late to this, enjoying all the stories .. grew up on the west coast with an unfortunate detour, as I say when people ask me where I'm "from" -- dad was career CAA/FAA ... similar to a military brat ... several years in elementary school in Bay Area, went to Stanford INDIANS (not Cardinal) games, rooted for the "J'ints" (baseball) and the Bay Area Bombers (roller derby, remember?), wound up in Seattle then Edmonds in 1970 after escaping from Corvallis (go Beavs), rooted for the Sounders, then moved to Auburn in time to watch the inaugural Seahawks games, a few years later discovered I had gone to the same high school as Steve Largent (Putnam City) though not at the same time, that unfortunate detour I mentioned earlier; Oklahoma was a culture shock for a naive west-coaster; found I had attended the same university as Pete Carroll (University of the Pacific) though a few years earlier; and even if I hadn't lived in Puget Sound country, I would have chosen the Seahawks because of the team logo, have been a fan of Native art for years, spent some time in Ketchikan; now fielding questions about how it is to live on Maui
I was born in New York City in the 1950s. I grew up a NY Giants fan mostly because my father, uncle and grandfather were Giants fans. I moved the The San Francisco Bay Area in 1989, but I hated the 49ers, so I remained a Giants fan. In 2015 I moved to Seattle, and I was ambivalent towards the Seahawks at first, but began to pay attention to them mostly through the Seattle Times. As time went by, I became fond on Pete Carroll, as I enjoyed the way he conducted his press conferences, and also his energetic personality. When covid hit, and I was looking for a way to occupy myself beyond reading books, so I began to follow the Seahawks more closely. I was never a big fan of Wilson and when he left, I truly wanted to see the team become better without him. Seeing the hawks win week one against Denver last year clinched it for me and I started to follow the Seahawks more closely. Including the newsletter. I'm not a betting man, but my hope is to see them win the division and make the NFC championship game this year. Then, who knows.... any well coached team is capable of winning any game on any given day.
I was born in the midwest but the family moved to Tacoma when I was about two years old. When I was around 7 or 8 my dad bought me a 49ers uni (my brother got the Vikings) because the Seahawks weren't a thing yet, and the 49ers gear was probably on sale (I think they'd won two games the previous year) so I started my fandom-hood as a 9er booster. In fact my first game was, I believe, the first preseason game in the history of the Seahawks franchise (against...you guessed it...SF). I slowly fell in love with the Seahawks, and remember waiting for the afternoon TNT to arrive on my mom's porch so I could read about training camp and the upcoming season. I went all-in on the Seahawks in 1983, when they drafted Curt Warner. I just knew something magical was happening the moment they drafted him, and they did make their first playoff appearance that year. In fact, KJR ran a trivia-based ticket giveaway for that playoff game (against the Broncos), and I called in every hour, because I knew every answer. Sometimes I'd get a busy signal 30-40 times before someone would finally answer to inform me that I'd missed out. After dozens of missed opportunities, I finally got through, but because the phone rang 20+ times, I'd assumed the person on the other end of the receiver was going to tell me that I'd missed out again. I was surprised when I was suddenly on the air: "KJR, got an answer for me?" I froze for a second and said..."oh, wait...can you repeat the question?" Immediately the voice on the other end replied "Nope!" and hung up on me. My ninth-grade heart was broken. However, I rebounded and ended up seeing lots of games in the Kingdome, including a MNF win against the Raiders. I loved the Wave back in those days; think Kingdome was magical to me. I also attended lots of games at Qwest, including the first playoff game there, a loss to the Rams. Since then, I've seen the Seahawks play I Glendale, Pittsburgh, Charlotte (twice), Munich, and New Jersey (which was kind of a big win over the Broncos). I'm living in the Northeast now, but still read Fieldgulls every day, and I decided that the content that high-quality content produced by Seaside Joe commands compensation, so I became a subscriber. I've got tickets to see the Hawks for the Monday night game out here in October (I'll be joined by my brother and his son), and I look forward to reading all about it here on Seaside Joe.
Live in St. Louis. After the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988, I adopted the Seahawks as my new team originally based on the Silver helmet, and I've been a fan ever since. Rufus Porter was my first favorite player. Was fortunate to see the Hawks in person at CenturyLink once in 2012 (beat the Cardinals 58-0), and several games at the Dome in St. Louis vs the Rams. (Those games didn't go as well as the game in Seattle). Great to read the stories. 12's are everywhere. GO HAWKS!!!
I’m only in Los Angeles, where I catch games at the Backstage Bar ‘n’ Grill Seahawk bar in Culver City. I do want credit for being a Seahawk fan since 1976 in Seattle, through the 1980s while in lived in San Francisco(!), and from the 1990s here in Ram-land. Jim Zorn forever, baby!
