List of Seattle Seahawks seasons

View of Lumen Field during a Seattle Seahawks football game from the stands, overlooking a large American flag covering half of the field, on a cloudy day
The Seattle Seahawks have played their home games at Lumen Field in Seattle since it opened in 2002

The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington, that play in the National Football League (NFL). The team entered the league in 1976 as an expansion franchise and played their home games at the Kingdome until 2000.[1] Their new stadium, now named Lumen Field, opened at the same site in 2002 south of Downtown Seattle and has 68,740 seats in its football configuration;[2][3] the stadium is renowned for its fan atmosphere and has set records for crowd noise.[4][5] The Seahawks were originally a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) in their inaugural season, but switched to the American Football Conference (AFC) the following year and played in the West division for 25 seasons, where they won two titles.[6][7] The team rejoined the NFC in the 2002 season as a member of the West division and have since had more success than their division rivals with nine titles and regular appearances in the NFL playoffs.[6] The Seahawks won three NFC Championships between 2005 and 2015 and won their first Super Bowl championship in 2013.[8][9] They are the only team to have played in both the AFC and NFC Championship Games.[10] The team's ownership group was led by the Nordstrom family from 1976 until 1988, when it was sold to real estate developer Ken Behring. His attempt to relocate the Seahawks to the Los Angeles area in 1996 was unsuccessful, as were early attempts to build a successor to the Kingdome.[11] Behring sold the team in 1997 to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who remained owner until his death in 2018;[12] the Paul G. Allen Trust, managed by Jody Allen, has since retained ownership of the Seahawks.[13]

Seattle and fellow 1976 expansion team Tampa Bay Buccaneers played an unusual non-division schedule for their first two seasons, which included switching conferences. In their first seven years under head coach Jack Patera, the Seahawks had two seasons with winning records and failed to make the playoffs, falling short by one game during the 1978 season as he was named NFL Coach of the Year.[6][14] Patera was fired during the strike-shortened 1982 season and replaced on an interim basis by Mike McCormack for seven games.[14][15] The Seahawks earned their first playoff berth as a wild card team in 1983 as Chuck Knox coached the team to a 9–7 record; the team earned an upset victory on the road against the Miami Dolphins and advanced to the AFC Championship, where they lost to the Los Angeles Raiders, a division rival.[6][16] Knox coached the team through their most successful years in the AFC West as they qualified for the playoffs as wild cards in 1984 and 1987 and clinched their first division title in 1988.[16][17] He resigned in 1991 after three consecutive seasons without a playoff berth and was replaced by team president and general manager Tom Flores, who was head coach from 1992 to 1994.[18] Flores led the team to a 2–14 record in the 1992 season—the franchise's worst finish—with only 140 points scored by the offense, an NFL record low for a team playing 16 games.[19] He was followed by Dennis Erickson, who coached the team for four seasons and failed to finish with a winning record and fell short of a playoff berth in 1998, shortly before he was fired.[20][21]

Allen hired Green Bay Packers coach Mike Holmgren ahead of the 1999 season, which the Seahawks ended with an AFC West division title as they broke the longest active playoff drought in the league.[22] The team lost in the Wild Card round to the Miami Dolphins in their final AFC playoffs game, after which Seattle would not clinch a playoff berth until they rejoined the NFC.[23] The Seahawks earned their first NFC playoff berth in 2003 as a wild card team;[16] it was then followed by four consecutive NFC West division titles.[6] The run included their first Super Bowl appearance in 2005, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers; the year also marked Seattle's first playoff wins since 1984.[23][24] Running back Shaun Alexander was also named the NFL Most Valuable Player, the first in franchise history.[25] Holmgren left at the end of his ten-season contract after the Seahawks failed to earn a playoff berth in the 2008 season and was replaced by Jim L. Mora, who finished with a 5–11 record and was fired after one season.[23][26] Pete Carroll was hired in January 2010 and began his tenure with an NFC West division title despite a losing 7–9 record, a first in NFL history, and included consecutive Super Bowl appearances:[27] a win against the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl XLVIII in 2013 and a loss to the New England Patriots at Super Bowl XLIX in 2014.[23][28] The Seahawks won five division titles and made ten playoff appearances in fourteen seasons under Carroll from 2010 to 2023.[29][30]

