SSSeattle Seahawks

Franchise history

The Seahawks joined the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1976, awarded to Seattle ownership groups led by the Nordstrom family, and began play at the Kingdome that same year. The team took its name from a fan-suggested naming contest, chosen for the osprey-like sea eagle symbol tied to Pacific Northwest Native art. Placed in the NFC West initially, the Seahawks were realigned into the AFC West in 1977 and spent over two decades in the AFC before rejoining the NFC West in 2002. The franchise's early highlight came in 1983, reaching the AFC Championship Game under coach Chuck Knox. Ownership passed to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 1997, whose investment kept the team in Seattle and funded a new stadium, opened in 2002 (originally Seahawks Stadium, later Qwest Field, then CenturyLink Field and now Lumen Field), renowned for its deafening crowd noise from the "12th Man."

The Seahawks reached their first Super Bowl in the 2005 season under coach Mike Holmgren, led by MVP running back Shaun Alexander, losing Super Bowl XL to Pittsburgh. The franchise's greatest era arrived under head coach Pete Carroll, hired in 2010, and general manager John Schneider, who built a physical, ball-hawking "Legion of Boom" defense anchored by Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor alongside dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson. Seattle won Super Bowl XLVIII following the 2013 season, routing Denver 43-8, and returned to Super Bowl XLIX the following year, losing to New England on a controversial goal-line interception. The Seahawks-49ers rivalry intensified during this NFC West-dominant stretch.

Sources

• Wikipedia
• Pro Football Hall of Fame
• HistoryLink.org

Super Bowl Champions won (2)

• Super Bowl XLVIII - 2013
• Super Bowl LX - 2025

Runner-up finishes (2)

• Super Bowl XL - 2005
• Super Bowl XLIX - 2014

See the full super bowl champions list for the winner each of these years.