Field Gulls
How will the Seahawks’ 50th season stack up when compared to prior anniversary seasons?
An anniversary season is upon us, and you know what that means: it’s time to dig up the history books and take a trip down memory lane.
As many of you know, the 2025 season will be the 50th season of Seattle Seahawks football. That means 50 years of gridiron battles in the Pacific Northwest, and the countless memories that have been made as a result.
That got me thinking about how this year will compare to the anniversary seasons of years past, which have been anywhere from really good to underwhelming, depending on which season you’re looking at.
Today, we’re looking back on some past anniversary campaigns for our beloved ‘Hawks—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Without further ado, let’s take a look through some of the pages of this big book of records.
Seattle’s decennial season was a bit of a letdown considering what had come right beforehand. Year three of the Chuck Knox era was not as fulfilling as the first two seasons, as the Seahawks missed the postseason after back-to-back wild card berths in 1983 and ‘84.
This season was quite the roller coaster, as Seattle would win the first two games and immediately lose the next two in a row, a trend that persisted for the entire year. The Seahawks’ consistent inconsistency ultimately cost them a shot at a playoff berth, as they proceeded to lose four of their final six games to finish 8-8 following a 6-4 start to the season. During this stretch, Seattle went 1-3 against would-be playoff teams, losing to the 49ers, Raiders, and the eventual AFC champion Patriots.
On the bright side, Steve Largent had perhaps the best year of his 14-year NFL career in his age-31 season, earning All-Pro first-team honors at season’s end. Largent amassed a career-high 1,287 receiving yards in 1985, which would stand as a franchise record until DK Metcalf eclipsed this mark with 1,303 receiving yards 35 years later.
The Seahawks’ 20th season in the NFL served as a small glimmer of hope in a time of darkness for the organization. Seattle had climbed above .500 just once since the team won the 1988 AFC West division title, finishing either last or next to last in the division five times between 1989 and 1994.
After three horrendous years under Tom Flores as head coach (including a franchise-worst 2-14 showing in 1992), the Seahawks hired former University of Miami (FL) head coach Dennis Erickson for 1995. Though the year began poorly at just 2-6, Seattle did not throw in the towel, winning six of the next seven games to improve to 8-7. In the midst of this turnaround, the Seahawks had what was then the largest comeback in franchise history in a Week 15 matchup at Mile...
