Don Dufek Donald Patrick " Don " Dufek , Jr . ( born April 28 , 1954 ) is a former American football player who played safety and special teams for eight seasons with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He had previously played for the Michigan Wolverines football team in Ann Arbor from 1973 – 1975 . He was chosen to serve as team captain for both the Seahawks and Wolverines . At Michigan , he was following in the footsteps of his father Don Dufek , Sr . who had been a Wolverine team Most Valuable Player . As a graduate of Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor , Dufek was able to stay close to home while performing as a two - sport star at the University of Michigan where he played for the Michigan Wolverines football and hockey teams . In football , he was a member of back - to - back Big Ten Conference championship teams at Michigan and became an All - American as well as a team captain . Dufek , was sought after as a professional athlete in two sports : Dufek was drafted by teams in the National Hockey League , World Hockey Association and National Football League . He opted for football and played his entire professional career with the Seahawks . He endured several unsuccessful seasons in Seattle , but the team made the playoffs in his final two years . In his role as a special teams player , he again became a team captain . Youth . Dufek grew up in Ann Arbor , the son of former fullback , Don Dufek , Sr . , who was named Most Valuable Player of the 1950 Michigan Wolverines football team and the MVP of the 1951 Rose Bowl . In 1971 , Dufek played linebacker for Ann Arbor Pioneer High School and was one of only three unanimous picks for the major All - State football teams in the State of Michigan , as selected by the United Press International ( UPI ) , Associated Press ( AP ) , and " Detroit Free Press " . The coach of Pioneer ' s cross - town rival Huron High School said of Dufek in 1971 : " He ' s the best I ' ve seen . " In a 2003 interview with the " Grand Rapids Press " , Dufek recalled growing up in Ann Arbor and meeting his father ' s Michigan teammates . " Living in Ann Arbor , and seeing all the things that embody a great university , you learned that there were highly successful people in athletics , and it just made you want to feel a part of it . Then , as you got older , and you got more deeply involved in the game yourself , you just hoped that you had a chance to play in college - - and after watching all those games at Michigan Stadium , that maybe Michigan would take a chance on you . " University of Michigan . Football . Michigan provided Dufek with the opportunity that he had hoped for . He played defensive back for the Wolverines from 1973 to 1975 and was named a team co - captain and an All - American as a member of the 1975 Wolverines team . He was chosen as a first - team All - American by the Football Writers Association of America , and the Walter Camp Football Foundation , and as a second - team All - American by UPI . Twice named an All - Big Ten safety , Dufek had 249 tackles , nine fumble recoveries and four interception s for the Wolverines . Although the 1973 and 1974 Michigan teams were Big Ten co - champions , the Ohio State Buckeyes advanced to the Rose Bowl both years , and Dufek ' s only bowl game appearance was in a 14 – 6 loss to the Oklahoma in the 1976 Orange Bowl . Hockey . In addition to receiving three varsity letter s in football , Dufek also received four letters as a left wing for the Michigan Wolverines hockey team . Dufek played with the hockey team only after the football season ended , and he managed to score about 10 goals a year in the shortened seasons he played . Dufek made a sufficiently solid showing in his freshman and sophomore years at Michigan that the Detroit Red Wings selected him in the sixth round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft . He was also drafted by the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association with the 162nd overall selection in the eleventh round of the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft . In a 1975 interview , Dufek noted his love of both sports : " There are times when I ' ve thought of dropping one or the other , but heck , I ' ve been doing this since high school and it would be pretty tough to quit them both now . " Dufek added : " Hockey is a more relaxed thing . It ' s a smaller atmosphere and you have to deal with only one or two coaches . You can be more individual and flashy . Football has certain assignments and you can ' t really express yourself . " In the end , however , Dufek chose the NFL over the NHL . He explained : " I ' ve decided to pursue professional football because I would probably have an extensive tour in the hockey minor leagues and I don ' t want that . " Seattle Seahawks . Dufek was drafted by the Seahawks with the second selection of fifth round and 126th overall selection of the 1976 NFL Draft . Dufek was one of the original Seahawks in 1976 , the franchise ' s first year in the NFL , and he played for them until 1984 . He was the captain of the Seahawks ' special teams units in 1981 and 1982 . During both of these seasons he was co - captain along with eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame r and four - term representative in United States House of Representatives , Steve Largent , the captain of the offensive unit and Keith Simpson , captain of the defensive unit . Over the course of his career he had three interceptions , two quarterback sack s , a fumble recovery and thirteen kickoff returns . Sportswriter Richard Kucner once wrote : " Don Dufek was the kind of guy who just won ' t take ' No ' for an answer . He was released in training camp four times during his eight - year Seahawks career . But each time , Seattle had a change of heart , bringing him back . Today , he is remembered as one of the best special teams performers the team has had . " After numerous seasons under Jack Patera from 1976 - 1982 and interim coach Mike McCormack in 1982 , the Seahawks finally reached the playoffs in Dufek ' s final two seasons under Chuck Knox . During the 1983 NFL season , the Seahawks went 9 - 7 and reached the where they lost to the Oakland Raiders . Then , during the 1984 NFL season , the Seahawks went 12 - 4 and failed to reach the Conference Championships during the 1984 - 85 Playoffs . Dufek was interviewed by the " Ann Arbor News " in 2006 about life in Seattle . He said : " It ' s a bigger version of Ann Arbor . It ' s overcast , and it ' s green and clean . " And there ' s the coffee . " It ' s really comical , " says Dufek of all the coffee stops in Seattle . " Even the gas stations have coffee bars . " Family . Dufek now lives in Ann Arbor with his wife Candy Dufek . Dufek ran his own construction company , Dufek Wolverine Construction . In December 2006 , the " Detroit Free Press " did a feature about the Dufek family and their big U - M tailgate parties . The article noted : " It ' s hard to get more maize and blue than the Dufek family . Candy Dufek met Donnie Dufek in the first grade in Ann Arbor , and cheered as he played under Bo Schembechler in the 1970s . Younger brother , Bill also played for U - M from 1974 - 78 , also attaining All - American status . Their younger brother Joe , however , played for Yale ( as well as pro ball as a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers ) . They are the sons of legendary U - M Hall of Famer , Don Dufek , Sr . , who scored two touchdown s in U - M ' s 1951 Rose Bowl win . " Dufek has two children , Jacqueline and Frank .