Live in New Hampshire now, was in Seattle for 35 years until 2021. Been a Seahawks fan since (1982) before living in Seattle. In fact, since elementary school when I lived in Utah. Seahawks were my first sports love and the only one I really follow.
From Seattle and live on the North Shore of Oahu. Been a fan since the team started and have watched every game other than the ones that were blacked out in the 80's. The one thing I need is season tickets...been on the list forever for seats
I think our chances of a special season are high as well! I had a thought to create a Go Fund Me campaign to help pay for season tickets for my son as the team's "lucky charm"...but mostly as a spoof/joke. I'm also the same guy who thought about creating a Go Fund Me page from the perspective of my beloved Boston Terrier Rudy Blu, asking for support to ensure I never leave the sofa unless I'm letting him outside to lounge by the pool or getting him treats. Definite spoof...and something that's probably already been done by someone far more clever than me...
9 stadiums showing our colors (10 if Kingdome is included which MANY games were attended). Live in Cincy area now, born raised in Bellevue. Fan since 76 - Zorn + Largent = 7. Efren fricking Herrera the funky spunky kicker- that dude had a set for such a tiny guy- would do any trick play against any team.
In attendance at:
LA Raiders in Coliseum
SD Chargers at Jack Murphy
DEN OLD Mile High
Indianapolis
Baltimore
Pittsburgh (that was a hoot let me tell you)
Cincinnati (and again this year)
Met Life for the Superb Owl Champions!!!
Nashville
Forever grateful Paul saved this team. I voted for both the stadiums before moving east but have never attended a game in either. My hope is to do so one day.
I am from Helsinki, Finland. When I was a kid a played ice hockey. I always loved the physicality of the sport. (American) football is physical and tactical. I don't remember when i started watching NFL. Probably somewhere around 2008-2010. It wasn't easy because it wasn't like in regular channels in Finland back then. First it was just Super Bowls but pretty quickly they started broadcasting games in Sport channels. I remember that I was rooting heavily for Seahawks in the Super Bowls. And I was devastated when they didn't run the good damn ball. From then from here the Seahawks have been my team. I can't explain why. Probably they were successful when I started watching the games more. Now I have been watching all the games for years. Because of the time difference I usually watch the games next morning. East coast games I watch live. This December I am going to bring my Seahawks fandom into next phase. We (me, my son and my sons mother) are coming to Seattle for the Eagles game. My spouse is skipping the game though. I am super excited about the game. I hope that the playoff dreams are high when the games is played. This will be our first trip to the west coast of US. I have seen two games live in Metlife Stadium but the teams were blah. If you hear someone speaking language you can't recognize that might be me and my son. Come say hi!
Thank you Kenneth! I really like your writings. I remember you from Fieldgulls but have been regular reader here for just few months. Keep up the good work!
You have mentioned couple of times good Youtube-channels about the X's and O's of the sport. If you could spare my time on trying to find those recommendations from your posts? I would really like to dig in more on tactical side but the amount of videos, podcasts and blogs is just enormous that it is hard to know where to start.
Another Helsinki guy here. Lived in the US three times, for up to 4 years at a time. First in Dallas in 1991-1992. Became a Dallas Cowboys fan. Times were good in the 1990s. Soured as a fan in the early 2000s, became less active. Had been too obsessive, a real super fan, so that was OK. Lived in Santa Monica in 2008, though remained a luke warm Cowboys fan. Lived in Sammamish, WA from 2012 to 2016. Became a hardcore Seahawks fan and a recovered former Cowboys fan. Timing was again perfect. Been to Seattle games in the US and UK, even after moving back to Finland. Brother is a 7 time US football European champion and a former walk on WR at Florida State. But a white boy with 4.5 speed could not make the team.
I grew up in Spokane but didn't care much about football. When the Seahawks went to the Superbowl in 2005, I had no idea they were in the game until the week before.
I joined the Air Force to get out of boring Spokane, but after a few years away I was looking for things to connect me back to my home. I started playing fantasy football in 2010, which forced me to pay attention to the NFL. This combined with the intrigue of the Pete Carrol hire was what finally got invested in the Seattle Seahawks.
I'm currently in Alaska, so not the farthest away. If this question was asked a few years ago maybe I could take the farthest away prize. I was in Japan for the Beastquake, Texas for Superbowl XLVIII, and Turkey for Superbowl XLIX. The last few years I got to watch a few broadcasts from New Zealand and Antarctica.
