Best Seahawks to wear jersey numbers 1-10
By Lee Vowell
The Seahawks have had some great players in their history. But the greatest by jersey number? Here’s my best guess at 1 through 10.
Professional football has been in Seattle since 1976. During that time the Seahawks have won one Super Bowl and been to two others. Since 2003, Seattle has been to the playoffs 11 times and missed the postseason just four times. (Sadly, one of those times was last year.)
Also, feel free to yell at me (not vocally, of course – just tweet at me or whatever) if you think I am wrong about these lists you are about to see. There will be more jersey-best posts coming, you know. Because I could be wrong most of who goes with what number. And I welcome your thoughts (though not your yelling.) I mean, we are all 12s after all.
Jerseys 1-10
Number 1: Warren Moon
Why?: Moon had just one good year with the Seahawks in 1997. And he spent just two years in Seattle. But that one year where he threw for 25 touchdowns and just south of 4,000 yards is still far better than anyone else who wore his jersey number in Seattle history. In fact, other than Efren Herrera, no player wore the number for more than three seasons.
Current Seahawk: Alex Carter, free safety
Number 2: Todd Peterson
Why?: Peterson was the only player to wear number 2 for any length of time. (I mean, not every number on this list is going to be magical, of course.)
Current Seahawk: Jason Myers, kicker
Number 3: Russell Wilson
Why?: I know you aren’t really asking why on this one. Wilson has led the Seahawks to multiple Super Bowls and has won one. He scored every one of the Seahawks offensive touchdowns in 2017 except one. The other player of real note who wore number three is Rick Mirer but only because Seattle chose to take him as the second overall pick in 1993.
Current Seahawk: Wilson
Number 4: Steven Hauschka
Why?: Hauschka was a good and solid kicker on the Super Bowl teams of 2013 and 2014. In fact, had Seattle kept the kicker in 2017 Seattle would have made the playoffs. Maybe that sounds like hyperbole, but it isn’t. Would Hauschka have missed three field goals against the Washington Redskins last year? No. And this game more than other doomed Seattle’s playoff hopes last season.
I should say I am really hoping Michael Dickson, the rookie punter who currently wears this number for Seattle, takes Hauschka’s place one day. Dickson has the physical ability to alter outcomes of future games.
Current Seahawk: Dickson
Number 5: No answer
Why?: There is simply no one in Seattle history who has produced long-term positive results wearing this number. Maybe Alex McGough who currently wears this jersey will make a difference. But even then, with Wilson as the quarterback, I hope McGough never has to see meaningful snaps.
Current Seahawk: McGough
Number 6: Again, no answer
Why?: Same issue as jersey number 5. There hasn’t been anyone who has distinguished himself. The closest anyone comes is Charlie Whitehurst (otherwise known as Clipboard Jesus) who had a career record of 1-3 as a starter with Seattle.
Current Seahawk: Austin Davis, quarterback
Number 7: Jon Kitna
Why?: Kitna wasn’t great with Seattle, but he wasn’t completely awful. He started 27 of the 32 games between 1999 and 2000. His record in those games was 14-13. Kitna is the definition of mediocre. And that’s more than most of us can say about ourselves.
Tarvaris Jackson also wore the number and was the starter for most of 2011 before giving way to some guy named Russell Wilson. And Blair Walsh was number 7 too. Just so you know that.
Current Seahawk: Walsh. (No! Just joking! Actually no one currently seemingly wants this number.)
Number 8: Matt Hasselbeck
Why?: Finally another number worth mentioning! Hasselbeck was the first quarterback to lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl. The quarterback also led Seattle to five straight postseasons from 2003-2007. He isn’t the greatest quarterback in Seahawks history – Wilson is. But Hasselbeck is the second-most successful one.
Current Seahawk: No one
Number 9: Jon Ryan
Why?: Ryan has been a consistent punter for the better part of nine seasons with Seattle. He hasn’t made any Pro Bowls but he has been pretty good nonetheless. Will he be beaten out by Dickson in 2018? He should be. Still, Ryan has had some good and memorable moments in Seattle.
Current Seahawk: Ryan
Number 10: Jim Zorn
Why?: Zorn was the starter during the inception of the Seattle franchise from 1976-1981. He never led Seattle to the playoffs but he had a much more difficult job. Zorn was supposed to help make an expansion franchise relevant. Did he? Yes. And he managed to stay alive the whole time.
By the way, if Paul Richardson had stuck in Seattle for several more years and been as productive as he was in 2017, he could have made a race of this jersey number.
Current Seahawk: Caleb Scott, wide receiver
Next: Who are some potential first-time Seahawk Pro Bowlers in 2018?
And so this ends the first part of many. Seattle has had a great number of players. But not all the jersey numbers were worn by great payers. These are the first 10 digits. At least there are a few players here that were important not only with the Seahawks but also the NFL.