RECOGNITION
WHEREAS, King County's greatness lies not in our buildings, businesses and institutions, but rather in the spirit, character and unity of our people; and
WHEREAS, the Seattle Seahawks and Seahawks fans bring together our community beyond just game days, as the organization and many individual players work on and fund important projects and charities throughout the County, as children find important role models for success, and as fans transcend their differences and unite with one very loud purpose; and
WHEREAS, while a long list of great football players have come and gone through Seattle, Seahawks fans were here long before the first game was played and will remain here until Seattle itself is a memory; and
WHEREAS, Seahawk fans are the best in all professional sports with a rich history: their deafening roar causes earthquakes, breaks noise records and exerts such demonstrable force on the playing field that they were named the 12th MAN, known also as the 12s; and the Seahawks organization has awarded the fans their own jersey and subsequently retired it, awarded them a game ball for causing so many false starts and missed field goals, and now raise a flag in their honor before each home game; and
WHEREAS, in 1996 our community almost lost this treasured heritage when he-who-shall-not-be-named attempted to move the Seahawks to California, thereby stoking the 12th MAN's fury and power as Seahawks' fans united like never before to defeat this enemy; and
WHEREAS, the most dedicated Seahawks fans came together to give voice to the 12th MAN, as Mark Collins founded Save Our Seahawks and did what he promised in his legendary 1995 letter to the former owner, joining with his fellow 12s Jennifer Collins, Patti Hammond,, Paula Jellison, Dean Olsby, Cindy Olsby, Rod Long, Bev Hauptli, Juan Cotto, Mick McHugh, Vinnie Richichi, Bruce Strothers, Damon Huard, Mike Huston, and Mike Gastineau, together leading countless other dedicated fans in a grassroots effort that will forever define the spirit of the 12s; and
WHEREAS, with the help of dedicated and capable staff like Mike Flood and Bert Kolde, Paul Allen stepped into the breach to take the reins of ownership, making a huge commitment and contribution to our County; and
WHEREAS, Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer played a major role in convincing Paul Allen to purchase the team and brokered essential agreements, and Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles in her role then as State Senator and who became known as Senator Jock, helped get the Legislature to approve the legislation placing Ref. 48 on the ballot, with then-Governor Gary Locke signing the measure, together driving the political developments that sent Referendum 48 to the voters; and
WHEREAS, Washington voters passed Referendum 48 on June 17, 1997 authorizing the stadium that stands today; and
WHEREAS, the efforts of all these people ensured that the Seahawks stayed in town and strove for excellence, rewarding the greatest fans on the planet with a champions' culture;
NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Metropolitan King County Council, recognize the
20th Anniversary of Saving Our Seahawks
and extend our gratitude to everyone who helped keep the team in Seattle, fostering a tradition of  community spirit and tying together the people of King County long into the future.
DATED this Thirtienth day of
October, 2017.
