Hours before the Seattle Seahawks brought the Lombardi Trophy home to Lumen Field Tuesday morning, a sea of 12’s dressed in blue and green flocked to downtown Seattle – many with no ticket in hand for the trophy ceremony held inside the stadium.
They came for a different reason – pride, faith, and loyalty to the team, and also the chance to celebrate the franchise’s Super Bowl LX victory with a raucous parade and rally.
“The defense is awesome, the dark side is just the best, bro,” Seahawk fan Terry said in the dark morning hours before the official ceremony started. “And I was super excited that we did it in San Francisco – what a great place to win the Super Bowl.”
Others, like Tim, were more focused on avoiding a parking spot duel with the close to one million fans expected to show up in the city by car, bus, and train.
“I’m trying to go up and get a seat somewhere nice,” Tim said. “Anywhere along the route would be great to see the parade.”
Players, coaches take stage for trophy ceremony
The trophy ceremony began at 10 a.m. at Lumen Field, where players and coaches took the stage to cheers from the crowd, still buzzing from Seattle’s 29-13 win over the New England Patriots. Quarterback Sam Darnold and linebacker Ernest Jones IV were among those addressing fans, thanking the city for its support and calling the championship a shared accomplishment.
Former players also took active roles in the ceremony and later jumped on one of the more than a dozen vehicles for the ride.
“It’s pretty cool,” former quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said, who led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl in 2005. “I wish we could have done it three times, but it’s still pretty cool.”
Former defensive end Cliff Avril was part of the last Super Bowl-winning team against the Denver Broncos.
“I’m excited for the guys,” Avril said. “I love to see great players do great things, and if you’re doing it for the city of Seattle, I’m happy and I’m excited and we’re world champs.”
Finally, clutching the trophy, Coach Mike MacDonald said to a cluster of reporters outside the military Humvee he would ride in, “It’s in the right city … to understand what it takes to get to this point, the whole city, all of our community, all of our fans, our whole organization, Jody, all of our players, faith, the hard work, the courage, the toughness … I mean, all of it coming together for one purpose is the power of what you can do when you do it together.”
Parade transforms downtown into sea of blue and green
By 11 a.m., the celebration spilled into the streets. The parade traveled north along Fourth Avenue from Lumen Field toward Cedar Street near the Space Needle, transforming downtown into a two-mile corridor of cheering fans.
12’s stood 10, 20, and sometimes 30 people deep while others climbed lampposts, trashcans, street signs, or a pair of shoulders to get a glimpse of the shiny, silver championship hardware and, of course, their favorite players.
“Grey Zabell … rookie and offensive rookie of the year in my opinion,” one fan said.
“I’m picking Kenneth Walker because he’s handsome and he gets it done,” another explained.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the guys, just seeing them smiling and celebrating,” Anthony said, after driving some two hours from Skagit County. “I want to see a Marshawn Lynch moment, I want to see a bottle of Hennessy go down or something.”
For many fans, the parade was more than a victory lap. Families dressed toddlers in miniature jerseys. Longtime season ticket holders wiped away tears. Students debated skipping school to witness what some called a once-in-a-lifetime moment, especially after the Seahawks evened their Super Bowl score with the Patriots.
“We have waited eleven years for this moment,” Matt said. “Revenge is sweet, that’s all I’m going to say, that’s it.”
His friend, Jason, joined in and added, “Revenge is sweet, and redemption is amazing … what a feeling – redemption, redemption, redemption.”
As the line of military troop carriers, SUVs, and double-decker buses cleared the route and streets gradually reopened, fans lingered downtown, continuing the celebration in nearby bars, restaurants, and public plazas. The Lombardi Trophy may have been the centerpiece, but Tuesday’s parade underscored something broader: a city united.
Long after the confetti settled, the chant, “SEA… HAWK!” still carried through downtown Seattle. It was a reminder that, for at least one morning, the Seahawks and their fans shared the same stage.
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