The team was there, the fans were there, and the media were there! And now, SeahawksMedia.com are there too, with fantastic play by play analysis, circa 1976 technology. (As in, handwritten!) Priceless! Thanks to Hawkstorian, John Lloyd, for sharing this link with us! We went 2-12 our first season under head coach Jack Patera, our only wins coming against Tampa Bay, our sister expansion team, and Atlanta. We also won one game in the exhibition season, a close game against San Diego. 1976 Seattle Seahawks Preseason Date Opponent Result Score 08/01/1976 49ers @ Seahawks L 27-20 08/07/1976 Bears @ Seahawks L 27-16 08/14/1976 Rams @ Seahawks L 16-13 08/21/1976 Seahawks @ Broncos L 52-7 08/29/1976 Chargers @ Seahawks W 17-16 09/04/1976 Seahawks @ Raiders L 45-28 Regular Season Date Opponent Result Score 09/12/1976 Cardinals @ Seahawks L 30-24 09/19/1976 Seahawks @ Redskins L 31-7 09/26/1976 49ers @ Seahawks L 37-21 10/03/1976 Cowboys @ Seahawks L 28-13 10/10/1976 Seahawks @ Packers L 27-20 10/17/1976 Seahawks @ Buccaneers W 13-10 10/24/1976 Lions @ Seahawks L 41-14 10/31/1976 Seahawks @ Rams L 45-6 11/07/1976 Falcons @ Seahawks W 30-13 11/14/1976 Seahawks @ Vikings L 27-21 11/21/1976 Saints @ Seahawks L 51-27 11/28/1976 Seahawks @ Giants L 28-16 12/05/1976 Bears @ Seahawks L 34-7 12/12/1976 Seahawks @ Eagles L 27-10 The exhibition season: Pre-game Story [Headline unkown], 1 August 1976, (as seen by The Seattle Times) The Seattle Seahawks will strive for a “first” today when the National Football League opens shop in the Kingdome. No expansion team has ever won a first exhibition test, dating back to the Dallas Cowboys in 1960. Seattle’s long-awaited debut in the NFL will begin at 1pm against the rebuilding San Francisco 49ers before what should be a capacity crowd of nearly 65,000. Seattle 20 - San Francisco 27 'They're ... going to be good' - 49ers impressed by Seahawks, 2 August 1976, (as seen by The Seattle Times) So, after the 49ers beat Seattle 27-20 in the Kingdome yesterday, Hardman was asked to dwell for a moment on the Seahawks to identify areas of promise on an expansion team that had just rallied from oblivion to get back into a game they had been out of 24-0. "Well," Hardman said while standing before his cubicle in the locker room. "I sure do like the color of their uniforms." The Seahawks were maidens no more, (as seen by Doug Thiel, Sunrise Publishing Inc.) Now aggressive and now expectant sons of destiny, the defense put pressure on the 49er defense and defensive end Dave Tipton recovered a fumble on the 49ers 29 yard line. It was happening, the good guys were coming back. San Francisco held on for a 27-20 victory in Seattle's first game ever Aug. 1. Trailing 17-0 at halftime, Seattle caught fire in the second half behind Zorn, who passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third. He was dropped at the 49ers' two-yard line on a scrambling play as the gun sounded. Seattle 16 - Chicago 27 (as seen by Doug Thiel, Sunrise Publishing Inc.) SPOKANE, Washington would not host a win for the Seahawks’ second effort. The Seahawks lost the game to Chicago 27—16 and lost the game ball to some drunk who was wandering around the sidelines. During the final seconds of the game the tipsy fan bolted onto the field, picked up the ball, and ran for 100 yards and out the end zone exit—the longest run of the night. Seattle 13 - Los Angeles 16 Seahawks damaged hopes with key penalties vs. LA, August 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Losing to the Los Angeles Rams isn't so surprising. Almost everybody does. Saturday night, the Seattle Seahawks did, too. But what the scrappy, never-say-die Seahawks didn't anticipate was getting beat by the Rams while beating themselves. It will rain... (as seen by Doug Thiel, Sunrise Publishing Inc.) If you wait long enough in the Mojave Desert, it will rain. Play enough games and you’ll finally win. But really, the wait hadn’t been that long. The Seahawks beat San Diego 17—16, close and a cigar for Jim Zorn the quarterback, Jack Patera the coach, and a very happy team, coaching staff, and front office. Seattle 7 - Denver 52 Seahawks Bruised, 23 August 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) "Denver played well," Patera, coach of the Seattle Seahawks, said in understatement following the Broncos' convincing National Football League exhibition victory Saturday night over the winless Seahawks at Mile High Stadium. Seattle 17 - San Diego 16 Howard Scores Winner: Seahawks triumph!, August 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Quarterback Jim Zorn hit tight end Ron Howard with a three-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds remaining and Don Bitterlich booted the extra point to lift the expansion Seattle Seahawks to their first-ever victory, a 17-16 National Football League exhibition win over San Diego Sunday at the Kingdome. The regular season: St. Louis 30 - Seattle 24 Everything Counts in the NFL, 12 September 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Cardinals Stave off Debuting Seahawks, 30-24, 12 September 1976, (as seen by the Washington Post) Seahawk Fans Afire Following 'Close' Loss, 14 September 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Starting Defense Starting Offense LE Dave Tipton WR Sam McCullum RE Richard Harris LT Nick Bebout LT Steve Niehaus LG Bob Penchion RT Carl Barisich C Fred Hoaglin LLB Ken Geddes RG John DeMarie MLB Ed Bradley RT Norm Evans RLB Mike Curtis TE Ron Howard FS Dave Brown WR Don Clune SS Al Matthews QB Jim Zorn CB Eddie McMillan RB Andrew Bolton CB Rolly Woolsey RB Bill Olds Seattle 7 - Washington 31 Redskins Dust Off Their Track Shoes, 17 September 1976, (as seen by the Washington Post) Skins praise Patera's Boys, September 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Redskins Run Thomas to 31-7 Win, 20 September 1976, (as seen by the Washington Post) San Francisco 37 - Seattle 21 Seahawks looking for improved 'D', 26 September 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Washington breaks TD mark, 10 October 2002, (as seen in a look-back by The Examiner) Dallas 28 - Seattle 13 Battered Seahawks Face Dallas, 3 October 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Cowboys Scared but Edge Hawks, 4 October 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Seattle 20 - Green Bay (Mil.) 27 Seahawks may win: Packers not Dallas, 10 October 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Victory 'slipped away', 12 October 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Seattle 13 - Tampa Bay 10 Seahawks Win to Become First Expansion Club Victor, 18 October 1976, (as seen by the UPI) Bucs, Seahawks in Expansion Match-up (as seen by Pro! Magazine) Scouting the Seahawks (as seen by Pro! Magazine) One more Detroit 41 - Seattle 13 Patera's advice: Hawks be patient, October 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Seattle 9 - Los Angeles 45 Atlanta 13 -Seattle 30 Seahawks Win in Spurts, 8 November 1976, (as seen by the UPI) Seattle 21 - Minnesota 27 Who's Excited? Patera, 14 November 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) Short Cuts, 15 November 1976, (as seen by the Spokesman Review) New Orleans 51 - Seattle 27 Seattle 16 - N.Y. Giants 28 Giants Triumph by 28-16; Csonka Injured, 29 November 1976, (as seen by the NY Times) Chicago 34 - Seattle 7 Seattle 10 - Philadelphia 27 The Stats: There is such a thing as too much information!