Remembering some great Seahawks on Memorial Day

Monday is Memorial Day, and with the holiday the news cycle is slow, especially as the league prepares to enter the slowest time of the year. The draft and free agency are in the past, and while OTAs are getting covered, non-contact practices simply don’t do it for a lot of fans. So, rather than leave fans of Field Gulls without anything to do today besides barbeque, drink the beverage of your choice and whatever else people have a custom of doing on Memorial Day, let’s take a moment to remember some of the great Seattle Seahawks.

To start with, it was the Tuesday prior to Memorial Day in 2017 when Hall of Famer Cortez Kennedy passed away unexpectedly at just 48 years of age. Cortez was one of the few bright spots on the roster for much of the 90s, and his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame meant so much for so many Hawks fans. He was an absolute monster on the field, and of course holds the distinction of having been named Defensive Player of the Year in 1992 in spite of playing on a last place team that finished 2-14. I could try and describe his play, but it may be easier to simply let fans enjoy watching him themselves.

Further, any look back at influential members of the franchise would not be complete without touching on two important people who passed away last fall. Just sixteen days apart last October the Seahawks family lost both Paul Allen and Jack Patera. Patera, of course, had been the first coach in franchise history. He never quite made the playoffs, but he laid the foundation upon which the 1983 team would make it to the AFC Championship Game.

Allen, on the other hand, was a hero for fans when his purchase of the franchise prevented the Hawks from relocating to Southern California in the mid nineties. With both the Los Angeles Rams having relocated for a period of time to St. Louis and the Oakland Raiders having ditched L.A. after barely a decade, there was a very real risk the Seahawks could have relocated. Luckily for fans, though, that never happened.

In any case, everyone stay safe this holiday weekend, be thankful that the Seahawks are in the position they are in where they can be competitive each season, and with training camp less than two months away, the summer doldrums will soon be a thing of the past.