As of the end of the 2023 season, the Seahawks have an all-time record of 392 wins, 366 losses, and 1 tie in the regular season, with an additional 17 wins and 19 losses in the playoffs.[2][8] The team has had 27 winning seasons, 18 losing seasons, and four seasons tied at 8–8.[8] After decades of losing seasons, the Seahawks reached an overall .500 franchise record late in the 2015 season by winning their 625th regular season game.[31][32] The Seahawks are one of three modern men's major league teams in the Seattle area to have an overall winning record, alongside the Seattle SuperSonics (who relocated in 2008)[33] and Seattle Sounders FC, who moved to Major League Soccer in 2009.[34] On October 23, 2016, the Seahawks played the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium to a 6–6 result, the first tied game in franchise history.[35]

  1. ^ Craighead, Callie; Arthur, Ben (March 28, 2021). "Gone but not forgotten: 21 years ago, Seattle said goodbye to the Kingdome". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Seattle Seahawks". NFL Team Histories. National Football League. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  3. ^ Cagle, Ellen; Lott, Ellen (August 24, 2023). "Lumen Field named one of NFL's top 5 venues in new ranking". Puget Sound Business Journal. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  4. ^ Condotta, Bob (January 9, 2014). "Seahawks' secret weapon: the home-field advantage at CenturyLink". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  5. ^ Gola, Hank (January 9, 2014). "The art of noise in Seattle: Seahawks' 12th man helps create NFL's biggest home-field advantage". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e Dugar, Michael-Shawn (September 29, 2022). "What Seahawks lost, gained in AFC-to-NFC move in NFL realignment 20 years ago". The Athletic. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  7. ^ Cour, Jim (May 23, 2001). "Seahawks head to NFC West". Kitsap Sun. Associated Press. p. C1. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c "Seattle Seahawks Franchise Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "Seattle Seahawks Playoff History". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  10. ^ Guevara, Natalie (December 5, 2019). "This day in history: Seahawks franchise (sort of) begins, now 45 years old". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  11. ^ Boling, Dave (August 25, 2023). "Fans bear cost of poor leaders". The Spokesman-Review. pp. B1, B5. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  12. ^ Jenks, Jayson (October 22, 2018). "The Seahawks' reluctant savior: How Paul Allen kept the NFL in Seattle". The Athletic. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  13. ^ Bell, Gregg (June 4, 2023). "Vulcan spokesman reiterates Seahawks likely to be sold by Allen estate within 10-20 years". The News Tribune. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Condotta, Bob (October 31, 2018). "Jack Patera, first coach of Seahawks, dies at age 85". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  15. ^ Attner, Paul (December 4, 1983). "Seahawks See Knox's Light, Rise to Challenge Cowboys". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c Condotta, Bob (January 6, 2016). "Looking back at the Seahawks' wild-card history". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  17. ^ Condotta, Bob (May 13, 2018). "Legendary Seahawks coach Chuck Knox dies at age 86". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  18. ^ "'Hawks need 'new direction'". The Bellingham Herald. December 30, 1994. p. D1. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Farnsworth, Clare (September 3, 1994). "After three years, Hawks finally Flores' team". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. D1.
  20. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (February 11, 2003). "The search is over: 49ers hire Erickson as head coach". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  21. ^ Barron, Chris (December 29, 1998). "Hawks sack Erickson". Kitsap Sun. p. C1. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  22. ^ "Seattle ends long playoff drought". ESPN. Associated Press. January 2, 2000. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  23. ^ Bishop, Greg (January 6, 2008). "Seahawks beat Redskins in NFL playoff". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  24. ^ Romero, José Miguel (January 6, 2006). "Alexander is first Seahawk to receive MVP honor". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  25. ^ O'Neil, Danny (January 12, 2010). "Seahawks hit reset, hire Pete Carroll as coach, vice president". The Seattle Times. p. C2. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  26. ^ Condotta, Bob (November 8, 2020). "Pete Carroll signs contract to stay with Seahawks through 2025 season". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  27. ^ Klein, Gary (February 1, 2014). "For Pete Carroll, road from USC to Super Bowl was natural progression". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  28. ^ Booth, Tim (January 10, 2024). "Pete Carroll is out as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks after 14 seasons". The Denver Post. Associated Press. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  29. ^ Condotta, Bob (January 9, 2023). "Seahawks happy to be in playoffs but had 'higher expectations' for regular season". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  30. ^ Boling, Dave (December 6, 2015). "A long time coming, but Hawks near .500". The News Tribune. p. C8. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  31. ^ "5 fun facts about Seahawks win over Ravens". KING 5 News. December 13, 2015. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  32. ^ Stephens, Michael (June 3, 2018). "Further Review: Seattle SuperSonics". The Spokesman-Review. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  33. ^ "Seattle Sounders FC Stats and History". FBref. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  34. ^ Booth, Tim (October 24, 2016). "Seahawks left with mixed feelings after unlikely tie". The Columbian. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2023.