The Hawkstorian's All-Time Numeric Roster

[Hawkstorian]

#57

First	Last	College	Pos	Years	Games	Starts
Peter	Cronan	Boston College	LB	1977-1981	49	3
Shelton	Robinson	North Carolina	LB	1982-1985	61	39
Tony	Woods	Pittsburgh	LB	1987-1992	91	80
Ray	Berry	Baylor	LB	1993	7	2
Jason	Kyle	Arizona State	LB	1995-1998	48	0
Orlando	Huff	Fresno State	LB	2001-2004	57	23
Kevin	Bentley	Northwestern	LB	2005-2007	50	5
David	Hawthorne	Texas Christian	LB	2008-2011	63	43
Michael	Morgan	Southern Cal	LB	2011-2013	42	1

Peter Cronan was the 2nd round pick in 1977 who wasn't part of the Tony Dorsett trade, but he still gets kind of lumped in with the group of draft picks who went on to have somewhat productive yet unspectacular Seahawk careers. Cronan played three seasons before going on IR for all of 1980. He came back in 1981 but played little and was cut after 5 weeks. Some day I'll do a list of all the 2nd round draft picks in team history. There are some very good players but overall it's not pretty.

Jason Kyle was pretty good backup and special teamer who eventually realized his career will last a long time if he stuck to his true calling: Long Snapping.

Mike Morgan was a free agent pickup who has remained on the team as a key special teamer and occasional backup DE/LB.

Shelton Robinson, Tony Woods, Orlando Huff and David Hawthorne all were draft choices (I consider Hawthorne an '8th' round pick) who went on to have varying success with the team. Woods played the most games and starts but he was stuck as a "tweener" ... not fast enough for LB and not big enough for DE. He played a lot of years and was durable and productive but not a great overall career.

This is a tough call for me. Robinson was actually very good for a few years. Woods I was always ho-hum about. I'm going with the "Heater" as the MVP at #57 as he led the team in tackles for two years (nearly 3) before leaving for as a free agent New Orleans.

 

[oldhawkfan]

Tony Woods would beat out Hawthorne in a position battle. 57 has to be Woods. He was part of a LBing trio that included Dave Wyman and Bosworth.

 

[JMR]

Tony Woods for sure at #57. Wow, totally disagree here.

 

[IndyHawk]

I remember Hawthorne more than any of others..He didn't start much at first but he came on and played pretty good (a pro bowl?)before leaving as a fa..At worst a tie with Woods here...

 

[Hawkstorian]

Tony Woods for sure at #57. Wow, totally disagree here.

I admit I just wasn't a big Woods fan, even though you could easily argue he had the better career.

 

[Hawkstorian]

#56

First	Last	College	Pos	Years	Games	Starts
Sammy	Green	Florida	LB	1976-1979	60	44
Tim	Walker	Savannah St	LB	1980	16	0
Greg	Gaines	Tennessee	LB	1981-1988	95	48
Joe	Tofflemire	Arizona	C	1989-1994	34	16
James	Logan	Memphis	LB	1995-2000	63	5
Terry	Killens	Penn State	LB	2002	3	0
Chike	Okeafor	Purdue	DE	2003-2004	34	34
Leroy	Hill	Clemson	LB	2005-2012	107	98
Cliff	Avril	Purdue	DE	2013	18	3

Sammy Green was one of three second round picks in 1976 and played in every game of the '70s. He made odd news when he was arrested on rape charges which were dropped after he married the alleged victim. He was, I thought, one of the better defensive players on the '70 but he lost his starting job to Michael Jackson in 1979 was then traded to Houston for two low picks. He barely played for Houston before being cut again, and apparently his marriage didn't last either.

Greg Gaines was the Kaz of the '80s.

Does anyone else remember when Mel Kiper totally lost it when the Seahawks drafted Joe Tofflemire? He may have had a point. Joe died 3 years ago from heart failure.

Our most recent #56 was my choice for MVP of the Superbowl, as he seemed unblockable at times. Cliff Avril forced the bad throw that won Malcom Smith the award. In my opinion the assist was more impressive than the score.



