Steve Largent spent fourteen years with the Seahawks (1976 – 1989), playing in 200 regular-season games.
Taken in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers, he was traded to the expansion Seattle Seahawks for a 1977 eighth-round pick.
When Largent retired, he held all major NFL receiving records, including: most receptions in a career (819), most receiving yards in a career (13,089), and most touchdown receptions (100). He was also in possession of a then-record streak of 177 consecutive regular-season games with a reception. He also holds the distinction as the first receiver in NFL history to achieve 100 touchdown receptions in his career.
He was selected to the Pro Bowl seven times (1978, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987), and was the first Seahawk to ever be selected to the Pro Bowl.
His career honors & awards include: AP First-Team All-Pro in 1985, Walter Payton Man of the Year in 1988, Bart Starr Man of the Year in 1988, and a member of the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team. He was also a member of the Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team in 2010.
In 1989, Largent became the first Seahawks player to win the Steve Largent Award for his spirit, dedication and integrity.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995, his first year of eligibility, and the first Seahawk to enter the Hall.
Largent’s jersey #80 was retired in 1992, and he was the first Seahawks player to be so honored (since joined by Cortez Kennedy’s retired #96 in 2012, Walter Jones’ retired #71 in 2014, and Kenny Easley’s retired #45 in 2017.).
Dave Brown joined the Seahawks in their inaugural 1976 season, and remained with the team for the first 11 years of the franchise’s history.
The Seahawks picked Brown in the 1976 NFL Expansion Draft, after playing his rookie year with the eventual Super Bowl X Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
He appeared in 159 games for the Seahawks, all of them as the team’s starting right cornerback. On November 4, 1984, the Seahawks established an NFL record with four interception returns (including returns by Brown of 95 and 58 yards) for touchdowns in a single game against the Kansas City Chiefs. After the 1984 season, Brown was selected to play in the Pro Bowl and was also selected by the Associated Press as a second-team All-NFL player.
In his 11 years playing for the Seahawks, Brown established, and continues to hold, franchise records for interceptions (50), interception return yards (643), and interceptions returned for touchdowns (5).
He would go on to play for the Green Bay Packers from 1987 – 1989, when he retired as a player. He was selected as a member of the Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team in 2010.
Brown later became a football coach, and he was the Seahawks’ defensive backs coach from 1992 to 1998. In 2001, he was hired as the defensive backs coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team in Lubbock, Texas, and he held that position until the time of his death from a heart attack on January 10, 2006, at age 52.
Pete Gross served as the radio play-by- play “Voice of the Seahawks” for 17 seasons: from the Seahawks inaugural 1976 season through 1992.
One of the most beloved people to have ever been associated with the Seahawks franchise, fans will never forget his numerous “Touchdown Seahawks!” calls.
Over his 17 seasons, Gross called all but the five games he missed in 1992 while battling cancer. His career included eight playoff games, and in the 1983 season Gross came within one game of the Super Bowl when Seattle faced the Los Angeles Raiders in the AFC Championship game. The Seahawks lost that game 30-14.
Prior to moving to the Seahawks, Gross was the play-by-play voice of the University of Washington in both football and basketball. He came to Seattle after calling play-by-play for the University of the Pacific.
Gross was diagnosed with cancer in 1989, and he succumbed to the disease on December 2, 1992 at age 55, just three days after his induction into the Ring of Honor. He was inducted into the Ring during a Monday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos, a game the Seahawks won in overtime.
His legacy remains, as the Seahawks are actively involved with the Pete Gross House. The Pete Gross House, which opened in November of 1999, is a 69-unit apartment complex that provides housing for families undergoing treatment at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Curt Warner was taken by the Seahawks as the third pick in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft. He was a running back for the team for seven seasons (1983 – 1989).
Warner led the AFC in rushing yards (1,449) his rookie season in 1983, scoring 14 touchdowns (13 rushing, 1 receiving). He helped lead the Seahawks to their first Conference Championship game, which they lost to the Los Angeles Raiders, the eventual league champion.
