated by the league as part of the 1976 expansion plan, so that both expansion teams could play each other twice and every other NFL franchise once (the ones in their conference at the time) during their first two seasons. The Seahawks won both matchups against the Buccaneers in their first two seasons, the former of which was the Seahawks' first regular season victory.

In 1983, the Seahawks hired Chuck Knox as head coach. Finishing with a 9–7 record, the Seahawks made their first post-season appearance, defeating the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round, and then the Miami Dolphins, before losing in the AFC Championship to the Los Angeles Raiders. The following season, the Seahawks had their best season before 2005, finishing 12–4.[21] Knox won the NFL Coach of the Year Award.

In 1988, Ken Behring and partner Ken Hofmann purchased the team for $79 or $99 million (both numbers have been reported). The Seahawks won their first division title in 1988, but from 1989 to 1998 had poor records and did not play in the post-season.

In 1996, Behring and Hoffman transferred the team's operations to Anaheim, California, a widely criticized move, although the team continued to play in Seattle. The team almost relocated, and was in bankruptcy for a short period. They sold the team to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 1997, for $200 million, and in 1999 Mike Holmgren was hired as head coach. He would coach for 10 seasons. The Seahawks won their second division title, as well as a wild card berth in the playoffs.

In 2002, the Seahawks returned to the NFC West as part of an NFL realignment plan that gave each conference four balanced divisions of four teams each. This realignment restored the AFC West to its initial post-merger roster of original AFL teams Denver, San Diego, Kansas City, and Oakland.

Matt Hasselbeck played as the Seahawks quarterback from 2001–2010 and led the team to six postseason appearances and a Super Bowl appearance.

In the 2005 season, the Seahawks had their best season in franchise history with a record of 13–3, a feat that would later be matched in 2013. That record earned them the number one seed in the NFC. They won the NFC Championship Game in 2005, but lost in Super Bowl XL against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The loss was controversial; NFL Films has Super Bowl XL at number 8 on its top ten list of games with controversial referee calls.[22] Before 2005, Seattle had the longest drought of playoff victories of any NFL team, dating back to the 1984 season. That drought was ended with a 20–10 win over the Washington Redskins in the 2005 playoffs.

Starting in the 1998 season, Blitz has been the Seahawks' official mascot. In the 2003 and 2004 seasons, a hawk named Faith would fly around the stadium just before the team came out of the tunnel. However, because of her relative small size and an inability to be trained to lead the team out of a tunnel, Faith was replaced by an augur hawk named Taima before the start of the 2005 season. Taima started leading the team out of the tunnel in September 2006.[23] Beginning in 2004, the Seahawks introduced their drum line, the Blue Thunder. The group plays at every home game as well as over 100 events in the Seattle community.

In the 2010 NFL season, the Seahawks made history by making it into the playoffs despite having a 7–9 record. They had the best record in a division full of teams with losing seasons (Seahawks 7–9, Rams 7–9, 49ers 6–10, Cardinals 5–11) and won the decisive season finale against the Rams (not only by overall record, but by division record, as both teams coming into the game had a 3-2 division record). In the playoffs, the Seahawks won in their first game against the defending Super Bowl XLIV champs, the New Orleans Saints, 41–36. The Seahawks made even more history during the game with Marshawn Lynch's 67-yard run, breaking 7 or more tackles, to clinch the victory. After the run the fans reacted so loudly that a small earthquake (a bit above 2 on the Richter Scale) was recorded by seismic equipment around Seattle.[24] The Seahawks lost to the Bears in their second game, 35–24.

Marshawn Lynch scored on a 67-yard touchdown run in the NFC Wild-Card Playoff Game against the New Orleans Saints in 2011.

The 2012 NFL season started with doubt, as the Seahawks lost their season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, after the highly touted Seattle defense gave up a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, and rookie quarterback Russell Wilson failed to throw the game winning touchdown after multiple attempts in the red-zone. However, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks went 4–1 in their next five games en route to an 11–5 overall record (their first winning record since 2007). Their 2012 campaign included big wins over the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks went into the playoffs as the #5 seed and the only team that season to go undefeated at home. In the Wild Card Round, the Seahawks overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat the Washington Redskins. This was the first time since the 1983 Divisional Round that the Seahawks won a playoff game on the road. However, in the 2013 Divisional Round, overcoming a 20-point, fourth quarter deficit wouldn't be enough to defeat the #1 seed Atlanta Falcons. An ill-advised timeout and a defensive breakdown late in the game cost the Seahawks their season, as they lost, 30–28. QB Russell Wilson won the 2012 Pepsi Max Rookie of the Year award.