The all-time MVP at #56 is Leroy Hill, who was at times dominating and at times too caught up in off-field distractions. I can only imagine what his eight year career would have been like if he could have put all his focus on the field. Seems like a long time since he's been here, but in fact he was the starter for 2012 team that should have played in the NFCCG.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

"Our most recent #56 was my choice for MVP of the Superbowl".

Mine too since the whole defense couldn't win the award.

 

[LoneHawkFan]

Having grown up in the Skagit Valley and in my early teens during our '83-'88 reign of terror, it's really, really cool to manifest old memories of the guys who made up that vintage of Seahawks. I read through this thread every day...I really appreciate the efforts!

 

[Hawkstorian]

#55

First	Last	College	Pos	Years	Games	Starts
Geoff	Reece	Washington State	C	1977	5	0
Michael	Jackson	Washington	LB	1979-1986	107	79
Brian	Bosworth	Oklahoma	LB	1987-1989	25	25
Ned	Bolcar	Notre Dame	LB	1990	5	0
Dino	Hackett	Illinois	LB	1993	3	0
Winston	Moss	Miami	LB	1995-1997	46	46
Hillary	Butler	Washington	LB	1998	7	0
Marcus	Bell	LB	LB	2000-2002	45	9
Jamie	Sharper	Virginia	LB	2005	8	8
Darryl	Tapp	Virginia Tech	DE	2006-2009	68	34
Joe	Pawalek	Baylor	LB	2010	1	0
Heath	Farwell	San Diego State	LB	2011-2013	48	0

Part of the final exam for those getting credit in this course is "describe the movement of all 2nd round picks in 1977 that impacted the Seahawks". In addition to getting 3 2nd round picks from Dallas, the Seahawks traded back 20 spots and acquired Geoff Reece from the Rams. Reece was slated to the starting center, but he was never really healthy and the job went to Art Kuehn. The pick the Seahawks gave away? It became DB Nolan Cromwell who would eventually coach Wide Receivers under Mike Holgmren.

Part of the bizarre drama that was Brian Bosworth had a lot to do with his uniform number. Bosworth was #44 at Oklahoma and wore that through training camp, but the league was adamant that a LB couldn't wear a number in the 40s so he actually SUED the league. As a result, he actually did wear #44 for one regular season game, but the judge ruled that the league gets to decide, so he was back to #55 for the rest of his odd and interesting career. I'll leave it for the rest of you to post your feelings on the biggest lighting rod in team history up until our current Richard Sherman.

Our most recent #55 is Heath Farwell, whose main job is the leader on special teams, but has also played very well in the goal line defense.

The best #55 in team history was the former Husky Michael Jackson. Jackson was one of the first guys I can remember who played the game nasty and mean. I don't know who leads the team in personal fouls in history, but I'll bet Jackson is high on the list. On top of that, he was just damn good, leading the team in tackles, and was probably the team's best defensive player in '80 and '81, although those teams were pretty terrible. He endured injuries in the mid-80s but came back and played every game his last two years. He was a bad, bad man, and one every true Seahawk fan's favorite player from the early years. How he hasn't had the honor to raise the 12th man flag is a travesty.

 

[hawksfansinceday1]

Michael went to high school in Pasco for those that don't know. I always root for Washington natives that play for the Hawks, especially Eastern Washington guys since I'm from Spokane. Completely agree with Jackson for #55.

 

[Hawkstorian]

#54

First	Last	College	Pos	Years	Games	Starts
Art	Kuehn	UCLA	C-G	1976-1982	96	33
Eugene	Williams	Tulsa	LB	1982-1983	13	1
John	Kaiser	Hawaii	LB	1984-1986	50	0
Grant	Feasel	Abilene Christian	C	1987-1993	93	52
Michael	Barber	Clemson	LB	1995-1997	23	9
D.D.	Lewis	Texas	LB	2002-2006, 2008-2009	78	23
Will	Herring	Auburn	LB	2007-2010	58	8
David	Vobora	Idaho	LB	2011	6	0
Bobby	Wagner	LB	Utah State	2012-2013	35	34

Art Kuehn was an expansion pick from Washington, but he had never actually signed with the Redskins. Instead he had been drafted by Washington but signed with the World Football League. Since Washington held his right he was eliglble to be taken in the expansion draft and he wound up in Seattle. He's the first long snapper in Seahawk history, and he started all of 1977 at Center, and played a lot when John Yarno was hurt. He was one of the longest tenured expansion picks.

