Ranking every Seattle Seahawks head coach in the history of the franchise

5. Dennis Erickson (1995-98)

Erickson, a Seattle native, was a former Washington State University head coach from 1987-89, and more recently the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes from 1989-94 before taking the Seahawks head coaching job. While coaching at Miami, Erickson was subject to several investigations involving violations in terms of fraudulent grants to players and ultimately left the school amidst the Department of Education's official investigation.

Erickson accepted the Seahawks job after turning down both Denver and Philadelphia's offers. In his first year in Seattle, Erickson benched Rick Mirer for John Friesz, who provided a bit of a spark for the team. However, over the next three seasons, Seattle never finished over .500. In 1998, Seattle signed quarterback Warren Moon to bolster the offense, but Erickson benched Moon for Jon Kitna after six games. After yet another disappointing season, Erickson was relieved of his duties.

Dennis Erickson finished his stint with the Seattle Seahawks with a 31-33 record over four years, including three 8-8 finishes. His .484 winning percentage ranks fifth-best out of eight coaches in Seahawks history. Erickson would eventually go back to the collegiate level after his dismissal in Seattle.

4. Jack Patera (1976-82)

The first head coach in Seattle Seahawks history, Jack Patera was there from the very start. As a new expansion team, Seattle didn't have the star power the rest of the league had. To make up for the lack of talent, Patera implemented a unique offense, full of unconventional plays. Although the offense was fun and Seattle had some budding young pieces in quarterback Jim Zorn and wide receiver Steve Largent, the Seahawks finished 2-12 in their inaugural season.

By their second season, the Seahawks had improved to 5-9, and by their third, Seattle had a winning record of 9-7 in 1978. Jack Patera was named AP NFL Coach of the Year in 1998 after the three-year turnaround. Patera was notorious for his no-nonsense disciplinary attitude with the team. With a brand new team, instilling discipline was an important principle for Patera in Seattle. The Seahawks finished with an identical 9-7 record in 1979.

However, in 1980, Seattle had regressed to 4-12. The next season, Seattle had only won six games. Patera's disciplinarian ideology was beginning to cause issues with his players. It was reported that during training camp under the beating sun, with temperatures in the '90s, Patera would not give his team water breaks. His relationship with the Seattle media was souring as well. In 1982, after losing the first two games of the season, Patera was fired by the Seahawks amidst the players' strike.

In the Seahawks' first seven seasons of existence, Jack Patera went 35-59, only good for a .372 winning percentage. He never led Seattle to a single playoff game. However, he does hold significance as the first-ever head coach and won a Coach of the Year award in his third season. Patera never coached again after his tenure with the Seahawks.