Super Bowl Vet Hagy Seeks Safety Of Hawks

KIRKLAND - John Hagy, who is fighting for a roster spot in the Seattle Seahawk secondary, has something most players only dream of - Super Bowl memories.

Hagy started 11 games for Buffalo in 1990 and played on special teams in the 20-19 loss to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.

During that offseason, Hagy made one of the most regrettable decisions of his life. He took the Plan B free-agency route to Houston in search of a starting job and wound up getting cut.

"Hindsight is 20-20," he said.

Kansas City picked up Hagy for a playoff game, then released him in the final cut last year.

After an idle season, he was signed by the Seahawks in March.

In the Seahawk camp, Hagy rooms with one of his competitors at free safety, Dave McCloughan, who was acquired from Green Bay during the draft for a sixth-round pick.

"It's a little awkward," Hagy acknowledged. "But I root for Dave to do well and I think he does the same for me. Neither one of us is going to decide who (makes the team). So, it's kind of silly for us to have any kind of animosity or jealousy toward each other."

Eugene Robinson has the starting free-safety job secured. Two-year veteran Dedrick Dodge, McCloughan and Hagy are behind him. McCloughan has experience at other spots in the secondary.

Hagy, 27, a former all-Southwest Conference safety at Texas, was in Buffalo for three seasons. He said he finds the lack of hitting in this camp similar to Marv Levy's philosophy with the Bills.

"We didn't hit a whole lot in Buffalo because Marv thought it was important to have your players ready (healthy) in November and December," he said. "And I think Coach Flores thinks in the same terms."

Hagy got his first real dose of contact last Saturday night against Indianapolis. He wasn't pleased with his four tackles, including three solos.

"I felt a little rusty out there," he said. "I didn't think my tackling was that good and my angles were bad."

The youngest of eight children, Hagy is the son of a career Air Force master sergeant and was born in Okinawa, Japan.

High-school football is an obsession in the Lone Star State, where Hagy eventually attended John Marshall in San Antonio. "We would get 12,000 to 13,000 fans for a weekend game, and that was not considered a big deal," he said.

Hagy and his wife, Libby, live in Austin. He would like to go into high-school coaching when his NFL career ends.

Hagy, who enjoys remodeling houses, would like to remodel the depth chart at free safety by the time camp ends.