Our current #54 is, of course, Bobby Wagner. Wagner took hold of the starting MLB as a rookie and is only getting better. I suspect he will soon be the MVP at the position, but I'll give him just a little more time.

Two long-tenured players compete for best ever the the position. Grant Feasel started as a backup, started for three seasons at center, and then finished his career as a backup. He was another of those nasty players who would just assume fight you if he couldn't beat you.

D.D. Lewis made the team as an undrafted player, and worked his way to a starting job. He ended up signing as a free agent with Denver, but came back to Seattle after one year and finished his career as a backup and special teamer.

It's a tough call, and frankly, Wagner will have the MVP if he has another year in 2014 like he's had so far, but for now I'm going with probably the nastiest Seahawk of all-time:

 

[Hawkstorian]

#53

First	Last	College	Pos	Years	Games	Starts
Fred	Hoaglin	Pittsburgh	C	1976	13	7
Mike	Jones	Jackson State	LB	1977	12	0
Keith	Butler	Memphis State	LB	1978-1987	152	137
Darren	Comeaux	Arizona State	LB	1988-1991	51	40
Ray	Donaldson	Georgia	C	1993-1994	32	32
Jim	Sweeney	Pittsburgh	C	1995	16	16
Eric	Unverzagt	Wisconsin	LB	1996-1997	9	0
Kevin	Glover	Maryland	C	1998-1999	14	14
George	Koonce	East Carolina	LB	2000	16	16
Keith	Miller	California	LB	2002	7	0
Randall	Godfrey	Georgia	LB	2003	16	15
Nike	Koutouvides	Purdue	LB	2004-2007	67	3
Malcom	Smith	Southern Cal	LB	2011-2013	48	13

Fred Hoaglin was another 10 year veteran when he came to Seattle in the expansion draft. The Seahawks took several guys in the expansion draft who were well past their prime, probably to have some veteran balance, but it's hard to say it really helped them much. Hoaglin started 7 games in 1976 but was cut early in camp the following year.

Our current #53 is the reigning Super Bowl MVP. I wrote earlier than I would have voted for Cliff Avril, and I also think that Kam Chancellor would have been a great choice. I don't think Malcomb Smith was a bad pick, however. He had two turnovers where he was in the right place at the right time, but he also played a great game overall, along with the entire defense. Russell Wilson deserved it, too, but with the way the Denver offense was completely dismantled, the award belonged to the defense.

So why isn't the Super Bowl MVP the best #53 in Seahawk history? Two word: Keith F-ing Butler. Ok, that's 3 words.

Keith Butler is listed as the 2nd all-time tackler in Seahawk history. He missed exactly 1 game in 10 years, taking over the starting job in week 3 of his rookie year and not giving it up until he spent his final season tutoring young LBs Bosworth, Woods & Wyman.
If you watch tapes of those playoff teams of the early '80s, you'll see Butler filling the gaps and making the tackles.
Butler and Chad Brown are the two best LBs in team history. I would give Brown the edge, but Butler is a great all-time Seahawk and would be in the ring of honor but he's been too busy coaching for the past 25 years, the last 12 with Pittsburgh.

 

[IndyHawk]

Feasel-54 and Butler-53 great picks..

