On this date: Russell Wilson plays his way into QB competition
A look at a memorable moment in Seahawks history that occurred on May 13:
2012: At the conclusion of the team’s three-day rookie minicamp, coach Pete Carroll announces that Russell Wilson will join the competition for the starting quarterback job with free-agent addition Matt Flynn and incumbent starter Tarvaris Jackson. “Here’s what I’m going to say about it, he’s going to be in the competition,” Carroll said of Wilson, who had been selected in the third round of the NFL Draft. “He’s shown us enough, he’s in the competition.” Wilson ended up not only winning the competition, Jackson was traded to the Bills last September and Flynn was traded to the Raiders this April.
On this date: Scot McCloughan appointed director of college scouting
A look at a memorable moment in Seahawks history that occurred on May 10:
2000: Scot McCloughan is appointed director of college scouting. McCloughan would leave after the team’s Super Bowl run in 2005 to become vice president of football operations and then general manager of the San Francisco 49ers. He returned to the Seahawks in 2010 as senior personnel executive.
On this date: Seahawks announce they’ll be moving to Renton
A look at a memorable moment in Seahawks history that occurred on May 9:
2006: The Seahawks announce plans to move their headquarters from Kirkland to Renton. The team had called Kirkland home – at two locations – since its inaugural season in 1976. The team would remain in Kirkland until Virginia Mason Athletic Center on the shores of Lake Washington in Renton was ready to move into in August of 2008.
On this date: FieldTurf installed at team’s new stadium
A look at a memorable moment in Seahawks history that occurred on May 4:
2002: The installation of FieldTurf is completed at CenturyLink Field, which was then called Seahawks Stadium. The addition is one of the final major steps in the new stadium being ready for the upcoming season after the team had played its home games at Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus for two seasons.
On this date: Seahawks trade draft choice that Cowboys used to select Tony Dorsett
Heisman Trophy Winner Tony Dorsett smiles as he waits to be interviewed by a local television station after being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Draft (AP Photo/MK)
A look at some memorable moments in Seahawks history that occurred on May 3:
1977: The Seahawks trade the second pick in the NFL Draft to the Cowboys, who select running back Tony Dorsett. In exchange, the Seahawks get the Cowboys’ first-round pick, which they used to select offensive lineman Steve August; and three second-round picks – which became offensive lineman Tom Lynch and linebacker Terry Beeson. Beeson would lead the team in tackles for three consecutive seasons (1977-79), including a still-franchise record 153 in 1978. August started 90 games from 1977-84.
1978: Cornerback Keith Simpson is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, and linebacker Keith Butler is added in the second round. Simpson would start 70 games in eight seasons with the team, retuning three of his 19 interceptions for touchdowns; while Butler was the franchise’s all-time leading tackler by the time he left after the 1987 season with 813 – a mark that would be broken by Eugene Robinson (984).
1979: Manu Tuiasosopo is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The defensive tackle from UCLA would lead the team in sacks (eight) as a rookie and produced a career-high 94 tackles in 1980. He started 64 games in five seasons.
On this date: Terry Taylor selected in first round of NFL Draft
A look at some memorable moments in Seahawks history that occurred on May 1:
1984: Terry Taylor is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The cornerback from Southern Illinois started 55 games in two stints with the Seahawks (1984-88 and 1994), returning two of 16 interceptions for touchdowns.
2008: Dave Pearson is promoted from director of communications and broadcasting to vice president of communications and broadcasting. Pearson had been an intern in the PR department in 1989 and returned in 1998 as director of public relations.
2009: Karen Beckman is promoted from director of finance to CFO and vice president of finance. She originally joined the organization in 1991 as a staff accountant.
On this date: Kelly Jennings drafted
A look at a memorable moment in Seahawks history that occurred on April 30:
2006: Kelly Jennings is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The cornerback from Miami would start 42 games over the next five seasons before being traded to the Bengals in 2011.
On this date: A retirement, a trade and two impactful draft picks
A look at some memorable moments in Seahawks history that occurred on April 29:
1980: The Seahawks trade up to the 10th spot in the first round of the draft to select Jacob Green. The defensive end from Texas A&M stepped into the starting lineup as a rookie and stayed there through the 1991 season – putting up franchise records in sacks (116) and forced fumbles (28) and starting 176 games, which ranks third on the team’s all-time list behind Steve Largent (197) and Walter Jones (180). Green was voted to the Pro Bowl twice, induced into the team’s Ring of Honor in 1995 and selected to the franchise’s 35th Anniversary team.
1986: John L. Williams is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, but only after coach Chuck Knox makes a trip to Florida to check out the versatile fullback. Over the next eight seasons, Williams would lead the team in receiving three times, rushing once and be voted to the Pro Bowl twice. He still ranks third in receptions (471), fourth in rushing yards (4,579) and 10th in total touchdowns (33) on the team’s all-time lists.
2007: Darrell Jackson, the team’s leading receiver in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006, is traded to the 49ers. He still ranks fourth in receptions (441), third in receiving yards (6,445) and second in touchdown catches (47) on the team’s all-time lists.
2010: Walter Jones retires after a 14-season career that saw him voted to a club-record nine Pro Bowls and also six All-Pro berths. A first-round draft choice in 1997, Jones ranks second in games started (180), was named to the franchise’s 35th Anniversary team and already has had his No. 71 retired. In 2006, he was named the best player in the NFL by The Sporting News.
On this date: Kenny Easley is drafted
A look at some memorable moments in Seahawks history that occurred on April 28:
1981: Kenny Easley is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Before a kidney ailment ended his career after the 1987 season, the strong safety from UCLA had been selected NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1984, voted to the Pro Bowl five times and named All-Pro three times. Easley was inducted into the franchise’s Ring of Honor in 2002 and also named to the 35th Anniversary team.
1987: Tony Woods is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Woods, a linebacker from Pittsburgh, would start 79 games in six seasons on some of the best defensive units in franchise history.
2000: John Schneider is named director of player personnel. That gig lasted only a season before he left to become vice president of player personnel with the Redskins, but Schneider returned in 2010 as the Seahawks’ general manager.
2011: James Carpenter is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The offensive lineman from Alabama has been limited to 16 starts in his first two seasons because of a knee injury that ended his rookie season and also forced him to be inactive for the first three games last season and end the season on the reserve/non-football illness list.
On this date: Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson selected in NFL Draft
A look at some memorable moments in Seahawks history that occurred on April 27:
1982: Jeff Bryant is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Bryant would team with fellow defensive end Jacob Green and nose tackle Joe Nash to form what they called “The Diehard.” Why? “Because we always start,” Green explained. And that they did, from 1983 through 1989. In 1990, after selecting tackle Cortez Kennedy in the first round of the draft, coach Chuck Knox switched to a four-man defensive line and Bryant eventually became the only player in franchise history to start at all four spots.
2012: Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (second round) and quarterback Russell Wilson (third round) are selected in the NFL Draft. Wagner would lead the team in tackles and finish second in voting for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Wilson not only became the starter, he threw 26 touchdown passes to tie the league’s rookie record that was set by Peyton Manning in 1998, finished third in voting for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and played in the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement.