First Super Bowl championship

In 2013 NFL season, the Seahawks continued their momentum from the previous season, finishing tied with the Denver Broncos for an NFL-best regular season record of 13-3, while earning the NFC's #1 playoff seed. Their 2013 campaign included big wins over the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and the San Francisco 49ers. Six Seahawks players were named to the Pro Bowl: Quarterback Russell Wilson, center Max Unger, running back Marshawn Lynch, cornerback Richard Sherman, free safety Earl Thomas, and strong safety Kam Chancellor. However, none of them were able to play in the Pro Bowl, as the Seahawks defeated the New Orleans Saints, 23–15, and the San Francisco 49ers, 23–17, in the playoffs to advance to Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos. On February 2, 2014, the Seahawks won their first Super Bowl Championship, defeating Denver 43-8.[25] The Seahawks' defense performance in 2013 was acclaimed as one of the best in the Super Bowl era.[26]

The following season, Seattle advanced to Super Bowl XLIX, their second consecutive Super Bowl, but they were dethroned of their title by the New England Patriots by a score of 28-24.

Since moving into the NFC West, the Seahawks have had considerably more success, having won 7 of 13 division titles, and making the playoffs in 9 out of 13 seasons.

Rivalries

San Francisco 49ers

Most recently, the Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers have begun to develop a rivalry, starting with the 49ers hiring of coach Jim Harbaugh for the 2011 NFL season. Harbaugh had coached against Seahawks coach Pete Carroll before in college at Stanford and Southern California, respectively. The 49ers won the first contest between the coaches at the NFL level, then proceeded to win a close game at CenturyLink Field to eliminate the Seahawks from playoff contention. 2012 brought a new season and another Seahawks loss, week 7 on NFL Network's Thursday Night Football at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, as they dropped a 13–6 game where the offense failed to score a touchdown and 49ers quarterback Alex Smith did just enough to survive. Week 16 brought a fever anxiety as the Seahawks and 49ers prepared to face off in primetime on NBC Sunday Night Football. The Seahawks entered the game at 9–5, with back-to-back blowouts in which the team scored more than 50 points in games against the Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals. Quickly, the Seahawks imposed their will with a Marshawn Lynch 24 yard touchdown run, two of quarterback Russell Wilson's touchdown passes and a blocked field goal return had the Seahawks lead at halftime 28–6. The Seahawks continued in the second half, eventually winning 42–13 capped off by Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor's hit on 49ers tight end Vernon Davis. The 49ers, however, won the following week, locking up the division title for the second consecutive season. Since rejoining the NFC West, the Seahawks are tied 15–15 versus the 49ers. Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers lost their first 2013 season matchup against their NFC West rivals 29–3, with the help of Marshawn Lynch's three touchdowns, with the fans setting a new Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd roar at 136.6 dB.[27] However, the Seahawks were defeated 19–17 in their second 2013 game with the 49ers at Candlestick Park. This was largely due to a late game 51 yard run by Frank Gore. The Seahawks had not won in San Francisco since 2008 until defeating the 49ers in convincing 19-3 fashion on Thanksgiving Day in 2014. In the 2013 NFC Championship Game, the Seahawks defeated the 49ers 23 to 17,[28] thanks to Malcolm Smith's interception, which was tipped by Richard Sherman. This clinched the Seahawks' berth into Super Bowl XLVIII.