The following year Warner suffered a torn ACL in the 1984 season opener against the Cleveland Browns and was sidelined for the rest of the year. He came back in 1985 and rushed for 1,094 yards and scored nine touchdowns (8 rushing, 1 receiving). He topped his rookie rushing total in 1986 with 1,481 yards, which included 13 rushing touchdowns.
Warner was the 1983 AFC Offensive Player of the Year in his rookie NFL season, and he was selected three times to the Pro Bowl (1983, 1986, 1987). He was also a first-team All-Pro in 1987.
Warner would go on to play in seven games with the Los Angeles Rams in 1990, and then retired.
Jacob Green was a first-round pick (10th overall) in the 1980 NFL draft taken by the Seahawks.
As a defensive end, Green played 12 seasons for the Seahawks (1980 1992). He recorded 97.5 career sacks for the Seahawks (unofficially 116 – sacks became an official NFL statistic in 1982, Green’s third season), a team record and at the time of his retirement good for number three on the all-time sacks leaderboard behind only Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor.
He also had three career interceptions and two defensive touchdowns.
His honors with the Seahawks include: first-team All-Pro (1983), second-team All-Pro (1984), two-time selection to the Pro Bowl (1986, 1987), Steve Largent Award (1996). He was also a member of the Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team in 2010.
He played for the San Francisco 49ers in 1992, and then retired from the NFL.
Green holds his annual Jacob Green Golf Tournament each summer in the Puget Sound area, which benefits the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Jim Zorn was signed as a free agent by the Seahawks in 1976, having previously been signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in 1975. He would play quarterback for the Seahawks for nine seasons (1976 – 1984).
Zorn was named AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year by the NFL Players Association following the Seahawks’ inaugural 1976 season. He was also the Seahawks’ team MVP, throwing for 12 touchdowns and rushing for four touchdowns.
His three consecutive 3,000-yard seasons were tops in team history, since broken by Matt Hasselbeck in 2005, and he was the first Seahawks quarterback to record back-to-back 300-plus yard games, which he accomplished twice.
He would go on to play for the Green Bay Packers (1985), Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL- 1986), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987), before retiring as a player.
He then entered the coaching ranks, eventually returning to the Seahawks in 1997 as an offensive assistant. After three seasons as quarterbacks coach with the Detroit Lions, Zorn would again return to the Seahawks in 2001 as quarterbacks coach, a position he held through 2007.
Kenny Easley was taken by the Seahawks as the fourth pick in the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft, and he would go on to play seven seasons as a strong safety with the team.
He became an immediate starter as a rookie, recording three interceptions for 155 yards and one touchdown, earning him AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. In 1983, his first season playing for new head coach Chuck Knox, Easley won the AFC Defensive Player of the Year Award and recorded seven interceptions. In 1984, Easley led the NFL in interceptions with ten – which tied a team record – returning two of them for touchdowns. He was named as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts.
On November 4, 1984, during a 45–0 win against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Seahawks returned four interceptions for touchdowns, including one caught and returned by Easley, breaking the NFL record for most touchdowns scored from an interception in a game.
Easley had 32 interceptions for 538 yards and three touchdowns in his seven years (1981-1987) with the Seahawks.
Among his honors and awards: five-time Pro Bowl selection (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987), four-time first-team All-Pro (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985), NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1984), NFL 1980s All-Decade Team. He was also a member of the Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team (2010).
Easley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 5, 2017, joining former teammate Steve Largent, as well as Walter Jones and the late Cortez Kennedy.
Dave Krieg had an unusual entry into the NFL. Coming out of now-defunct Milton College in Wisconsin, Krieg would go undrafted in the 1980 NFL Draft. He tried out for the Seahawks and made the team as the third-string quarterback.
By the time his 12-year career with the Seahawks was over, Krieg would hold numerous team records, including: career leader in touchdown passes (195), games with 4 or more touchdown passes (3 in 1985), most games with 400+ yards passing (4), most games with 1 or more touchdown passes (103), most games with 2 or more touchdown poasses (59), most games with 3 or more touchdown passes (23), most games with 4 or more touchdown passes (7), most games with 5 or more touchdown passes (3). He is also the Seahawks’ leader in career wins and passing touchdowns.
