Moments in NFL History: NFL’s 28th franchise forms in Seattle

04/10/2026 - 3:30 AM

image: Seahawks Helmet — Credit: Adam Hunger

On this date (April 10) 52 years ago, then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle announced the formation of the league’s 28th franchise, the Seattle Seahawks. Two Super Bowl victories and 15 Hall of Famers later, Seattle has become one of the League’s most storied franchises.

Whether they were playing inside the Kingdome, which the Seahawks shared with the Mariners, SuperSonics and Sounders for three decades, or inside their current home stadium of Lumen Field, Seattle has had one outlying advantage: the “12th man.”

“The fans in Seattle always reminded me of college-type fans,” Hall of Fame wide receiver STEVE LARGENT said in a recent interview with the Hall. “They were very loyal, they wore all their Seahawks stuff to the games and they were very supportive of their new team.”

In 2013, Seahawks fans set a Guinness World Record for loudest crowd noise at a sporting event twice during the NFL’s regular season. The “12th Man” also has earned a symbolic representation on the team’s jerseys, with the 2012 rebrand seeing the addition of 12 feathers on both sides of the jersey collar.

Central to the franchise’s close connection with the fanbase and long-term success were the early decisions that helped shape its identity.

Seattle hired Jack Patera as its first head coach and Jerry Rhome, who was previously the offensive coordinator at the University of Tulsa, to help lead its new offense. Rhome advocated for the young team to bring in Largent, whom Rhome had coached at Tulsa.

Traded for an eighth-round pick, Largent, a 1976 fourth-round pick who had been released by the Houston Oilers after five weeks of training camp, made an immediate impact in Seattle’s inaugural season.

“Jerry had installed nearly our whole playbook from UT into the Seahawks playbook,” Largent said. “So, when ‘split right 79’ was called, I knew exactly where to line up, how deep to run the route, when the ball should be thrown and what adjustments to make to coverages. It felt like home to me!”

The Seahawks finished no better than third out of fifth in their division in their first seven years as a franchise, despite Largent leading the league in receiving yards in 1979 and earning three Pro Bowl nods in that time.

The strike-shortened 1982 season proved to be a transitional year for all of professional football, but no club fit the transitional description better than the Seahawks. After struggling to sustain success, Patera, who had won the 1977 Coach of the Year award, and Rhome were removed after 6½ seasons.

Chuck Knox and his staff took over following the 1982 season, signaling a new era of Seattle football. A three-time AP NFL Coach of the Year, Knox guided the Seahawks to an 83-67-0 record in nine seasons.

After a tumultuous stretch in the 1990s following Knox’s departure, Mike Holmgren was hired as the franchise’s head coach in 1999. Under Holmgren, they returned to the NFC West in 2002 as part of the League’s realignment after previously being assigned to the AFC West from 1977-2001.

In 2005, Holmgren led Seattle to a then-franchise-best 13-3 record, a benchmark that would be eclipsed in 2013 by Pete Carroll and again in 2025 by Mike Macdonald.

In the 2013 season, led by Carroll who took the helm in 2010, the Seahawks defeated the Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII to win the franchise’s first championship. Likewise, in the 2025 season, the Seahawks submitted another dominant defensive performance and won Super Bowl LX, 29-13, against the New England Patriots for the franchise’s second title.

Seattle initially donned an eye-catching royal blue, apple green and silver as their primary colors before transitioning to a darker color palette in a 2002 redesign. In 2012, the franchise switched to its modern logo, featuring a darker navy blue, lighter grey and the inclusion of Pacific Northwest coastal indigenous art on their jerseys.

Across different eras of Seahawks football, players like Largent, who ended with 13,089 career receiving yards and 100 touchdowns, KENNY EASLEY and KEVIN MAWAE delivered standout individual performances. But Seattle has been at its best when groups of players succeed collectively, especially through dominant units like the “Legion of Boom” and its modern version, Mike Macdonald’s “Dark Side” defense.

Comprised mainly of Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, the Seahawks secondary in the 2010s earned the moniker “Legion of Boom” for their hard-hitting tackles and dynamic coverage. Between 2012 and 2015, the Seahawks led the NFL in scoring defense, allowing the fewest points scored each year for four consecutive seasons. In 2013, the Seahawks defense led the league in fewest points allowed, fewest yards allowed and most takeaways, the first team to lead all three categories since the 1985 Chicago Bears.

In 2025, Macdonald’s second year leading the Seahawks, he coached a fearsome defense led by 2026 Pro Bowl tandem Demarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams, who preceded a secondary with Pro Bowler Devon Witherspoon and AP Rookie of the Year finalist Nick Emmanwori.

From all-time great wide receivers to recent Super Bowl success, Seattle has evolved into one of the NFL’s most decorated franchises.

“Building the franchise was a pleasure,” said Largent. “The crowds, as I mentioned, were very supportive and loved the Seahawks passionately. There was a real and obvious bond that prevailed quickly between the fans and the Seahawks!”

This article from the Hall of Fame Communications Team is part of recurring series celebrating memorable moments in NFL history.

Seattle Seahawks in the Hall of Fame

Kenny Easley – 1981-87

Steve Hutchinson – 2001-05

Walter Jones – 1997-2008

Cortez Kennedy – 1990-2000

Steve Largent – 1976-1989

Carl Eller – 1979

Tom Flores – 1992-94

Dwight Freeney – 2017

Devin Hester – 2016

Franco Harris – 1984