St. Louis Rams

The Seahawks also have a rivalry against the St. Louis Rams. One of the more memorable games against the Rams was in Week 6 of the 2006 NFL season. The Seahawks were ineffective for much of the first half. Trailing 21–7, Mike Holmgren blistered the paint in the locker room and a different Seahawks team took the field in the second half. Seattle scored 20 unanswered points to lead 27–21 and looked to have put the game away after a Lofa Tatupu interception late in the game. However, RB Maurice Morris fumbled on the Ram 7-yard line with 2:48 left. A few plays later, Rams QB Marc Bulger threw a 67-yard TD pass to Torry Holt to give the Rams a 28–27 lead with 1:38 remaining. Matt Hasselbeck engineered a final drive from the Seahawks' 17-yard line and led the team to the Rams' 31-yard line. A premature celebration erupted on the Rams' sideline as the Seahawks were called for an illegal formation after Hasselbeck spiked the ball to stop the clock with four seconds left in the game. The Rams believed the Seahawks had committed a false start which would have resulted in a ten-second runoff on the clock that would have ended the game. Instead, the Seahawks were penalized five yards, pushing them back to the 36-yard line. Despite the setback, Josh Brown still kicked a 54-yard field goal to win the game, 30–28. Since 2012 and the arrival of Russell Wilson the Seahawks are 3-2 against the Rams. In the 2013 Week 8 match-up in St. Louis, neither team was able to move much. However, quarterback Russell Wilson threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to receiver Golden Tate. Later, Wilson bombed it deep and Tate jumped over Rams safety Janoris Jenkins to make the catch and run it in for a 80-yard touchdown. The game was not sealed however until a late Seahawks goal-line stand.

Denver Broncos

From the 1980s to the 2002 league realignment, the Denver Broncos were a major rival for the Seahawks. With John Elway, the Broncos were one of the best teams in the NFL, going 200-124-1[29] overall, and were 32-18 against the Seahawks. Since 2002, Seattle has won one of three interconference meetings, and the teams met in Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014, where the Seahawks won 43-8.[30]

Super Bowl appearances

Seahawks Championship Ring
Season Coach Location Stadium Opponent Result Record
2005 Mike Holmgren Detroit, MI Ford Field Pittsburgh Steelers L, 10–21 15-4
2013 Pete Carroll East Rutherford, NJ MetLife Stadium Denver Broncos W, 43–8 16-3
2014 Pete Carroll Glendale, AZ University of Phoenix Stadium New England Patriots L, 24–28 14-5
Total Super Bowls won: 1

Headquarters and training camps

During the Seahawks' first ten seasons (1976–85), the team's headquarters was at Carillon Point on the shores of Lake Washington. The summer training camps were initially held at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, just southwest of Spokane. When the team's new headquarters across town in Kirkland were completed in 1986, the Seahawks held training camp at home for the next eleven seasons (1986–96), staying in the dormitories of the adjacent Northwest College. In Dennis Erickson's third season as head coach, the team returned to the hotter and more isolated Cheney in 1997, where they held training camp through 2006. In 2007, training camp returned to their Kirkland facility, because of the scheduled China Bowl game that was later canceled. In 2008, the Seahawks held the first three weeks of camp in Kirkland, then moved to the new 19-acre (92,000 sq yd) Virginia Mason Athletic Center (VMAC) on August 18 for the final week of training camp. The new facility, adjacent to Lake Washington in Renton, has four full-size practice fields: three natural grass outdoors and one FieldTurf indoors.[31]

Logos and uniforms

Russell Wilson wearing the current Seahawks home uniform.
Seattle Seahawks uniform combinations, 2002–2011. A green alternate jersey was used, but only for one game of the 2009 season.
Seattle Seahawks uniform, 1976–1982
Seattle Seahawks uniform, 1983–2001. The number font was changed to Pro Block in 1994.
Seahawks players wearing green jerseys in 2009

When the Seahawks debuted in 1976, the team's logo was a stylized royal blue and forest green osprey's head based on Northwestern tribal art.[32] The helmet and pants were silver while the home uniforms were royal blue with white, blue and green arm stripes. The road uniform was white with blue and green arm stripes. Black shoes were worn for the first four seasons, one of the few NFL teams that did in the late 1970s. They then changed to white shoes in 1980.[33]

In 1983, coinciding with the arrival of Chuck Knox as head coach, the uniforms were updated slightly. The striping on the arms now incorporated the Seahawks logo, and the TV numbers moved onto the shoulders. Helmet facemasks changed from gray to blue. Also, the socks went solid blue at the top, and white on bottom.[34] In the 1985 season, the team wore 10th Anniversary patches on the right side of their pants. It had the Seahawks logo streaking through the number 10. Starting in the 1989 NFL season, jerseys were no longer sand-knit. In 1994, the year of the NFL's 75th Anniversary, the Seahawks changed the style of their numbering to something more suitable for the team; Pro Block from then until 2001. That same year, the Seahawks wore a vintage jersey for select games resembling the 1976–82 uniforms. However the helmet facemasks remained blue. The logos also became sewn on instead of being screen-printed. In 2000, Shaun Alexander's rookie year and Cortez Kennedy's last, the Seattle Seahawks celebrated their 25th Anniversary; the logo was worn on the upper left chest of the jersey. In 2001, the Seahawks switched to the new Reebok uniform system still in their current uniforms, but it would be their last in this uniform after the season ended. Previously, the team's uniforms were made by Wilson, Wilson/Staff, Russell Athletics, Logo Athletics, and Puma.