When injuries sidelined Jim Zorn late in the 1981 season, Krieg started the last three games and helped the Seahawks record two of their six wins that year. He was named starting quarterback by Chuck Knox midway through the 1983 season, and the Seahawks would go on to make the playoffs for the first time, advancing to the AFC Championship before losing to the eventual Super Bowl XVIII Champion Los Angeles Raiders.
Krieg would go on to play for the Kansas City Chiefs (1992-1993), Detroit Lions (1994), Arizona Cardinals (1995), Chicago Bears (1996), and Tennessee Oilers (1997-1998).
His honors & awards include: three-time Pro Bowl selection (1985, 1989, 1990), UPI Second-Team All-AFC (1984).
Krieg ranks #19 among the all-time top NFL passing leaders, having completed 3,105 passes for 38,147 passing yards and 261 touchdowns. He also had 417 rushing attempts for 1,261 yards and 13 touchdowns.
While the Seahawks represented the third stop for Chuck Knox as an NFL head coach, his presence would quickly catapult the team into a real power.
In his first season in 1983, Knox would lead the Seahawks to a 9-7 record and their first-ever playoff appearance: beating the Denver Broncos in a wildcard game at the Kingdome, and then downing the Miami Dolphins in the second round before losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Raiders in the AFC Championship.
The Seahawks’ 12-4 record the following season was only ever topped by the 13-3 Seahawks in 2005.
Referencing games as “knock-down drag-out” affairs, Knox’ emphasis on the running game led to him being known as “Ground Chuck,” making stars out of the likes of running back Curt Warner and John L. Williams.
Knox was named NFL Coach of the Year three times: in his first year ever as a head coach while with the Los Angeles Rams (1973), with the Buffalo Bills (1980), and in his second year with the Seahawks (1984).
He finished his nine-year Seahawks coaching career (1983-1992) with an 80-63 regular-season record, and a 3-4 playoff record.
Cortez joined the Seahawks as the third pick in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft, and his impact as a defensive tackle was quickly felt around the league, especially by opposing quarterbacks.
Selected to the Pro Bowl in only his second season, Kennedy would go on to rack up 14 quarterback sacks in 1992 and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the AP.
Kennedy played 11 seasons with the Seahawks (1990-2000), and he compiled numerous NFL honors & awards over that span: eight Pro Bowl appearances (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999), three-time First-Team All-Pro (1992, 1993, 1994), named to the NFL 1990’s All-Decade Team, Steve Largent Award (1996). He was also a member of the Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team in 2010.
His #96 jersey was retired in 2012, joining Steve Largent (#80) as the only player to have his number retired by the Seahawks; the #12 was retired to honor Seahawks fans.
He was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012, becoming the second player in the Hall, along with Steve Largent, to have played their entire career with the Seahawks.
Kennedy died on May 23, 2017, in Orlando, Florida. He was 48.
Selected by the Seahawks as the 6th pick in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft, Walter would go on to start every game in which he played as an offensive tackle.
Mike Holmgren called Jones the best offensive player he had ever coached. Teamed with fellow lineman Steve Hutchinson, the left side of the offensive line became an open running lane to the endzone for running back Shaun Alexander’s record-setting success.
Jones gave up a total of only 23 quarterback sacks over his 180 regular-season games, and he compiled many highlights & awards in his 13 seasons with the Seahawks: nine Pro Bowl selections (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008), four-time First-Team All-Pro (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007), NFC Champion (2005). He was also a member of the Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team in 2010.
The Seahawks retired his #71 jersey in 2010, joining Steve Largent (#80) and Cortez Kennedy (#96) as the only player at the time to have his number retired by the team (Kenny Easley’s #45 was also retired by the Seahawks in 2017). The #12 was retired to honor Seahawks fans.
In 2014, Jones was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He joined Steve Largent (enshrined in 1995) and Cortez Kennedy (enshrined in 2012) as the only Seahawks in the Hall to have played their entire pro careers in Seattle.
