Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle , Washington . They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference ( NFC ) in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The team , along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , joined the NFL in 1976 as expansion team s . Seattle is the only team to have played in both the AFC ( American Football Conference ) and NFC Championship Games . The Seahawks ' only Super Bowl appearance was in 2006 for Super Bowl XL . In 2010 , they became the first ever NFL team to win a division title or a playoff berth in a complete season with a record below . 500 ( 7 - 9 ) . Six days after clinching their division , they also became the first NFL team to win a playoff game with a 7 - 9 record , as they defeated the defending champion New Orleans Saints 41 - 36 . Franchise history . On June 15 , 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 , WA . Around two years later on June 4 , 1974 , the NFL gave the city an expansion franchise . On December 5 , 1974 , 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 . Nordstrom died of a heart attack before the Seahawks played their first game . On March 5 , 1975 , John Thompson , former Executive Director of the NFL Management Council and a former Washington Husky executive , was hired as the general manager of the currently unnamed team . The name " Seattle Seahawks " ( " Seahawk " , 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 . The name " Seahawks " was in particular entered by Peninsula High School , who were the original Seahawks . Thompson recruited and hired Jack Patera , a Minnesota Vikings assistant coach , to be the first head coach of the Seahawks . Patera was introduced as the new head coach at a press conference 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 . 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 . The Seahawks are the only NFL team to switch conferences twice in the post - merger era . The franchise began play in 1976 in the NFC West division 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 during their first two seasons . In 2002 , the Seahawks were returned to the NFC West as part of an NFL realignment plan that gave each conference four balanced divisions of four teams each . This was done after the Houston Texans were added as the thirty - second team . This realignment restored the AFC West to its initial post - merger roster of original AFL teams Denver , San Diego , Kansas City , and Oakland . Seattle has won seven division titles in their franchise history : the 1988 and 1999 AFC West titles , and the 2004 - 2007 and 2010 NFC West titles . They won the NFC Championship Game in 2005 , and went on to lose in the Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers ( though it was not without controversy as NFL Films has Super Bowl XL at number 8 on its top ten list of controversial calls ) . 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 . The all - time Seahawks playoff record is 7 - 10 . The Seahawks became the first team in the history of the NFL to win their division and a playoff spot with a losing record ( 7 - 9 ) in a non - strike shortened year . They subsequently stunned the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints 41 - 36 for a win in the first round , but lost in the following week to the Chicago Bears 35 - 24 . 2013 season : The Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII 43 - 8 against the Denver Broncos . . Kickoff occurred at 6 : 32 p . m . EST ( UTC−05 : 00 ) . On Denver ' s first play after receiving the opening kickoff , center Manny Ramirez snapped the ball while Peyton Manning was shifting forward ( from shotgun formation ) in the process of calling an audible , resulting in the ball going past Manning into the end zone . Running back Knowshon Moreno recovered the ball to prevent a Seattle touchdown , but he was downed for a safety to give the Seahawks a 2 – 0 lead . Seattle ' s score just 12 seconds into the game was the quickest to start a game in Super Bowl history . Following the free kick , receiver Percy Harvin gained 30 yards on an end around run to set up Steven Hauschka ' s 31 - yard field goal , making the score 5 – 0 . Denver was forced to a three - and - out on their next drive , and after the Denver punt , Russell Wilson completed a 37 - yard pass to Doug Baldwin , leading to another Haushchka field goal , this one from 33 yards , that increased the lead to 8 – 0 . On the third play of Denver ' s ensuing possession , Manning was intercepted by Kam Chancellor , giving Seattle a first down on the Denver 37 . Aided by a 15 - yard run from Harvin on the first play , Seattle quickly got the ball into the red zone . The Broncos defense eventually managed to force an incomplete pass on third down , but defensive back Tony Carter was flagged for pass interference in the end zone , giving Seattle a first down at the one . One play later , Marshawn Lynch crashed into the end zone , hitting the line so effectively that he ended the play on his feet , scoring a 1 - yard touchdown run that made the score 15 – 0 three minutes into the second quarter . At this point , the Broncos offense finally managed to get moving , picking up a first down for the first time in the game at 10 : 37 and moving the ball to the Seattle 35 . But on third - and - 13 , Manning was hit as he tried to throw a pass to Moreno , causing a high short floater that was intercepted by linebacker Malcolm Smith and returned 69 yards for a touchdown . After Seattle ' s kickoff , Denver mounted a drive to the Seahawks ' s 19 - yard line , aided by Demaryius Thomas ' s 19 - yard reception on third down and 5 . With just over a minute left in the half , Denver faced fourth - and - 2 . Rather than kick a field goal , they tried to pick up a first down , but Manning ' s pass was incomplete and the score would remain 22 – 0 at the end of the half . The 22 - point deficit was the largest faced by the Broncos all season . It was also the third - largest halftime deficit in Super Bowl history , and the previous two