In March 1, 2002, to coincide with the team moving to the NFC as well as the opening of Seahawks Stadium (which would later be renamed Qwest Field, then CenturyLink Field), both the logo and the uniforms were heavily redesigned. The Wordmark was designed by Mark Verlander and the logo was designed by NFL Properties in-house design team. The colors were modified to a lighter "Seahawks Blue", a darker "Seahawks Navy" and lime green piping. The helmets also were changed from silver to the lighter "Seahawks Blue" color after a fan poll was conducted. Silver would not be seen again until 2012. The logo artwork was also subtly altered, with an arched eyebrow and a forward-facing pupil suggesting a more aggressive-looking bird. At first, the team had planned to wear silver helmets at home and blue helmets on the road, but since NFL rules forbid the use of multiple helmets, the team held the fan poll to decide which color helmet would be worn. The team had usually worn all blue at home and all white on the road since 2003, but late in the 2009 season, the Seahawks wore the white jersey-blue pants combo. The blue jersey and white pants combo has been worn for only one regular season game, the 2005 season opener at the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the white jersey and blue pants combination has not been worn regularly since late in the 2002 season, with the exception of late in the 2009 season. In 2009, the Seahawks once again wore the white jersey and blue pants combination for road games against Minnesota (November 22), St. Louis (November 29), Houston (December 13) and Green Bay (December 27).

The Seahawks wore their home blue jerseys during Super Bowl XL despite being designated as the visitor, since the Pittsburgh Steelers, the designated home team, elected to wear their white jerseys.

Since the Oakland Raiders wore their white jerseys at home for the first time ever in a game against the San Diego Chargers on September 28, 2008, the Seahawks are currently the only NFL team to have never worn their white jerseys at home.[35]

On September 27, 2009, the Seahawks wore lime green jerseys for the first time, paired with new dark navy blue pants in a game against the Chicago Bears. The jerseys matched their new sister team, the expansion Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer who wear green jerseys with blue pants. On December 6, 2009, the Seahawks wore their Seahawks blue jersey with the new dark navy blue pants for the first time, in a game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks broke out the same combo two weeks later against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and two weeks after that in the 2009 regular season finale against the Tennessee Titans. In December 2009, then-coach Jim Mora announced that the new lime green jerseys were being retired because the team did not win in them, because he liked the home jerseys better, and added that the home jersey is a better match for the navy pants.[36] In the same press conference, he stated that the new navy pants "felt better" on players as opposed to the Seahawks blue pants. For the 2010 season, Seattle returned to the traditional all "Seahawks Blue" at home and all white on the road.

On April 3, 2012, Nike, which took over as the official uniform supplier for the league from Reebok, unveiled new uniform and logo designs for the Seahawks for the 2012 season. The new designs incorporate a new accent color, "Wolf Grey", and the main colors are "College Navy" and "Action Green". The uniforms incorporate "feather trims", multiple feathers on the crown of the helmet, twelve feathers printed on the neckline and down each pant leg to represent the "12th Man", referring to the team's fans.[37] The Seahawks have three different jersey colors: navy blue, white, and an alternate grey jersey. The Seahawks will have three different pants: navy blue with green stripes, gray with navy blue stripes, and white with navy blue stripes. Their new logo replaces the Seahawk blue with wolf grey.

The Seahawks wore their Nike home blue jerseys for the first regular season game on September 16, 2012 against the Dallas Cowboys. The uniform Marshawn Lynch wore in that game is preserved at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[38] On September 9, 2012, the Seahawks wore their Nike white away jerseys for the first regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals; on October 14, 2012, with the Carolina Panthers wearing white at home, they wore their blue jerseys with gray pants (and would do so again against the Miami Dolphins seven weeks later); and on December 16, 2012 they wore their Alternate Wolf Grey jerseys for the first time against the Buffalo Bills.