Quite the travels! I was surprised by a few of the first cities you mentioned, but then blown away by Antarctica! That would have definitely been the farthest, at least to me, without double checking. That's far!
Yes I joined the Air Force to see the world, but never could have imagined it would take me to Antarctica. I was there a little over 2 weeks in 2021, supporting one of the science research facilities. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life, pun intended!
Born in Seattle and raised in Edmonds, my first sports love was Seattle Totems hockey. Anyone remember Guyle Fielder, my hero? I always wanted pro sports to be rooted in Seattle and the Sonics came first, then the Mariners and Seahawks all at once. Those first few years were painful with all the has-been players and the losses. But for the Seahawks, when Jack Patera with Jim Zorn and Steve Largent took the team to 9-7, I was hooked. Been a loyal fan ever since. I have now moved to South Carolina but I never miss a game. Got NFL+ (or Rewind or whatever) so I watch every game without knowing the score beforehand (got to be careful to keep my eyes averted all day). I am so excited with this year's team with all the young and talented players and a new energy reminiscent of 2012!
Aug 15, 2023·edited Aug 15, 2023Liked by Seaside Joe
In 1983 my father followed the NFL games in Mexico and I watched the games with him, I was 7 years old and I was already a fan of Dan Marino's Dolphins. In that season the Seahawks had advanced from the wild card round after beating the Broncos in that game the helmet and the colors of the Seahawks caught my attention. Then the Seahawks would surprisingly beat the Dolphins in the divisional round at the end of that game I became a Seahawks fan. Last season for the first time I saw the team play in Munich against the Buccaneers, before I had only attended a preseason game in Mexico City between the Dolphins and the Broncos. I don't have a visa to travel to the United States so I hope they play in Mexico soon so I can see them again.
Absolutely. Go ‘Hawks!
late to this, enjoying all the stories .. grew up on the west coast with an unfortunate detour, as I say when people ask me where I'm "from" -- dad was career CAA/FAA ... similar to a military brat ... several years in elementary school in Bay Area, went to Stanford INDIANS (not Cardinal) games, rooted for the "J'ints" (baseball) and the Bay Area Bombers (roller derby, remember?), wound up in Seattle then Edmonds in 1970 after escaping from Corvallis (go Beavs), rooted for the Sounders, then moved to Auburn in time to watch the inaugural Seahawks games, a few years later discovered I had gone to the same high school as Steve Largent (Putnam City) though not at the same time, that unfortunate detour I mentioned earlier; Oklahoma was a culture shock for a naive west-coaster; found I had attended the same university as Pete Carroll (University of the Pacific) though a few years earlier; and even if I hadn't lived in Puget Sound country, I would have chosen the Seahawks because of the team logo, have been a fan of Native art for years, spent some time in Ketchikan; now fielding questions about how it is to live on Maui
I was born in New York City in the 1950s. I grew up a NY Giants fan mostly because my father, uncle and grandfather were Giants fans. I moved the The San Francisco Bay Area in 1989, but I hated the 49ers, so I remained a Giants fan. In 2015 I moved to Seattle, and I was ambivalent towards the Seahawks at first, but began to pay attention to them mostly through the Seattle Times. As time went by, I became fond on Pete Carroll, as I enjoyed the way he conducted his press conferences, and also his energetic personality. When covid hit, and I was looking for a way to occupy myself beyond reading books, so I began to follow the Seahawks more closely. I was never a big fan of Wilson and when he left, I truly wanted to see the team become better without him. Seeing the hawks win week one against Denver last year clinched it for me and I started to follow the Seahawks more closely. Including the newsletter. I'm not a betting man, but my hope is to see them win the division and make the NFC championship game this year. Then, who knows.... any well coached team is capable of winning any game on any given day.
