(Image courtesy of Washington State Archives)

For so many in our region, the Seattle Seahawks have been as long a Northwest presence as rain, moss, conifers and Mount Rainier.  But there are some of us who remember when there was no Seahawks team around here, when the nearest pro football teams were the (horrors!) Oakland Raiders and (gasp!) San Francisco 49ers. That all changed when the NFL awarded Seattle a franchise in 1974.  The Seahawks began play in 1976 as a member of the NFC West. A year later, the Seahawks moved to the AFC West, thus starting some heated, classic rivalries with the Raiders and Denver Broncos. After the NFL went through realignment, the Seahawks returned to the NFC West in 2002.

Whether you’re a Seahawks fan or a fan of state history, you’ll want to read these 1974 letters between then-Gov. Dan Evans and then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle. The first letter, written by Evans and dated April 18 , expressed the strong interest that Seattle and state of Washington have in receiving an NFL expansion team. Rozelle’s reply indicated that NFL owners “continue to express deep interest in Seattle, as well as the State of Washington and the entire Northwest.”   Both letters are found in our State Archives. On June 4, 1974, Rozelle announced that Seattle would join the league in 1976, along with Tampa Bay.