Seasons and overall records

As of the end of the 2014 season, the Seattle Seahawks have competed in 39 NFL seasons, dating back to their expansion year of 1976. The team has compiled a 305–307 record (317–319 counting the playoffs) for a .498 winning percentage (.498 counting the playoffs). Seattle has reached the playoffs in fourteen separate seasons, including in the 2005 season when they lost Super Bowl XL to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the 2013 season when they defeated the Denver Broncos to win Super Bowl XLVIII, and the 2014 season when they lost Super Bowl XLIX to the New England Patriots. In the 2010 season, the Seahawks became the first team in NFL history to earn a spot in the playoffs with a losing record (7–9, .438) in a full season; this was by virtue of winning the division. The Seahawks would go on to defeat the reigning Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round, becoming the first team ever to win a playoff game with a losing record. They are also the oldest existing team in the NFL to never have had a tie game, not even in the preseason.

Team records

Players of note

35th Anniversary Team (2010)

The 35th Anniversary team was voted upon by users on Seahawks.com and announced in 2010.[39]

Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team (2010)
Team Position Players
Offense Quarterback
Running Back
Wide Receiver
Tight End
Offensive Line
Defense Defensive Line
Linebacker
Cornerback
Safety
Special Teams Kicker
Returner
Coverage

Current roster

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|Running Backs=

|Wide Receivers=

|Tight Ends=

|Offensive Linemen=

|Defensive Linemen=

|Linebackers=

|Defensive Backs=

|Special Teams=

|Unrestricted FAs=

Retired numbers

Seahawks' retired numbers at CenturyLink Field.
Seattle Seahawks retired numbers
N° Player Position Tenure N° Retirem.
12 (12th Man) Fan 1976–present 1984 [40]
71 Walter Jones OT 1997–2009 2010
80 1 Steve Largent WR 1976–1989 1996
96 Cortez Kennedy DT 1990–2000 2012 [41]

Pro Football Hall of Famers

Seattle Seahawks Pro Football Hall of Famers
N° Player Position Tenure Inducted
34 Franco Harris FB 1984 1990
80 Steve Largent WR 1976 to 1989 1995
81 Carl Eller DE 1979 2004
1 Warren Moon QB 1997 to 1998 2006
93 John Randle DT 2001 to 2003 2010
80 Jerry Rice WR 2004 2010
96 Cortez Kennedy DT 1990 to 2000 2012
71 Walter Jones OT 1997 to 2009 2014
Names in bold spent their entire career with the Seattle Seahawks

Note: Although Mike McCormack served as head coach, president, and general manager for the Seahawks, he is only listed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his contributions as a tackle for the New York Yanks and the Cleveland Browns.

Front office and coaching staff

Current staff

Seattle Seahawks staff
Front Office
  • Chairman – Paul Allen
  • President – Peter McLoughlin
  • Executive Vice President/General Manager – John Schneider
  • Senior Vice President of Football Administration – Matt Thomas
  • Director of Team Operations – Tag Ribary
  • Director of College Scouting – Scott Fitterer
  • Director of Pro Personnel – Trent Kirchner
  • Assistant Director of Pro Personnel – Dan Morgan
  • Director of Football Communications – Lane Gammel
Head Coaches
  • Head Coach/Executive Vice President of Football Operations – Pete Carroll
  • Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line – Tom Cable
  • Assistant Head Coach/Defense – Rocky Seto
Offensive Coaches
  
Defensive Coaches


Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
  • Head Strength and Conditioning – Chris Carlisle
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Mondray Gee
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Jamie Yancher

→ Coaching Staff
→ Management
→ More NFL staffs

AFC East
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Previous head coaches

Sea Gals (cheerleaders)

The Seahawks cheerleaders are called the Sea Gals.[43] During the off-season, a select performing group from the Sea Gals travel parades and with other NFL Cheerleaders on the road.

12th Man

See also: 12th Man (football) and CenturyLink Field § Home field advantage
"Home of the 12th Man" signage within CenturyLink Field.