 

[Hawkstorian]

#52

First	Last	College	Pos	Years	Games	Starts
Randy	Coffield	Florida State	LB	1976-1977	13	0
Joe	Norman	Indiana	LB	1979-1983	50	11
Will	Grant	Kentucky	C	1986	7	6
M.L.	Johnson	Hawaii	LB	1987-1989	38	8
Richard	Newbill	Miami	LB	1990-1992	9	0
Rickey	Andrews	Washington	LB	1990	15	0
Kevin	Mawae	Louisiana State	C	1994-1997	62	59
Jason	McEndoo	Washington State	C	1998	1	0
J.P.	Darche	McGill	LS	2000-2006	102	0
Jason	Babin	Western Michigan	DE	2007-2008	4	0
Matt	McCoy	LB	LB	2010-2011	20	1
Allen	Bradford	Southern Cal	LB	2012-2013	2	0

Randy Coffield was a 10th round pick in 1976 who made the team, playing mainly on special teams. Unfortunately he hurt his knee the following training camp and was out for 1977 and was cut in camp in 1978.

J.P. Darche came from McGill University in Montreal. McGill has one of the oldest college football traditions in history, going back to the 19th century. McGill frequently played the early Ivy League teams that founded the new sport. However, no McGill players played in the NFL until Darche became the Seahawk's long snapper in 2000. Darche also proved to be the best snapper in team history, although we didn't really appreciate him enough until he was gone. I still miss "French Word of the Week".

Allen Bradford was either a running back or a linebacker depending on which day of the week it was. I think he finally played as a LB, but was cut when we brought back Clinton Mcdonald.

Kevin Mawae started at guard in '94 and '95 and then center in '96 and '97. He was growing into one of the best centers in the game which of course meant we couldn't afford to keep him. He went on to have a long and distinguished career in New York and Tennessee. No Seahawk has ever played better as #52.

 

[Seahawkscrazy]

Isnt Mawae involved with the Cba stuff? I seem to remember him being a player representative

 

[Hawkstorian]

Isnt Mawae involved with the Cba stuff? I seem to remember him being a player representative

Yes, he was president of the NFLPA. I actually started to mention that, but for whatever reason didn't.

 

[drdiags]

Typo on Kevin Glover, you got him from 1988-1999.

 

[Hawkstorian]

Typo on Kevin Glover, you got him from 1988-1999.

Just making sure you're paying attention.

 

[ChiefHawk]

The 90's were a hard time - watching great players leave - Mawae, Robinson, Daniels, Adams....

 

[Hawkstorian]

#51

First	Last	College	Pos	Years	Games	Starts
John	Yarno	Idaho	C	1977-1982	74	62
Sam	Merriman	Idaho	LB	1983-1987	78	1
Ty	Allert	Texas	LB	1990	1	0
Marcus	Cotton	Southern Cal	LB	1991	3	0
David	Brandon	Memphis State	LB	1993-1994	20	0
Anthony	Simmons	Clemson	LB	1998-2004	89	81
Lofa	Tatupu	Southern Cal	LB	2005-2010	93	93
Bruce	Irvin	West Virginia	DE-LB	2012-2013	33	15

John Yarno was drafted in the 4th round in 1977 and became the starting center in 1978, starting for most of the next 5 years. After couple years of turmoil, the Seahawks o-line was actually pretty decent for a few years in the late '80s as they found some stability with Lynch, Yarno, August, Bebout and Newton.

In training camp in 1983, the Seahawks had traded for Blair Bush and Yarno's days were clearly numbered. There was a young linebacker named Sam Merriman who seemed headed to making the roster. Yarno and Merriman were both from Idaho so when Yarno was cut he made sure Merriman took over his #51. A nice story that confirms my thesis that uniform numbers are symbols that can have power and meaning to both fans and players.

Our current #51 is Bruce Irvin, who has played DE and LB but hasn't really carved out a clear role for himself. Also, his BACKUP won Super Bowl MVP. I have no idea where he's headed but I'm beginning to wonder if the Seahawks should just stop drafting in the first round and stick to 5th rounders.

Two almost-great Hawks wore #51 for extended periods. Anthony Simmons was a first round pick who had great speed and made some spectacular plays in his 7 seasons here. However, Lofa Tatupu wins the spot here. Tatupu was an instant leader and tackling machine as a rookie, leading that defense to Super Bowl XL. Tatupu's heart was, sadly, bigger than his body and he wore down much faster than we could have imagined. Lofa will always be a fan favorite in Seattle and we expect him to raise the flag very soon.