Seattle Seahawks

Lore & Background

The Seahawks joined the NFL in 1976, as an expansion team in the NFC West. From 1977 to 2001, Seattle was assigned to the American Football Conference (AFC) West; the team rejoined the NFC in 2002. From 1976 to 1999, the Seahawks played in the Kingdome, alongside fellow 1970s Seattle sports establishments in the Mariners, SuperSonics, and Sounders. The Seahawks briefly played in Husky Stadium from 2000 to 2001, before moving to Lumen Field, on the former ground of the Kingdome, which they share with Sounders FC and Reign FC.

The Seahawks have won three conference championships (NFC championships in 2005, 2013, and 2014) and 11 division titles (as of the 2024 season). They achieved their greatest success in the 2010s, led by head coach Pete Carroll and the historic Legion of Boom defense, achieving five consecutive 10+ win seasons and appearing in back-to-back Super Bowls. That Seahawks team achieved the first Super Bowl victory in franchise history, blowing out the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl XLVIII.

The Seahawks have also appeared in Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIX. Since joining the division in the 2002 reorganization, the Seahawks have led the NFC West in division titles, having won the division 10 times, most recently in 2020. From 2011 to 2016, the Seahawks set an NFL record for playing 95 consecutive games without losing by more than 10 points.

Reader's Guide

Seahawks fans, then collectively referred to as the '12th man' (now known as the 12s since 2016), set the Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd noise at a sporting event twice during the 2013 NFL season. As the only NFL team in the Pacific Northwest, the Seahawks attract support from a wide geographical area including the U.S. states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Utah, as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia. Seahawks players Kenny Easley, Walter Jones, Steve Hutchinson, Cortez Kennedy, and Steve Largent have been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame primarily or wholly for their accomplishments as Seahawks.

In addition, players Dave Brown, Jacob Green, Dave Krieg, Curt Warner, Jim Zorn, Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander have been inducted into the Seahawks Ring of Honor, along with head coaches Chuck Knox and Mike Holmgren, radio announcer Pete Gross, and franchise owner Paul Allen.