The 12th Man refers to the fan support of the Seahawks. The team's first home stadium, the Kingdome, was one of the loudest and most disruptive environments in the NFL. Opposing teams were known to practice with rock music blaring at full blast to prepare for the often painfully high decibel levels generated at games in the Kingdome.

In 2002, the Seahawks began playing at what is now CenturyLink Field. Every regular season and playoff game at CenturyLink Field since the 2nd week of the 2003 season has been played before a sellout crowd.[44] Like the Kingdome before it, CenturyLink Field is one of the loudest stadiums in the league. The stadium's partial roof and seating decks trap and amplify the noise and bang it back down to the field. This noise has caused problems for opposing teams, causing them to commit numerous false-start penalties. From 2002 through 2012, there have been 143 false-start penalties on visiting teams in Seattle, second only to the Minnesota Vikings.[45]

The Seahawks' fans have twice set the Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd noise at a sporting event, first on September 15, 2013, registering 136.6 dB during a game against the San Francisco 49ers[13] and again on December 2, 2013, during a Monday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints, with a roar of 137.6 dB.[14][15] As of September 29, 2014, the record of 142.2 dB is held in Arrowhead Stadium by fans of the Kansas City Chiefs.[46]

A Boeing 747-8F painted in 12th man livery for the team's Super Bowl appearance.

Prior to kickoff of each home game, the Seahawks salute their fans by raising a giant #12 flag at the south end of the stadium.[47] Current and former players, coaches, local celebrities, prominent fans, Seattle-area athletes, and current owner Paul Allen have raised the flag. Earlier, the Seahawks retired the #12 jersey on December 15, 1984 as a tribute to their fans.[48] Before their Super Bowl win, the Seahawks ran onto the field under a giant 12th Man flag.

In September 1990, Texas A&M filed, and was later granted, a trademark application for the "12th Man" term, based on their continual usage of the term since the 1920s. In January 2006, Texas A&M filed suit against the Seattle Seahawks to protect the trademark and in May 2006, the dispute was settled out of court. In the agreement, which expires in 2016, Texas A&M licensed the Seahawks to continue using the phrase, in exchange for a licensing fee, public acknowledgement of A&M's trademark when using the term, a restriction in usage of the term to seven states in the Northwest United States, and a prohibition from selling any "12th Man" merchandise.[49][50][51] Once the agreement expires, the Seahawks will continue to be able to use the number "12" but will no longer be allowed to use the "12th Man" phrase.[52]

Team owners

Radio and television

Seahawks Washington Radio Affiliates

As of 2009, the Seahawks' flagship station is KIRO (AM) 710 kHz – KIRO-FM 97.3 MHz. Games are heard on 47 stations in five western states and Canada. Microsoft holds naming rights for the broadcasts for their search engine under the moniker of the "Bing Radio Network". The current announcers are former Seahawks players Steve Raible (who was the team's color commentator from 1982 to 2003) and Warren Moon. The Raible-Moon regular season pairing has been together since 2004 (during the preseason Moon works for the local television broadcast so the color commentary is split between former Seahawks Paul Moyer, Sam Adkins, and Brock Huard). Pete Gross, who called the games from 1976 until just days before his death from cancer in 1992, is a member of the team's Ring of Honor. Other past announcers include Steve Thomas from 1992 to 1997, Lee Hamilton (also known as "Hacksaw") from 1998 to 1999, and Brian Davis from 2000 to 2003.

Preseason games not shown on national networks were produced by Seahawks Broadcasting and televised by KING-TV, channel 5 (and, in 2008, also on sister station KONG-TV since KING, an NBC affiliate, was committed to the Summer Olympics in China). Seahawks Broadcasting is the Emmy Award Winning in-house production and syndication unit for the Seattle Seahawks. Curt Menefee (the host of Fox NFL Sunday) has been the Seahawks TV voice since the 2009 preseason. Since the 2012 season, KCPQ-TV, which airs most of the Seahawks regular season games (as the Seattle-Tacoma area's Fox affiliate), is the television partner for the team and has replaced KING 5 as broadcaster for preseason games, while simulcasts of any Seahawks games on ESPN's Monday Night Football or NFL Network's Thursday Night Football airs on either KONG-TV or KZJO.[53] In addition, any Saturday or Sunday afternoon games broadcast by CBS (with the Seahawks hosting an AFC opponent) will air on local CBS affiliate KIRO-TV.

