In June of 1974, the NFL awarded its 28th franchise to Seattle. The Seattle Seahawks played their inaugural football season in 1976. They joined the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 27th franchise. Llyod W. Norstrom., part of the Nordstrom department store family paid $16 million for the franchise rights.
The team was almost named the Seattle Mariners, but the name Seahawks was chosen. Seahawk is another name for the osprey hawk, a bird indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. Interestingly, the following year baseball returned to Seattle, with the expansion Seattle Mariners. The football franchise had considered “Mariners” as its nickname. Other names considered by the football franchise were skippers, pioneers and lumberjacks. Baseball had been absent in Seattle for seven years when the Pilots relocated to Milwaukee and became the Brewers. “Mariners” ties into the area’s nautical ties and location on the Puget Sound.
In 1988 Ken Behring and Ken Hofmann purchased the team for $80 million. The Seahawks won their firs division title in 1988, but struggled during that era. Tom Flores, a two-time winning Super Bowl coach with the Oakland Raiders was not successful in his stint with the Seahawks. Flores, who also was part of the Super Bowl winning Kansas City Chiefs team of 1969 was part of an era in the early 199s where Seattle had very poor records.
In 1996 Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen purchased the Seahawks from Behring.
The Mike Holmgren era
Mike Holmgren became head coach in 1999. During his tenure, 1999- 2008, the Seahawks made the playoffs six times and reached Super Bowl XL in 2005. The Seahawks lost in their first Super Bowl appearance. Key players from that team included quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, running back Shaun Alexander and offensive tackle Walter Jones. Holmgren had been a Super Bowl winning head coach in 1996 while with the Green Bay Packers, and as an assistant coach of the San Franscico 49ers from 1986 to 1991 under Bill Walsh.
The Seahawks have played their home games at Lumen Field since 2002. They previously played home games in the Kingdome (1976 – 1999) and Husky Stadium (1994, 2000- 2001).
In 2010 Pete Carroll, formerly head coach of the USC Trojans and briefly of the New York Jets, became the head coach of the franchise. In 2013, Seattle reached the Super Bowl against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. The Seahawk defense, led by the “Legion of Boom” defense featuring cornerback Richard Sherman, safety Kam Chancellor and defensive end Michael Bennett dominated the Broncos 43-8. The victory is one of the most lopsided affairs in Super Bowl history.
The Seattle Seahawks currently play in the National Football Conference (NFC) West Division along with the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams and San Franscico 49ers.
Repeat Super Bowl appearance
In 2014, the very next season, the Seahawks returned to the Super Bowl and faced the New England Patriots. In one of the most dramatic finished in Super Bowl history, the Seahawks had the ball on the 1-yard line with a chance to win the game, only to have Russell Wilson’s pass be intercepted by Malcolm Butler. The Patriots went on to win, 28-24. Some have called Carroll’s play-call on the play “the worst play-call in NFL history.” Carroll, along with Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson are the only coaches to win both an NCAA championship and a Super Bowl.
Seattle Seahawks and the “12s”
The Seattle Seahawks fans are referred to as “the 12s” because they play a significant role in supporting the team. The term “12s” is a reference to the fans being essentially like a 12th man on the field, due to their impact and vocal support throughout their games.
Barry Schustermann
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