The National Football League awards a franchise to the city of Seattle, with the Seahawks set to begin play nearly two years later in 1976
On June 4, 1974, the National Football League awarded a franchise to the city of Seattle, with the newly christened Seahawks scheduled to begin play at the start of the 1976 regular season. As the team enters its 50th year, it is the current defending Super Bowl Champion and has captured two Lombardi Trophies and four NFC Championships in its history. However, it was a long way to that perch for the Seahawks and their fans, and the grass wasn’t always quite so green in the Emerald City.
In those early years, success came in small doses. Under the guidance of inaugural head coach Jack Patera, the expansion franchise endured the growing pains common to new teams, learning difficult lessons while attempting to establish an identity in a league filled with established powers.
The Seahawks quickly earned a reputation for resilience, however, and by the 1980s had become a competitive force behind a passionate fan base that packed the Kingdome and embraced professional football with uncommon enthusiasm.
The franchise’s history would ultimately become a story of perseverance. There were playoff appearances that ended in heartbreak, coaching changes, roster overhauls, and seasons that tested the patience of even the most loyal supporters.
Yet each setback helped lay the foundation for future success. From the hard-hitting defenses of the 1980s to the memorable playoff runs of later decades, Seattle steadily built a culture rooted in toughness, determination, and community pride.
What began as an expansion team awarded to a hopeful city in 1974 eventually evolved into one of the NFL’s most recognizable organizations. The road from league newcomer to championship standard-bearer was neither quick nor easy, but it transformed the Seahawks into a franchise that reflects the spirit of the Pacific Northwest: resilient, ambitious, and unwilling to stay down for long.