Radio affiliates

Source:[54]

Washington

City Call Sign Frequency
Aberdeen KWOK 1490 kHz
Bellingham KPUG-AM 1170 kHz
Centralia KMNT 104.3 MHz
Colfax KMAX (AM) 840 kHz
Colville KCRK-FM 92.1 MHz
Ellensburg KXLE (AM) 1240 kHz
Forks KFKB (AM) 1490 kHz
Grand Coulee KEYG-FM 98.5 MHz
Longview KEDO (AM) 1400 kHz
Moses Lake KBSN 1470 kHz
Mount Vernon KAPS (AM) 660 kHz
Olympia KBUP 1240 kHz
Olympia KXXO 96.9 MHz
Omak KNCW-FM 92.7 MHz
Port Angeles KONP (AM) 1450 kHz
Seattle (Flagship station) KIRO (AM) 710 kHz
Seattle (Flagship station) KIRO-FM 97.3 MHz
Shelton KMAS (AM) 1030 kHz
Spokane KHTQ 94.5 MHz
Tri-Cities KONA (AM) 610 kHz
Walla Walla KUJ (AM) 1420 kHz
Wenatchee KPQ (AM) 560 kHz
Yakima KIT (AM) 1280 kHz
Yakima KIT-FM 99.3 MHz

Alaska

City Call Sign Frequency
Anchorage KOAN 1080 kHz
Anchorage KZND-FM 94.7 MHz
Cordova KLAM (AM) 1450 kHz
Juneau KINY 800 kHz
Kodiak KVOK (AM) 560 kHz

Idaho

City Call Sign Frequency
Boise KTIK (AM) 1350 kHz
Boise KTIK-FM 93.1 MHz
Lewiston KCLK (AM) 1430 kHz
Pocatello KSEI 930 kHz
St. Maries KOFE 1240 kHz

Montana

City Call Sign Frequency
Missoula KGRZ 1450 kHz
Missoula KYLT 1340 kHz

Oregon

City Call Sign Frequency
Astoria KEHK 102.3 MHz
Baker City KKBC-FM 95.3 MHz
Bend KRCO 690 kHz
Eugene KUJZ-FM 95.3 MHz
La Grande KRJT 105.9 MHz
Lebanon KGAL 1580 kHz
Medford KTMT (AM) 580 kHz
Newport KCUP 1230 kHz
Pendleton KTIX (AM) 1240 kHz
Portland KUFO (AM) 970 kHz
Portland KXL-FM 101.1 MHz
The Dalles KODL 1440 kHz

British Columbia

City Call Sign Frequency
Vancouver CFTE 1410 kHz

See also

Notes and references

Explanatory notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Seattle Seahawks played two preseason and three regular season games of the 1994 season at Husky Stadium due to repairs at the Kingdome.[3]

