Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are the professional football franchise established in this city in 1974. They started competing two years later in the NFC West division, but the league diverted them to the AFC West the next season, and returned home only in 2002 after the re-alignment. So, this team is the only franchise that has played in both conferences throughout its history.

Franchise history

Seattle was obsolete from professional football since the invention of the National Football League and its competitor, the American Football League, so the local authorities tried to bring the NFL or AFL franchise to the city. They invited the Chargers to play here when the TV broadcasters persuaded them to leave Los Angeles, but their proposal was lost to San Diego. So, when the NFL awarded the franchise to a group of local businesses and activists the expansion franchise in 1974, it was a holiday for everybody because the league increased the potential of local football traditions.

The first general manager with experience coaching with Washington Huskies started the hiring process in January 1976. Their first season started in August of the same year. The Seahawks lost 5 of 6 pre-season games.

Their first success came to them in 1983 when they reached the AFC Championship level. The team lost the qualification for the Super Bowl to the divisional winners Los Angeles Raiders. They had to wait for the next season for 18 years. Mike Holmgren led the Seahawks to Super Bowl XL in 2005 season appearance, but they lost it to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Finally, they won the title in the 2013 season under the coaching of Pete Carroll. However, their attempt to defend it and gain back-to-back championships could have been more successful.

Rivals

Of course, the team has powerful rivalries in their division. They compete with the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams. These battles resume twice per year. However, it has some essential nuances.

The rivalries with the Rams and 49ers happened once every three or four years from 1977 to 2002. Their only playoff meeting could be the Super Bowl, while the Seahawks were members of the AFC West. But those playoffs didn’t happen. These rivalries intensified with the re-alignment and return of Seattle to the National Football Conference. They lost twice to the Rams in 2004 and 2020 Wild Cards. The Seahawks passed San Francisco in the 2013 champion’s season. Then 49ers

Their relations with the Arizona Cardinals started in 1976, too, but intensified in 2002 when both teams arrived in the division. All games here are in the regular season without playoffs.

Besides the intradivisional rivalries, the Seahawks have the opponents on other levels. One of them, with the Broncos, had the reverse transformation. Both teams competed in the AFC West division, which reduced its intensity. Seattle and Denver had met in Super Bowl XLVIII (2013), where the Seahawks won their single trophy.

Retired numbers

The Seahawks are the unique team who honored their fans by retiring the number in 1984. Their society has the name 12th Man, so the number 12 was removed from the circuit in 1984. Most players, whose numbers are retired became members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There are Cortez Kennedy, Walter Jones, and Kenny Easley. Two coaches of the Seahawks are Pro Famers too, but we can mention here only Tom Flores because Mike McCormack got the highest honor as a player thanking his contribution to tackles when he played for the Cleveland Browns and New York Yanks.

12th Man

The 12th Man (12s at present) is the worldwide society of the Seahawks’ play. They support the team at the venues and participate in various events. The first stadium, Kingdome, was so loud that the opponents practiced with rock music to train to overcome the high decibel noise from the arena. That noise moved to the Lumen Field in 2002. Most home games gather sellouts. Thus, the noise is always guaranteed. The roof reflects it to the field. Thus, the opponents often commit the false start or offside penalties.

The fans of Seattle set several records. For example, the highest sound level at the home stadium was 145 dB. The club also thanks the fans with the big flag with the number 12 before the kickoff of the home game. The honor to raise it belongs to current and former employees, administration members, and celebrities. The club ran onto the field under the giant flag with the number 12 on it after the win in the Super Bowl in 2013.

Mascots

The team has two mascots. A large blue bird, Blitz, is the primary mascot who involves the fans in different activities. It has participated in charity programs since 1998. It was refurbished in 2014. That year added a company to it – the secondary mascot, Boom, arrived to communicate with younger children.