were also against the Broncos – the Redskins led the Broncos 35 – 10 in Super Bowl XXII and the 49ers led the Broncos 27 – 3 in Super Bowl XXIV . In order to avoid a big kickoff return , Matt Prater kicked the second half kickoff short , hitting the ground at the Seattle 12 - yard line . But it did not stop Harvin from picking the ball out of the air and taking off for an 87 - yard touchdown return that increased Seattle ' s lead to 29 – 0 . The touchdown took place 12 seconds into the second half , exactly the same amount of time that the Seahawks took to score the safety in the first half . It was also the first time that consecutive Super Bowls had featured a second half kickoff that was returned for a touchdown ( Jacoby Jones ' return in Super Bowl XLVII being the previous one ) , as well as the first time consecutive Super Bowls had kickoff returns for touchdowns . After an exchange of punts , Eric Decker gave Denver good field position with a 9 - yard return to the Denver 45 . Two plays later , Manning completed a 23 - yard pass to Thomas , but cornerback Byron Maxwell knocked the ball out of his hands and Malcolm Smith recovered it , returning the ball seven yards . An unnecessary roughness penalty against Denver added 15 more yards onto the end of the play , giving Seattle the ball at the Denver 42 - yard line . Then Russell Wilson hit tight end Luke Willson for a 12 - yard completion on third - and - 7 and later completed a 19 - yard pass to Ricardo Lockette . On the next play , he threw a short pass to Jermaine Kearse , who broke four tackles as he took off for a 23 - yard touchdown reception bringing the score to 36 – 0 . Denver finally managed to respond on their next drive , advancing the ball 80 yards as Manning completed six consecutive passes , including a 22 - yard completion to Wes Welker , and finishing the drive with a 14 - yard touchdown toss to Thomas on the last play of the third quarter . Then Welker caught a pass for a successful 2 - point conversion , cutting the score to 36 – 8 . However , any momentum Denver might have gained was quickly snuffed out as Seattle tight end Zach Miller recovered Prater ' s onside kick attempt on his own 48 - yard line . He also caught a 10 - yard reception as the Seahawks subsequently drove 52 yards , featuring a 24 - yard reception by Kearse , and scoring on Wilson ' s 10 - yard touchdown pass to Baldwin , increasing their lead to 43 – 8 . There were more than 11 minutes left in the game , but this would be the final score , as Denver ' s last three drives would result in a turnover on downs , a Manning fumble that was forced and recovered by Seattle defensive end Chris Clemons ( the only sack of the game for either team ) , and time expiring in the game . Wilson finished the game 18 / 25 for 206 yards and two touchdowns . Baldwin was his top receiver with five catches for 66 yards and a score , while Kearse added four catches for 65 and a touchdown . In addition to his 87 - yard kickoff return touchdown , Harvin was Seattle ' s leading rusher with 45 yards , even though he only carried the ball twice . Chancellor had nine tackles and an interception . Manning completed 34 / 49 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown , with two interceptions . His top target was Thomas , who caught 13 passes ( a Super Bowl record ) for 118 yards and a touchdown . Welker added eight receptions for 84 yards . Linebacker Danny Trevathan had 12 tackles . Moreno was Denver ' s leading rusher , but with just 17 yards . Overall , Denver ' s record setting offense gained only 306 yards , with just 27 yards on the ground . The Seattle Seahawks celebrate their Super Bowl XLVIII victory The Seahawks ' LB Malcolm Smith was named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player . Denver fell to 2 – 5 in Super Bowls , while five - time league MVP Manning dropped to 11 – 12 in the playoffs , and 1 – 2 in the Super Bowl . Including Denver ' s loss , none of the eight highest - scoring teams in league history won a Super Bowl in the same season , and all four teams who entered the championship with the league ' s leading passer lost the game . Manning ' s 34 completions and Thomas ' 13 receptions were both Super Bowl records . With touchdowns scored on offense , defense , and special teams , the Seahawks became the first team since the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV to do so . Teams with an interception return for a touchdown also stayed perfect , improving to 12 – 0 in Super Bowls . As a result of scoring their safety 12 seconds into the game and subsequently never relinquishing the lead , the Seahawks set a Super Bowl record for holding a lead continuously for the longest time ( 59 : 48 ) . As a tribute to the raucous fans that made the Kingdome the loudest stadium in the NFL the Seahawks retired the number 12 on December 15 , 1984 . Since then # 12 Jerseys have been sold by the team and worn by Seahawk fans , often with the name " Fan " on the back . The Seahawks also have a ceremony before each home game where a flag bearing the # 12 is raised by a prominent individual . In the 2005 season the fans were again making a difference in games and were recognized with the presentation of a special game ball for their efforts in a game against the New York Giants , a game in which the Giants committed 11 false start penalties in large part because of the crowd noise . The team ' s use of the phrase " 12th Man " was in a legal limbo for a while between the 2005 and 2006 season when Texas A & M University sued the team for trademark infringement . Before going to trial , both parties settled out of court with Seattle agreeing to acknowledge ownership rights to the 12th Man slogan to A & M . In return the Seahawks were allowed to continue to use the phrase . 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 . Headquarters and training camps . During the Seahawks ' first ten seasons ( – 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 , 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 , where they held training camp through . 