Citations

  1. ↑ Farnsworth, Clare (June 4, 2013). "ON THIS DATE: FIRST STEP TOWARD SECURING SEAHAWKS TAKEN". Seattle Seahawks. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Seattle Seahawks Logo Slick" (PDF). Seattle Seahawks. April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Farnsworth, Clare (July 19, 2014). "On this date: Three home games moved to Husky Stadium". Seattle Seahawks. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  4. ↑ Prunty, Brendan (January 26, 2014). "Seahawks' 12th Man draws from all over Pacific Northwest, bringing diverse fan base to Super Bowl". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  5. ↑ Gola, Hank (January 9, 2014). "The art of noise in Seattle: Seahawks' 12th man helps create NFL's biggest home-field advantage". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  6. ↑ Narciso, Gerald (January 25, 2014). "Seahawks Mania Bigger Than U.S. Can Contain". The New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ Cimini, Rich (February 3, 2014). "Twelfth Night: Number featured in win". ESPN. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Seres 'alados' hacen retumbar el MetLife Stadium". mediotiempo.com. 2 February 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  9. ↑ Shelton, Don (January 7, 2015). "12th Fan of the Week: Cheering the Seahawks all the way from Chile". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  10. ↑ Drovetto, Tony (August 16, 2014). "Seahawks Rookies React To Roar of 12s at CenturyLink Field". Seattle Seahawks. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  11. ↑ Burnside, Jeff (September 26, 2014). "Seahawks 12s rally for fellow fan in his final days". KOMO-TV. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  12. ↑ Horn, Barry (October 9, 2014). "Horn: Seahawks' home fans participators, Cowboys' home fans are spectators". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Wilson, Ryan (September 16, 2013). "Seahawks fans set Guinness World Record for loudest stadium". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Schwab, Frank (December 2, 2013). "Seahawks take back the Guinness World Record for crowd noise at 137.6 decibels". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Drovetto, Tony (December 2, 2013). "Seahawks fan base retakes Guinness World Record for crowd noise". Seattle Seahawks. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  16. ↑ Condotta, Bob (February 1, 2014). "Seahawk Walter Jones is a first-ballot Hall of Famer". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  17. ↑ "NFL History: 1961–1970". Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Look Back". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. June 14, 2006. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Look Back". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. January 19, 2006. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  20. ↑ "1976 NFL Expansion Draft – Pro Football Hall of Fame". Pro Football Hall of Fame. 2010-02-07. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  21. ↑ "Seattle Seahawks". NFL.com. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  22. ↑ "Top 10 controversial calls". NFL.com. June 3, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  23. ↑ Danny O'Neil (September 1, 2006). "First hawk out of the tunnel". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
  24. ↑ Sandi Doughton; Danny O'Neil (January 10, 2011). "Seahawks fans' frenzy felt by seismometer". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Seahawks vs. Broncos". Sports Illustrated. February 2, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  26. ↑ Pompei, Dan (March 6, 2014). "THE BEST DEFENSES IN NFL HISTORY". Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Seahawks fans break noise record again; set off seismometer with quake-like shakes". MyNorthwest.com. December 3, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  28. ↑ Tim Keeney. "Seahawks vs. 49ers: Score, Grades and More from NFC Championship Game 2014". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  29. ↑ "- Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  30. ↑ "Boxscore finder: Seattle Seahawks vs Denver Broncos". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  31. ↑ José Miguel Romero (August 19, 2008). "Seahawks digging their new digs in Renton". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  32. ↑ Wright, Robin K. (January 28, 2014). "Burke Blog: Introducing the mask that inspired the Seattle Seahawks logo". Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  33. ↑ Yantz, Mickel. "Seahawk Uni History". Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  34. ↑ Farnsworth, Clare (April 4, 2012). "Seahawks Uniform Timeline". Seattle Seahawks. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  35. ↑ Brulia, Tim. "White at Home in the NFL". Uni Watch. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  36. ↑ Johns, Greg (December 9, 2009). "Big Seahawks news: Green jerseys retired!". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  37. ↑ Eaton, Nick (April 2, 2012). "Here’s the new Seahawks logo, uniform and helmet – officially". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  38. ↑ "New Seahawks uniform preserved". Pro Football Hall of Fame. September 19, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  39. ↑ Farnsworth, Clare (September 17, 2010). "A blue-and-green Dream Team". Seattle Seahawks. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  40. ↑ "History of the 12th. Man". Seattle Seahawks. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  41. ↑ Eaton, Nick (October 11, 2012). "Seahawks to retire Cortez Kennedy’s jersey number Sunday". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  42. ↑ Bishop, Greg (October 29, 2004). "Hawks offered No. 80, Rice says". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Sea Gal Official Page". Retrieved 7 February 2007.
  44. ↑ "Season Tickets". Seattle Seahawks. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
  45. ↑ Parolin, John (October 10, 2012). "Three-point stance: Seattle Seahawks". ESPN Boston. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  46. ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs break Seahawks' loudest stadium record". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. September 29, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  47. ↑ "Seahawks 12th Man Flag Raisers". Seattle Seahawks. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  48. ↑ Spirit of 12
  49. ↑ Alicia Jessop (31 January 2014). "Texas A&M Stands To Earn More In Upcoming 12th Man Trademark Licensing Negotiations As Seahawks' Exposure Rises". Forbes. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  50. ↑ "Seahawks, A&M resolve '12th man' dispute". ESPN. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
  51. ↑ Texas A&M Foundation » News » Headline News
  52. ↑ Cassuto, Dan (January 10, 2015). "Seahawks must pay rent to use the phrase '12th Man'". KING 5 News. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Seahawks to partner with Q13 FOX on Seahawks preseason games". Seattle Seahawks. March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  54. ↑ Seahawks Radio Affiliates

External links