Getty The Seattle Seahawks in their classic uniforms in 1991.
The Seattle Seahawks take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, and they’ll do so wearing some of the coolest throwback uniforms in all of sports. From 1976 to 2001, the team wore silver helmets with the iconic Seahawks bird in primary blue and green. The team brings those back on Sunday, Oct. 29, and ahead of that game, let’s reminisce (and rank) the best Seahawks players to wear these iconic uniforms.
History of the Seahawks Uniforms
From the time the Seattle franchise started playing in the NFL until the dawn of the new century, the Seahawks uniforms were largely unchanged. Those 20th-century squads may not have won a ton of games through the years, but they always looked good on the field.
One more sleepless night.
The team wore one set of uniforms from 1976 to 1982, and then went to a slightly different design from 1983 until the major color scheme shakeup in 2002, according to Bleacher Report. Between 82-83, there were some slight tweaks to the stripes on the sleeves of the jersey, but the main difference was moving from silver facemasks to blue on the helmet.
The Seahawks throwbacks that the team will wear in Week 8 will be the second incarnation of the uniforms, but for our purposes here of ranking the best Seahawks players to wear these helmets and jerseys, we’ll count any player who wore this style from 1976 to 2001.
5. QB Dave Kreig
While Russell Wilson is undoubtedly the best quarterback in franchise history, who is the greatest to wear the silver and blue Seahawks throwback? There are several options to choose from. Matt Hasselbeck did wear these jerseys during his first year in Seattle. Jim Zorn also had some solid years to help kickstart the franchise and Warren Moon may be the best QB to play for the organization, but he was only there for two seasons.
The answer to the question is Dave Kreig.
When Kreig left the Pacific Northwest at the end of the 1991 season, he walked with the Seahawks’ record in passing yards (26,132 yards), passing touchdowns (195), and wins by a starting quarterback (70). Wilson would eventually pass Kreig in all those categories, and Hasselbeck would best him in yards and TDS.
Dave Krieg throws the first playoff TD pass in #Seahawks history to Steve Largent.
AFC Wild Card December 24, 1983
Still, Krieg took the Seahawks from a bumbling expansion team to a real NFL franchise. He led his team to its first playoff appearance (1983) and first double-digit wins season (12-4 in 1984), which is why he makes this list.
4. DT Cortez Kennedy
The No. 3 pick of the 1990 NFL Draft out of Miami, Cortez Kennedy, played his entire career in a silver Seahawks helmet with the blue facemask.
A dominating defensive tackle, the big man in the middle of the Seattle defense for the entire 1990s made eight Pro Bowls, three All-Pro teams, and was 1992 Defensive Player of the Year. Kennedy went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Class of 2012.
Kennedy was one of the most dominant defenders of his era, putting up 58.0 career sacks, including 14.0 in his incredible DPOY season.
3. S Kenny Easley
Safety Kenny Easley only played seven NFL seasons (all with the Seahawks), but “The Enforcer” was such a feared presence patrolling the defensive backfield that he made the Hall of Fame with less than a decade in the league on his resume.
Easley is a five-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, and like Kennedy, he is a Defensive Player of the Year Award winner from 1984. During that season, he led the league with 10 interceptions and took two of them to the house for scores.
Kenny Easley
#Seahawks
The Seahawks safety had a rough end to his Seattle tenure. The team traded him to the Phoenix Cardinals in 1988, but a physical revealed a severe kidney disease, which voided the deal. That led to his retirement and an eventual lawsuit against the franchise, according to the Los Angeles Times.
However, Easley has since reconciled with his team and was even an honorary captain at the Seahawks’ 2015 Super Bowl.
2. OT Walter Jones
Offensive tackle Walter Jones started his career in the Seahawks’ silver helmets in 1997 and ended it in the blue after the 2008 season. In between, Jones was one of the best offensive linemen in the league, making nine Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams.
Jones primarily blocked for Hasselbeck under head coach Mike Holmgren, and his stead presence on the line helped the team make five-straight playoff appearances and its first-ever Super Bowl.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer was also a major reason running back Shaun Alexander rushed for 1,880 yards, scored 27 touchdowns, and won the NFL MVP Award in 2005.
1. Steve Largent
The greatest player in Seahawks history, who played his entire career in the throwbacks the team will wear in Week 8, is the only player who could be at the top of this list.
Steve Largent made seven Pro Bowls, one All-Pro team, and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With 13,089 receiving yards, 819 career catches, and 100 receiving touchdowns, the wideout, who spent his entire career with the Seahawks, retired after the 1989 season as the career leader in all those categories. He’s since slipped to 19th, 34th, and T-9, respectively, but he’s still one of the greats.
For Seahawks fans who were around from the beginning, the picture of the silver helmeted uniforms in their mind is surely Largent gliding across the field and making a tough catch look effortless.