While the Seahawks are well underway in celebrating the 50th season of the franchise, the biggest party is still yet to come.
The Seahawks announced last spring a number of initiatives and plans to celebrate the half-century of playing football in the Pacific Northwest.
But the biggest of those celebrations will happen during the season when the Seahawks host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 5.
That game against the Bucs will be the formal 50th anniversary celebration with both teams wearing throwback uniforms as the two teams were added to the NFL together in 1976. That game will be when the players voted to the Seahawks’ top 50 all-time list will be honored and recognized by the team.
Only five of the top 50 are still actively playing — and Devon Witherspoon is the only one playing for the Seahawks — so a significant portion of the 50 are expected to be in attendance for the event.
While the game against the Bucs is the highlight moment of the 50th anniversary celebrations, the team has other ongoing events and ways to commemorate the season.
The team will wear the 50th anniversary patch on all their jerseys for the season.
There is an exhibit at MoPOP titled, “Seahawks 50: A Legacy in Blue and Green,” which features a look at the evolution of the team’s uniforms since 1976. The exhibit will run through the end of the season.
Fans can purchase a redesigned throwback version of the Seahawks license plate with proceeds benefiting the Seahawks Charitable Foundation.
The team has also launched a community campaign with the goal of “impacting 50 communities” around the Pacific Northwest and beyond. About half of the projects have already started and include girls’ flag football camps in Hawaii, a food pantry restocking and food drive at Washington State University, a food insecurity event in Alaska and taking part in an “American Football Madness” event in Germany.
Tim Booth: Tim Booth is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, where he covers the Kraken and the ongoing story surrounding possible NBA expansion and helps with coverage of the Seahawks and Mariners.