In July of this year I was going through all my basement-filling boxes of "old stuff" in order to cull items to sell at our (incredibly lucrative, it turned out) yard sale. I happened across several things I thought my pals at 12 Seahawks Street might find interesting.
Think back to January, 1987. What were you doing? Personally, I was in a 10 year-old beginning the second half of fifth grade. My family had moved from Hawaii to Washington the previous summer, and I almost immediately became a Seahawks fanatic. Living in Hawaii I never had much exposure to NFL football--the Raiders (gag!) were my favorite team only because they were the team the Hawaii media covered the most. When we moved here to the beautiful Walla Walla valley I discovered the Seahawks, and I had a new favorite team.
I had no idea I was such a dedicated young fan until I found these. The first item, pictured above, was actually from the Fall of '87, when I began sixth grade. Our task, as well as I can recall from 18 years ago, was to draw some sort of character and make flaps on its chest which transformed it into a kind of booklet with the text inside detailing our first day of sixth grade. I of course drew my hero, Steve Largent. The text inside has nothing to do with Largent or the Seahawks, but I thought some of you might like to see my sixth grade handiwork.
Your honors, the next exhibit is a letter I wrote to the Seahawks in 1987. I cannot recall any of the circumstances surrounding this assignment, but the results remain to this day. This was apparently assigned shortly after the Hawks' heartbreaking playoff loss to the Houston Oilers. I guess I took it pretty hard, though even in my young age my trademark "silver lining" attitude was in full effect... Here's what I wrote:
"Dear Steve Largent and Brian Bozworth [sic]:
"Thank you for getting to the playoffs even though you lost to Houston. Alonzo Highsmith was really the reason they won!
"You did pretty good with 26 seconds remaining, Steve, when you caught that touchdown pass.
"Tell Fredd Young he could have blocked the field goal in overtime.
"Yours Truly,
[Citizen K]
"P.S.
I love the Seahawks"
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I'd be interested in hearing any of your stories about your earliest Old School Seahawk memories... I'm sure some of you have been fans since the beginning--it would be especially interested to hear your stories.
-CitK.
Honestly, I dont have one, as I didnt follow football too much until the late 90s...
ReplyDeleteI used to like SF, since they were the mainstream team in the early 90s...then when I started following, I liked Elway and the Broncos along with the Seahawks
I only replied, because I thought that was awesome and shows true dedication to a team all those years (not to make anyone sound old)...it gives me hope that when im in my mid-30s, ill still be following these teams with the same dedication (Mariners, Sonics, Seahawks)
Well, I see your artistic design skills were very well developed at an early age, my twin brother from a different mother! Nice work, dude!
ReplyDeleteI have two "old school" memories. My first one being when I was in early elementary school, and I got to be Seahawks' Mascot of the Week. They gave me the royal (Brougham) treatment, and I got to a) go into the locker room before the game; b) go into the press box -- and meet, though I was too young to appreciate it then, Pete Gross; c) go out on the field during warmups and chat with a few players -- Dr. Dan Doornink being one I chatted with most, and I recall hi-5-ing my two heroes, Zorn & Largent, and d) having my picture taken and shown on the Kingdome big screen. My dad shot it with his 110, IIRC, and I think the picture is still in one of the photo albums at my folks' house. Needless to say, I was pretty young, and it was quite some time ago, but it still was an incredible experience.
My second "old school" 'Hawks memory was going to the opening of the then-new training facility in Kirkland. That was several years later, and, having been older, I still recall meeting Dave Krieg and a few other more obscure names in Seahawks' history. But the thing I remember the most was that they were giving out free hot dogs and pop, and I kept going back for more. I must've eaten 15-20 hot dogs that day, in spite of their cooking standards being, well, worse than Jack-in-the-Box's. I was sick for, like 3 weeks afterwards, and have a really, really hard time eating hot dogs to this day. Tough to admit that, being a baseball fan and all...
I waned in my interest for the 'Hawks when baseball took over in jr. high. But in my younger days, I certainly have fond memories of the days of Sam McCullum, Dr. Dan, Daryl "Drop 'em" Turner (must be the #81 thing), and Sherman Smith. I'm picking things back up, though, and I really, really like this team. Hass' has almost reached the same ranks of PositivePaul's favor as Zorn (my fave Seahawk, ever), Largent, Easley, Dr. Dan and Jacob Green.
Old? In 1987 I was four years out of college for crissakes!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt was also the year that I pulled off my most bold football maneuver ever, which unfortunately had nothing to do with the Seahawks.
I met this chick at happy hour and we discovered that we were both football fans. It was a Monday night, and she suggested that we go to her place to watch the game. Things had been going well up to this point, but as I said, we had just met.
When we got to her apartment, she excused herself to go to the bathroom, and I was sitting on her couch, watching the pre-game, wondering how the evening was going to unfold.
I'm not sure where the idea came from, and I'm sure the two-for-one drinks at happy hour helped convince me it was a good one, so I decided to strip naked while she was in the bathroom and see what her reaction would be!
A few minutes later she walks out of the bathroom to find me sitting there in my birthday suit. She stopped dead in her tracks like a deer in headlights, paused for a moment, got a sly grin, and quickly joined me in enjoying the game "al fresco"!
Needless to say I don't recall much about that Monday night contest, except to say that I remember there were frequent and prolonged scoring drives, both sides found themselves on top at points, and there were a few infraction for illegal use of hands!!!