I was born in the midwest but the family moved to Tacoma when I was about two years old. When I was around 7 or 8 my dad bought me a 49ers uni (my brother got the Vikings) because the Seahawks weren't a thing yet, and the 49ers gear was probably on sale (I think they'd won two games the previous year) so I started my fandom-hood as a 9er booster. In fact my first game was, I believe, the first preseason game in the history of the Seahawks franchise (against...you guessed it...SF). I slowly fell in love with the Seahawks, and remember waiting for the afternoon TNT to arrive on my mom's porch so I could read about training camp and the upcoming season. I went all-in on the Seahawks in 1983, when they drafted Curt Warner. I just knew something magical was happening the moment they drafted him, and they did make their first playoff appearance that year. In fact, KJR ran a trivia-based ticket giveaway for that playoff game (against the Broncos), and I called in every hour, because I knew every answer. Sometimes I'd get a busy signal 30-40 times before someone would finally answer to inform me that I'd missed out. After dozens of missed opportunities, I finally got through, but because the phone rang 20+ times, I'd assumed the person on the other end of the receiver was going to tell me that I'd missed out again. I was surprised when I was suddenly on the air: "KJR, got an answer for me?" I froze for a second and said..."oh, wait...can you repeat the question?" Immediately the voice on the other end replied "Nope!" and hung up on me. My ninth-grade heart was broken. However, I rebounded and ended up seeing lots of games in the Kingdome, including a MNF win against the Raiders. I loved the Wave back in those days; think Kingdome was magical to me. I also attended lots of games at Qwest, including the first playoff game there, a loss to the Rams. Since then, I've seen the Seahawks play I Glendale, Pittsburgh, Charlotte (twice), Munich, and New Jersey (which was kind of a big win over the Broncos). I'm living in the Northeast now, but still read Fieldgulls every day, and I decided that the content that high-quality content produced by Seaside Joe commands compensation, so I became a subscriber. I've got tickets to see the Hawks for the Monday night game out here in October (I'll be joined by my brother and his son), and I look forward to reading all about it here on Seaside Joe.
pardon my typos - I didn't proof read it before hitting the 'post' button
Live in St. Louis. After the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988, I adopted the Seahawks as my new team originally based on the Silver helmet, and I've been a fan ever since. Rufus Porter was my first favorite player. Was fortunate to see the Hawks in person at CenturyLink once in 2012 (beat the Cardinals 58-0), and several games at the Dome in St. Louis vs the Rams. (Those games didn't go as well as the game in Seattle). Great to read the stories. 12's are everywhere. GO HAWKS!!!
that Cardinal game OMG that was unbelievable, I watched it on TV and my friend and I just kept looking at each other stunned as it got out of hand
I’m only in Los Angeles, where I catch games at the Backstage Bar ‘n’ Grill Seahawk bar in Culver City. I do want credit for being a Seahawk fan since 1976 in Seattle, through the 1980s while in lived in San Francisco(!), and from the 1990s here in Ram-land. Jim Zorn forever, baby!
Live in New Hampshire now, was in Seattle for 35 years until 2021. Been a Seahawks fan since (1982) before living in Seattle. In fact, since elementary school when I lived in Utah. Seahawks were my first sports love and the only one I really follow.
I've always wondered, what's the origin story of PlasmaDragon name?
From Seattle and live on the North Shore of Oahu. Been a fan since the team started and have watched every game other than the ones that were blacked out in the 80's. The one thing I need is season tickets...been on the list forever for seats
I hope you get them soon!
I think our chances of a special season are high as well! I had a thought to create a Go Fund Me campaign to help pay for season tickets for my son as the team's "lucky charm"...but mostly as a spoof/joke. I'm also the same guy who thought about creating a Go Fund Me page from the perspective of my beloved Boston Terrier Rudy Blu, asking for support to ensure I never leave the sofa unless I'm letting him outside to lounge by the pool or getting him treats. Definite spoof...and something that's probably already been done by someone far more clever than me...
so you're going to cheer for Kyu Blue Kelly, right?
Late to this due to vacation.
9 stadiums showing our colors (10 if Kingdome is included which MANY games were attended). Live in Cincy area now, born raised in Bellevue. Fan since 76 - Zorn + Largent = 7. Efren fricking Herrera the funky spunky kicker- that dude had a set for such a tiny guy- would do any trick play against any team.
In attendance at:
LA Raiders in Coliseum
SD Chargers at Jack Murphy
DEN OLD Mile High
Indianapolis
Baltimore
Pittsburgh (that was a hoot let me tell you)
Cincinnati (and again this year)
Met Life for the Superb Owl Champions!!!
Nashville
Forever grateful Paul saved this team. I voted for both the stadiums before moving east but have never attended a game in either. My hope is to do so one day.
Never too late, Mark, thanks for sharing! Another Bellevue native, like myself.
Interlake here- you? I'm juuuust a tad older than you are I'm sure..
LOL
Ha! Spoken like NW guy! We are still going strong…new live album and tour this fall…Sunday football on the bus with the boys is the best!
Much like your upcoming concerts, that news is awesome to hear!
