Editing Seattle Seahawks (section)

===Nordstrom / Sarkowsky era (1976–1988)===
As per one of the agreed parts of the 1970 [[AFL–NFL merger]], the NFL began planning to expand from 26 to 28 teams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1961-1970|title=NFL History: 1961–1970|website=[[NFL.com]] |access-date=September 8, 2013|archive-date=February 5, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205052436/http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1961-1970|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 1972, Seattle Professional Football Inc., a group of Seattle business and community leaders, announced their intention to acquire an NFL franchise for the city of Seattle.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/sports2day/273934_look15.html |title=Look Back |work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |date=June 14, 2006 |access-date=August 10, 2013}}</ref> In June 1974, the NFL gave the city an expansion franchise.<ref name="founding">{{cite news|last=Farnsworth|first=Clare|title=ON THIS DATE: FIRST STEP TOWARD SECURING SEAHAWKS TAKEN|url=http://blog.seahawks.com/2013/06/15/on-this-date-first-step-toward-securing-seahawks-taken/|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=Seahawks.com|date=June 15, 2013|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701001324/http://blog.seahawks.com/2013/06/15/on-this-date-first-step-toward-securing-seahawks-taken/|url-status=live}}</ref> That December, NFL Commissioner [[Pete Rozelle]] announced the official signing of the franchise agreement by Lloyd W. Nordstrom, representing the [[Nordstrom]] family as majority partners for the consortium.<ref>{{cite web|title=BUCS AND SEAHAWKS JOINED NFL IN '76|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/news/bucs-and-seahawks-joined-nfl-in-76/|publisher=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]|date=January 1, 2005|access-date=March 17, 2016}}</ref>

In March 1975, [[John Thompson (American football executive)|John Thompson]], former executive director of the [[National Football League Management Council|NFL Management Council]] and a former [[Washington Huskies]] executive, was hired as the general manager of the new team. The name ''Seattle Seahawks'' ("seahawk" is another name for [[osprey]]) was selected on June 17, 1975, after a public naming contest which drew more than 20,000 entries and over 1,700 names.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.seahawks.com/news/the-a-z-on-how-the-seahawks-got-their-name-95956 |title=The A-Z On How The Seahawks Got Their Name |publisher=Seattle Seahawks |date=June 17, 2016 |access-date=May 30, 2020}}</ref> These include skippers, pioneers, and lumberjacks.<ref>{{Citation |title=How EVERY Team Got Its Name & Identity! | date=September 11, 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovdbrdCIP7U |access-date=June 1, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

Thompson recruited and hired [[Jack Patera]], a [[Minnesota Vikings]] assistant coach, to be the first head coach of the Seahawks; the hiring was announced on January 3, 1976. The [[1976 NFL Expansion Draft|expansion draft]] was held March 30–31, 1976, with Seattle and the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] alternating picks for rounds selecting unprotected players from the other 26 teams in the league.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.profootballhof.com/history/release.jsp?release_id=1284 |title=1976 NFL Expansion Draft – Pro Football Hall of Fame |publisher=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] |date=February 7, 2010 |access-date=August 10, 2013 |archive-date=September 17, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040917082334/http://www.profootballhof.com/history/release.jsp?release_id=1284 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Seahawks were awarded the 2nd overall pick in the [[1976 NFL draft|1976 draft]], a pick they used on defensive tackle [[Steve Niehaus]]. The team took the field for the first time on August 1, 1976, in a pre-season game against the [[San Francisco 49ers]] in the then newly opened [[Kingdome]].
[[File:1987 Seahawks Police - 02 Kenny Easley (crop).jpg|thumb|right|Hall of Fame safety [[Kenny Easley]], a defensive unit leader for Seattle in the 1980s,<ref>{{Cite web|title=1987 Topps#183 Kenny Easley|work=Topps|publisher=Topps Chewing Gum, Inc.|year=1987|url=http://www.tradingcarddb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/3240/cid/817913/1987-Topps-183-Kenny-Easley|format=JPG|access-date=November 12, 2017|archive-date=January 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114153251/https://www.tradingcarddb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/3240/cid/817913/1987-Topps-183-Kenny-Easley|url-status=live}}</ref> was a top defensive player in the NFL<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kapadia |first=Sheil |date=August 5, 2017 |title=Kenny Easley finally gets closure with Hall of Fame induction. |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/seattle-seahawks/post/_/id/26181/kenny-easley-finally-gets-closure-with-hall-of-fame-induction |access-date=2024-08-28 |work=ESPN.com}}</ref> and one of the Seahawks' all-time greatest players.<ref>{{Cite web|title=1986 McDonald's Seahawks #45 Kenny Easley|work=McDonald's|publisher=McDonald's Corporation|year=1986|url=http://www.tradingcarddb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/9205/cid/914405/1986-McDonald's-Seahawks-45-Kenny-Easley|format=JPG|access-date=November 12, 2017|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213204805/http://www.tradingcarddb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/9205/cid/914405/1986-McDonald's-Seahawks-45-Kenny-Easley|url-status=live}}</ref>|197x197px]]

The Seahawks are the only NFL team to switch conferences twice in the post-merger era.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3636746/2022/09/29/seahawks-nfc-afc-rivalry-history/|title=What Seahawks lost, gained in AFC-to-NFC move in NFL realignment 20 years ago|last=Dugar|first=Michael-Shawn|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 29, 2022|accessdate=June 3, 2024}}</ref> The franchise began play in 1976 in the aforementioned NFC West but switched conferences with the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers|Buccaneers]] after one season and joined the [[AFC West]]. This realignment was dictated by the league as part of the 1976 expansion plan, so that both expansion teams could play each other twice and every other NFL franchise once (the ones in their conference at the time) during their first two seasons. The Seahawks won both matchups against the Buccaneers in their first two seasons, the former of which was the Seahawks' first regular season victory.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Baskin|first=Ben|url=https://www.si.com/nfl/2016/11/22/seahawks-buccaneers-1976-most-penalized-game-in-modern-nfl-history|title=39 flags for 310 penalty yards: Revisiting the most penalized game in modern NFL history|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=November 22, 2016|accessdate=May 18, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Scott|url=https://www.buccaneers.com/news/series-history-buccaneers-seahawks-18129237|title=Series History: Buccaneers-Seahawks|website=[[Tampa Bay Buccaneers|buccaneers.com]]|date=November 23, 2016|accessdate=May 18, 2022}}</ref>

In 1983, the Seahawks hired [[Chuck Knox]] as head coach. Finishing with a 9–7 record, the Seahawks made their first post-season appearance, defeating the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round, and then the Miami Dolphins, before losing in the AFC Championship to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Raiders. The following season, the Seahawks had their best season to that point, finishing 12–4; it would remain the best win–loss record in franchise history until their [[2005 Seattle Seahawks season|2005 season]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/teams/seattleseahawks/profile?team=SEA|title=Seattle Seahawks|work=NFL.com|access-date=January 19, 2015|archive-date=January 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119115135/http://www.nfl.com/teams/seattleseahawks/profile?team=SEA|url-status=live}}</ref> Knox won the NFL Coach of the Year Award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 14, 2018 |title=Former NFL coach, Pa. native Chuck Knox dies at 86 |url=https://www.pennlive.com/sports/2018/05/former_nfl_coach_pa_native_chu.html |access-date=May 18, 2022 |website=[[The Patriot-News|pennlive.com]]|agency=Associataed Press}}</ref>