Not as exciting, but if you're interested in how I became a Seahawks fan as a native New Yorker, check out the story in my Profile page.
Posted by alba
I went to my first Seahawks game when I was nine years old, and just beginning to "get it" about football - you know, that age when you're just getting familiar with the rules.
ReplyDeleteI remember playing football in the yard with my brothers, and my next older brother got tackled. Not understanding the concept of "down by contact" yet, I would just wait for my other brothers to get off of him, then I would just run up and kick him and jump on him. He would end up crying, and my other brothers got all pissed at me, saying he's already down.
Then there was the time that I got in an argument with my next older brother after I scored two touchdowns in a row - since he didn't tackle me when I scored the first touchdown, going past the imaginary line between two trees, I ran back out, and then back in to the end zone again and counted another touchdown. That didn't end well, either.
When I was this age I was obviously pretty much football stupid, and I was very enamored with the Dallas Cowboys, verifying the prognosis. I used to watch them every Sunday with my dad, whose home town is just north of Dallas, in Fort Worth. To this day I fondly recall the team of Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Randy White, and the fullback with 44 inch thighs, Robert Newhouse.
But then one day, Dallas played Seattle. Dad and I rooted for the 'Boys. By next older brother picked the Seahawks. It was a hotly contested living room. Dallas kicked their butts as I recall, and by brother was seriously depressed (which was great).
As the game progressed, however, I really began to notice the Seahawks - I'm not sure what it was, their underdog status, the fact that they were local, or maybe it was because of all the stunts they would pull - but I fell in love with that team, then and there. I didn't like the Cowboys anymore, The Seahawks became my team. No way I would admit it at the moment, because I just got one over on my brother (nyah, nyah, nyah-nyah, nyah) and I was a big suckup with dad. I acted like I was all happy about the Cowboys winning, but it was a lie.
I still had some trouble with being stupid, though. When we were getting ready to go to my first game (1979, I think) in the Kingdome, I heard we were playing the Broncos. My mom, who doesn't understand sports any more than she understands a gasoline engine, bought me a present from a yard sale that week - a Broncos jersey.
With #12 on it, no less.
Well, as young and dumb as I was, since the Broncos were playing, I put the jersey on under my coat before we headed to Seattle for the game. Needless to say, my brother freaked out at a rest stop in Ellensburg. My dad laughed, but my brother was convinced I would get our asses kicked.
Suddenly realizing what a turncoat I was, I kept my coat zipped up the whole damn day.
My mom got an earful when we got home. Something about 66,000 screaming Bronco haters, a bright orange enemy jersey, and a vivid imagination can make a nine year old kid in the kingdome more nervous than a sheep in Missouri.
BTW, good news, my dad became a convert, too, but not until the Chuck Knox era.
Unless he wouldn't admit it, either.
Posted by Bluefoot
It's funny, growing up in Seattle the Seahawks were clearly my third favorite team. The Sonics were both good and my dad's favorite team, while the Mariners had my just called up my favorite player, Ken Griffey Jr. I remember hoping and praying that somehow, someway, the Seahawks would get Drew Bledsoe instead of Rick Mirer, the first of many disappointments I'd feel as a Seahawk fan. I would always watch the Seahawk games (well, the few that weren't blacked out), and almost always would be reduced to tears by the losses. My connection to the team has gotten a lot stronger since I moved to New York, since as the only Hawks fan I know in this neck of the woods, I have to wear my Hasselbeck jersey with pride to bars every Sunday and put up with the parade of people asking me about how Alexander, Hass, DJack, or whomever are doing (for fantasy football purposes).
ReplyDeletePosted by Zach
Zach - what part of NY are you in?
ReplyDeletePosted by alba
Zach - looked for you on our 12SS map and couldn't find you either. Click the map icon under the Contributor list, or this link , and represent your area of the Empire State!
ReplyDeletePosted by alba
My earliest Seahawks memory was a game against Houston. I believe the game was tied, and they sent Jack del Rio or whoever their kicker was out to attempt a field goal. The announcer said about 8,000 times in 20 seconds "del Rio has NEVER had a field goal blocked!"
ReplyDeleteWe blocked it, recovered it and scored a touchdown to win. I went nuts. My parents still look at me with the same look of disbelief today. They don't understand how someone can get so wrapped up in a game.
obviously you get so wrapped up due to your incredible "drive"!
ReplyDeletePosted by alba
I am on the map, but under Sportszilla (the name of my blog). And I'm happily in New York City.
ReplyDeletePosted by Zach
First, excellent rendition of Largent, glad he lost weight and finally got his teeth fixed, a guy can't get elected with chompers like that, he honestly looks like a local here in SC...
ReplyDeleteI don't really have a *memory* of the Seahawks, I don't remember any particular play, I never went to a game while living in-state, no training camp, nothing like that. We just watched them on TV (when available), and my dad hated Dave Kreig. Still does I think. He calls me a couple times a season just after the game if they choke. Last year my dad was here in SC and we went to a friend of mines house who has Sunday Ticket and we lost, and my father just sat there and looked at me... man I hate that guy. LOL. He is what I would call a *typical* Hawks fan, watches them but is so numb to chokes that he actually looks forward to them so he can bitch about it...
One memory I have is in the early-mid eighties the WS was on on a Sunday, as were the Hawks. My stepmom really loved baseball, so we had to jump back and forth between the Hawks and baseball. That sucked. Don't remember who was in the WS or who the Hawks played.
I had a Raider-Busters t-shirt at one point.
Posted by JoSCh