48 -- A Chronology Of Significant Events For The Seattle Seahawks

TIMELINE

June 4, 1974: NFL announces Seattle has been awarded a franchise, to open play in the 1976 season.

July 7, 1975: Applications for 24,168 season tickets are received the first day the team begins accepting them, only three days after being mailed by the team. All 59,000 season tickets are sold in less than a month.

Jan. 3, 1976: Jack Patera, defensive line coach of Minnesota Vikings, named Seattle's first head coach.

April 8, 1976: Notre Dame lineman Steve Niehaus is team's first college draft pick

Aug. 1, 1976: Seahawks lose to San Francisco 27-20 in exhibition season opener at Kingdome (60,825 attend).

Aug. 26, 1976: Seahawks trade their 1977 eighth-round draft position to Houston for wide receiver Steve Largent.

Aug. 29, 1976: Left-handed quarterback Jim Zorn completes winning TD pass with 13 seconds left as Seahawks beat San Diego 17-16 in exhibition game for franchise's first victory.

Nov. 7, 1976: Sherman Smith becomes the first Seahawk to rush for 100 yards in a game (124 on 14 carries) as Seattle wins first regular-season home game 30-13 over Atlanta.

Dec. 18, 1977: Seahawks win fifth game of season, 20-19 over Cleveland, to break NFL record for most victories by a second-year expansion team.

Dec. 17, 1978: Seahawks beat Kansas City 23-19 on season's final day to finish 9-7, the team's first winning season.

Jan. 29, 1979: Largent catches record-equalling five passes as Seattle's first Pro Bowl representative.

Oct. 29, 1979: Seahawks come from behind to beat Atlanta 31-28 in their first Monday Night Football appearance.

Oct. 13, 1982: Coach Jack Patera (35-59) is fired. Mike McCormack, team's director of football operations, is named interim head coach.

Jan. 3, 1983: McCormack is named president and general manager of team.

Jan. 26, 1983: Former Ram and Bill coach Chuck Knox named head coach.

April 26, 1983: Seahawks make Penn State running back Curt Warner third overall selection in college draft.

Dec. 18, 1983: Seattle beats New England 24-6 to clinch club's first playoff berth. Warner becomes first Seahawk to rush for 1,000 in a season (1,443).

Dec. 31, 1983: After beating Denver in wild-card game a week earlier, Seahawks stun the Dolphins 27-20 in Miami to advance to the AFC championship game.

Jan. 8, 1984: Raiders beat Seahawks 30-14 for AFC title.

Dec. 2, 1984: Seattle beats Detroit 38-17 to clinch second straight playoff berth, but is later eliminated by Miami in AFC semifinal

June 18, 1986: Seahawks open new training facility and team headquarters in Kirkland, ending 10 years of training camps in Cheney.

Nov. 27, 1986: Seahawks beat Dallas Cowboys 31-14 on Thanksgiving Day, still the franchise's lone victory over the five-time Super Bowl champions.

Nov. 12, 1987: Seattle wins lottery for first choice in supplemental draft and selects Oklahoma's Brian Bosworth.

Jan. 27, 1987: Largent catches six passes in loss to Kansas City to pass Charlie Joiner and become the NFL's career leader in receptions with 751.

Aug. 30, 1988: Ken Behring, a real estate developer from California, and Ken Hofmann complete a deal to buy the Seahawks from Seattle's Nordstrom family.

Sept. 18, 1988: In a loss to San Diego, Largent passes Joiner to become the NFL's career leader in receiving yards with 12,167.

Dec. 18, 1988: Milton College graduate Dave Kreig passes for 410 yards and four touchdowns, and John L. Williams has 180 yards receiving and 59 rushing as the Seahawks beat the Raiders 43-37 to clinch the first AFC West title in franchise history. It's the fourth playoff season - and second straight - for the Seahawks, who havn't returned since.

Feb. 22, 1989: Former Raider coach Tom Flores replaces McCormack as president and general manager.

Feb. 29, 1989: In 14th season, Seahawks beat Chargers 10-7 for franchise's 100th victory.

Dec. 23, 1989: Largent becomes first to enter Seahawks' Ring of Honor during pregame ceremony before home loss to Washington. The game is the last in a 14-year career that included NFL records of 819 receptions, 13,089 receiving yards, 100 receiving touchdowns and 177 consecutive games with at least one reception.

April 22, 1990: Seahawks select Miami lineman Cortez Kennedy with third overall pick in college draft.

Aug. 3, 1991: Zorn, team's first quarterback, becomes second to enter Ring of Honor.

Oct. 27, 1991: Kicker John Kasay equals NFL record with two field goals of 50 or more yards (51, 54) in 20-9 win over San Diego.

Dec. 27, 1991: Eight months after he signed a two-year contract extension, Knox (83-67) and Seahawks "mutually agree" that Knox will leave the team.

Jan. 6, 1992: Flores named Seahawk head coach, but remains team president.

Aug. 22, 1992: Cornerback Dave Brown becomes third to enter Ring of Honor.

Nov. 30, 1992: Play-by-play broadcaster Pete Gross, who has battled cancer for four years, becomes fourth Ring of Honor inductee. Three days later, Gross dies.

Jan. 19, 1993: David Behring, son of owner Ken Behring, is named team president. Flores' title is changed to general manager/head coach.

April 25, 1993: Seahawks select quarterback Rick Mirer of Notre Dame second overall in the college draft.

Jan. 2, 1994: Mirer becomes first NFL rookie quarterback to start all his team's games since 1973. He breaks rookie passing records for attempts (486), completions (274) and yards (2,833).

July 19, 1994: Ceiling tiles fall in Kingdome before an Oriole-Mariner baseball game, force Dome to close until November. Aug. 13, 1994: Seahawks play first outdoor home game, defeating Tampa Bay 29-6 at Husky Stadium.

Nov. 6, 1994: Seahawks return to Kingdome, lose to Cincinnati 20-17 in overtime.

Dec. 1, 1994: Lineman Mike Frier is paralyzed after suffering a neck fracture in an auto accident near team headquarters in Kirkland. Running backs Chris Warren and Lamar Smith are also involved. Smith, who was driving, is on trial on a charge of vehicular assault.

Dec. 24, 1994: Warren finishes the season with an AFC-leading and franchise-record 1,545 rushing yards.

Dec. 29, 1994: Flores is fired from coach and GM jobs after a 14-34 record with Seattle. All 12 of his assistants also are fired.

Jan. 12, 1995: Dennis Erickson, former University of Miami, Washington State, Wyoming and Idaho coach, named Seahawk head coach.

Jan. 28, 1995: Largent is first Seahawk elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame and only 23rd player elected in first year of eligiblity.

April 15, 1995: Erickson is arrested near Marysville and found to have a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit for drunken driving. He defers prosecution and enters a two-year treatment program.

July 29, 1995: A woman accuses Warren of slapping her after she refuses to dance with him. A charge of misdemeanor assault later was dismissed.

Sept. 3, 1995: Defensive lineman Jacob Green becomes the fifth inductee into the Ring of Honor.

Sept. 6, 1995: Wide receiver Brian Blades is charged with manslaughter in the July shooting death of his cousin in Florida. Blades enters a written plea of innocent.

Feb. 2, 1996: Seahawk front-office employees told not to report to work; locks are changed on office doors.