Field Gulls
Holmgren served as Seattle’s head coach from 1999-2008, helping the Seahawks to Super Bowl XL during the 2005 season.
Another Seattle Seahawks birthday is upon us: long-time Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren is 77.
Holmgren first arrived in the Pacific Northwest ahead of the 1999 season, being brought in by owner Paul Allen to turn things around after several years in the AFC West basement. From 1989-1998, the Seahawks finished at or under .500 nine times, placing no higher than third in their division during this period.
Around this time, Holmgren was rising through the coaching ranks, serving on the 49ers’ coaching staff between 1986 and 1991, initially working as the quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator. There, Holmgren worked under the likes of Bill Walsh and George Seifert, winning back-to-back Super Bowls along the way.
In 1992, Holmgren was hired as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, working with Brett Favre to bring the Packers back to the playoffs for the first time since the strike-shortened 1982 season. After a series of early exits, Holmgren brought the Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay, winning Super Bowl XXXI during the 1996 season. The Packers defended their NFC Championship the next year, ultimately losing to John Elway and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. Over seven seasons in Green Bay, Holmgren went 75-37 during the regular season and 9-5 in the postseason.
Following the 1998 season, Holmgren resigned from his position with the Packers, accepting an eight-year contract with Seattle. In addition to being named the sixth head coach in Seahawks history, Holmgren was also named as the executive vice president and general manager.
Year one under Holmgren was a success, as Seattle won the AFC West division title for the first time in 11 years. The Seahawks lost to the Dolphins in the wild card round, but the fact that Holmgren was able to snap Seattle’s postseason appearance drought was impressive in its own right. A new era of Seahawks football was on the horizon.
The next three years were rather turbulent, as Seattle started 2-7 in 2000 and 2-6 in 2002 while hovering around the .500 mark for much of ‘01. The ‘Hawks were in need of improvements on both sides of the ball, with the offense managing no more than 23 points per game as the defense gave up over 20 points/game. By 2002, things were looking a bit dicey, as Holmgren’s future in Seattle appeared uncertain.
In Holmgren’s fourth season as head coach, the Seahawks began the year 2-6, a less than ideal start to their return to the NFC. Though the team went 5-3 the rest of the way, the season’s disastrous beginning put a damper on any future progress that was made under Holmgren. During the ensuing off-season, management removed Holmgren from his posts as executive VP and general manager, while keeping him on as head coach heading into 2003.
The ‘03 season saw Seattle go 10-6 during the regular...