I am from Helsinki, Finland. When I was a kid a played ice hockey. I always loved the physicality of the sport. (American) football is physical and tactical. I don't remember when i started watching NFL. Probably somewhere around 2008-2010. It wasn't easy because it wasn't like in regular channels in Finland back then. First it was just Super Bowls but pretty quickly they started broadcasting games in Sport channels. I remember that I was rooting heavily for Seahawks in the Super Bowls. And I was devastated when they didn't run the good damn ball. From then from here the Seahawks have been my team. I can't explain why. Probably they were successful when I started watching the games more. Now I have been watching all the games for years. Because of the time difference I usually watch the games next morning. East coast games I watch live. This December I am going to bring my Seahawks fandom into next phase. We (me, my son and my sons mother) are coming to Seattle for the Eagles game. My spouse is skipping the game though. I am super excited about the game. I hope that the playoff dreams are high when the games is played. This will be our first trip to the west coast of US. I have seen two games live in Metlife Stadium but the teams were blah. If you hear someone speaking language you can't recognize that might be me and my son. Come say hi!
mita kuulu ... used to dance in a Finnish folk group
Hello to Helsinki! That's an awesome story, thanks for sharing Tomi. I sent you 30 days of bonus content to check out for free, I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you Kenneth! I really like your writings. I remember you from Fieldgulls but have been regular reader here for just few months. Keep up the good work!
You have mentioned couple of times good Youtube-channels about the X's and O's of the sport. If you could spare my time on trying to find those recommendations from your posts? I would really like to dig in more on tactical side but the amount of videos, podcasts and blogs is just enormous that it is hard to know where to start.
Another Helsinki guy here. Lived in the US three times, for up to 4 years at a time. First in Dallas in 1991-1992. Became a Dallas Cowboys fan. Times were good in the 1990s. Soured as a fan in the early 2000s, became less active. Had been too obsessive, a real super fan, so that was OK. Lived in Santa Monica in 2008, though remained a luke warm Cowboys fan. Lived in Sammamish, WA from 2012 to 2016. Became a hardcore Seahawks fan and a recovered former Cowboys fan. Timing was again perfect. Been to Seattle games in the US and UK, even after moving back to Finland. Brother is a 7 time US football European champion and a former walk on WR at Florida State. But a white boy with 4.5 speed could not make the team.
I grew up in Spokane but didn't care much about football. When the Seahawks went to the Superbowl in 2005, I had no idea they were in the game until the week before.
I joined the Air Force to get out of boring Spokane, but after a few years away I was looking for things to connect me back to my home. I started playing fantasy football in 2010, which forced me to pay attention to the NFL. This combined with the intrigue of the Pete Carrol hire was what finally got invested in the Seattle Seahawks.
I'm currently in Alaska, so not the farthest away. If this question was asked a few years ago maybe I could take the farthest away prize. I was in Japan for the Beastquake, Texas for Superbowl XLVIII, and Turkey for Superbowl XLIX. The last few years I got to watch a few broadcasts from New Zealand and Antarctica.
Quite the travels! I was surprised by a few of the first cities you mentioned, but then blown away by Antarctica! That would have definitely been the farthest, at least to me, without double checking. That's far!
Yes I joined the Air Force to see the world, but never could have imagined it would take me to Antarctica. I was there a little over 2 weeks in 2021, supporting one of the science research facilities. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life, pun intended!
Born in Seattle and raised in Edmonds, my first sports love was Seattle Totems hockey. Anyone remember Guyle Fielder, my hero? I always wanted pro sports to be rooted in Seattle and the Sonics came first, then the Mariners and Seahawks all at once. Those first few years were painful with all the has-been players and the losses. But for the Seahawks, when Jack Patera with Jim Zorn and Steve Largent took the team to 9-7, I was hooked. Been a loyal fan ever since. I have now moved to South Carolina but I never miss a game. Got NFL+ (or Rewind or whatever) so I watch every game without knowing the score beforehand (got to be careful to keep my eyes averted all day). I am so excited with this year's team with all the young and talented players and a new energy reminiscent of 2012!
Thanks for sharing, Ronald! I was born in Edmonds and raised in Bellevue. But moved back to Edmonds area after college for a couple of years.
In 1983 my father followed the NFL games in Mexico and I watched the games with him, I was 7 years old and I was already a fan of Dan Marino's Dolphins. In that season the Seahawks had advanced from the wild card round after beating the Broncos in that game the helmet and the colors of the Seahawks caught my attention. Then the Seahawks would surprisingly beat the Dolphins in the divisional round at the end of that game I became a Seahawks fan. Last season for the first time I saw the team play in Munich against the Buccaneers, before I had only attended a preseason game in Mexico City between the Dolphins and the Broncos. I don't have a visa to travel to the United States so I hope they play in Mexico soon so I can see them again.
Glad you got to go see a game in person, Rene!
I thought I would go ahead & slip this in before Doug thinks of it:
https://youtu.be/Vlx6gQWfjp0
...and no, that movie could not likely be made today.