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 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 . Logos and uniforms . When the Seahawks debuted in , the team ' s logo was a stylized royal blue and forest green hawk ' s head based on Northwestern tribal art . 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 several seasons , one of the few NFL teams that did in the late 1970s . In , 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 , white on bottom . In , to coincide with the team moving to the NFC as well as the opening of Seahawks Stadium ( which would later be renamed Qwest 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 . 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 has 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 at Minnesota ( November 22 ) , St . Louis ( November 29 ) , Houston ( December 13 ) and Green Bay ( December 27 ) . The Seahawks wore their home blues during Super Bowl XL despite being designated as the visitor , since the Pittsburgh Steelers , the designated home team , elected to wear their white jerseys . With the Oakland Raiders wearing their white jerseys at home for the first time ever in a game against the San Diego Chargers on September 28 , 2008 , the Seahawks have become the only NFL team to have never worn their white jerseys at home . 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 were designed in honor of the new Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders FC who also wear a green jersey with blue pants ( or in SSFCs case , shorts ) . 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 . 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 . Seasons . As of 2009 , the Seattle Seahawks have competed in 33 NFL seasons , dating back to their expansion year of 1976 . The team has compiled a 250 – 266 record ( 257 – 276 counting the playoffs ) for a . 484 winning percentage ( . 482 counting the playoffs ) . Seattle has reached the playoffs in eleven separate seasons , including in the 2005 - 2006 when they lost Super Bowl XL to the Pittsburgh Steelers . In the 2010 - 2011 season , the Seahawks became the first team in NFL history to earn a spot in the playoffs with a losing record ( 7 - 9 , . 438 ) ; that year , 7 teams in the NFL with a record of 7 - 9 or better did not make the playoffs , including two 10 - 6 teams . Team records . During the 2005 season the Seattle Seahawks had one of the most potent offenses in the League , they would hold the record for Most Points Scored ( 564 ) in a single season as well as Highest Scoring Team ( 45 . 6 PPG ) in a single season until the 2007 season when the New England Patriots would break the record . Players of note . Pro Football Hall of Famers . 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 . Sea Gals ( Cheerleaders ) . The Seahawks cheerleaders are called the Sea Gals . During the off - season , a select performing group from the Sea Gals travel parades and with other NFL Cheerleader s on the road . 12th man . The term " 12th Man " was coined and marketed to represent Texas A & M Aggies fans after the 1922 Dixie Classic . While intellectual property laws recognize such common law uses in trademark disputes , the official registration of the mark was not filed by Texas A & M ( U . S . Reg . No . 1948306 ) until September 1990 , and later significantly bolstered by the passage of the Federal Dilution Trademark Act of 1995 . This law allowed Texas A & M to use potential damage to the trademark through dilution as a justification in its lawsuit against the Seattle Seahawks . According to statements made by Texas A & M officials , they sent requests to stop using the phrase to the Seattle Seahawks ( 2004 , 2005 ) , Buffalo Bills ( undated ) , and the Chicago Bears ( undated ) . Both the Bills and the Bears responded to the requests stating they would no longer use the phrase , however the Seahawks failed to respond to the request . 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 , Texas A & M licensed the Seahawks to continue using the phrase " 12th Man " in exchange for a licensing fee and public acknowledgement by the NFL franchise as to Texas A & M ' s ownership of the phrase . The Seahawks have some of the loudest fans in the NFL , dating back to the days of the Kingdome . In 1984 , the number twelve was retired to honor the fans . The Seahawks began playing at Qwest Field in 2002 . Every regular season and playoff game at Qwest Field since the 2nd week of the 2003 season has been played before a sellout crowd , a streak of 52 consecutive games . Inside Qwest Field the noise level can reach as high as 137 decibels , or the equivalent of a jet engine . Indeed , this has caused problems for opposing teams , making them have numerous false starts and penalties . From 2005 through the beginning of the 2010 season , fans have caused a league - high 107 false start penalties . Prior to kickoff of each home game , the Seahawks salute the loudest fans in the NFL by raising the 12th man flag at the south end of the stadium . Current and former players and coaches , various local celebrities , fans , other Seattle area athletes , and current owner Paul Allen have raised the flag . Radio and television . , the Seahawks ' flagship station is KIRO 97 . 3FM . The current announcers are former Seahawks players Steve Raible ( who was the team ' s color commentator from 1982 – 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 until just days before his death from cancer in , is a member of the team ' s Ring of Honor . Games are heard on 47 stations in five states and Canada making the Seahawks the NFL ' s largest area in terms of network coverage . Past announcers include ; Steve Thomas ( Radio : 1992 – 1997 ) , Lee Hamilton also known as " Hacksaw " ( Radio : 1998 – 1999 ) , and Brian Davis ( Radio : 2000 – 2003 ) . Preseason games not shown on national networks are 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 ) . Curt Menefee ( who replaced Vern Lundquist ) has been the Seahawks TV voice since the 2009 preseason . The games have been produced by FSN Northwest .