The Seahawks recently assigned jersey numbers to rookies and other newcomers, which, combined with the fact that we're all stuck at home with nothing else to do, makes this a great time to take a trip down memory lane and determine who is the best player in Seahawks history to wear every number from 1 to 99.
Some choices were really easy, such as Seattle's four numbers retired for the Hall of Fame players who wore them: Steve Largent (80), Walter Jones (71), Cortez Kennedy (96) and Kenny Easley (45). Other numbers were less obvious—while 11 is an iconic number for the neighboring Mariners, no Seahawk past or present has exactly put his stamp on it. And one number, 79, even has a fun familial tie to it.
Is this a particularly original idea? Hardly. But what else do we have to do these days? With that ringing endorsement out of the way, we've come up with the far-from-definitive definitive list of the best Seahawks by number that we'll be putting on Seahawks.com this week. Monday, we started out with numbers 1-20, Tuesday we looked at the best players to wear 21-40, Wednesday covered numbers 41-60, Thursday we tackled 61-80, and today we wrap things up with numbers 81-99.
Seahawks.com's John Boyle takes a look at the best player in Seahawks history to wear uniform numbers 81-99.
81: WR Golden Tate
Koren Robinson had a good Seahawks career, including a 1,240-yard season in 2002, but Tate gets the nod just for being the leading receiver on a Super Bowl-winning team, but also for being a very good punt returner on top of his pass-catching duties.
82: WR Darrell Jackson
One of the most productive receivers in franchise history, Jackson had three 1,000-yard seasons over a four-year stretch as one of Matt Hasselbeck's favorite targets in the 2000s. And yes, that should have been a touchdown in Super Bowl XL, not offensive pass interference.
83: WR Steve Raible
Yes, Deion Branch put up slightly better numbers, but we're giving the nod to Raible, an original Seahawk, the "other" Steve who played receiver for the late 70s/early 80s Seahawks, and as fans know him now, the Voice of the Seahawks.
84: WR Bobby Engram
Like Tate, Engram's talents as a punt returner help break a tie with another very good receiver who wore the same number, Joey Galloway. Hasselbeck's go-to target on third down, Engram set a franchise record with 94 receptions, since tied by Doug Baldwin, in 2017. Sam McCullum, who had 3,409 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in six seasons, also deserves a mention.
85: WR Mike Pritchard
Pritchard joined the Seahawks in 1996 after five seasons in Atlanta and Denver, and started 41 games over four seasons in Seattle, catching 169 passes for 2,288 yards and eight scores. Fun fact: Pritchard was a star of Colorado's 1990 win over Missouri, AKA, "The Fifth-Down Game," scoring touchdowns of 68 and 70 yards for the eventual national champions. Receiver/punt returner Paul Johns also deserves a mention here.
86: TE Zach Miller
Miller is one of four tight ends in the running here along with Jerramy Stevens, Christian Fauria and Mike Tice, but Miller gets the nod for playing a big role on a team that went to consecutive Super Bowls. Miller didn't put up big pass-catching numbers, but was a huge part of one of the NFL's best running games.
87: TE Charle Young
Young spent only three seasons in Seattle after a standout career in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco, but his 1,217 yards and five touchdowns in 45 games are enough to give him a slight edge over Ben Obomanu and Ron Howard.
88: TE Jimmy Graham
No, Graham didn't live up to the insane standard he set in New Orleans—and given the difference in offenses, that was never a realistic expectation—but in three seasons, Graham was a two-time Pro Bowler who recorded the most receptions (170), receiving yards (2,048) and touchdowns (18) by a tight end in franchise history, doing that despite a serious knee injury 11 games into his first year in Seattle.
89: WR Doug Baldwin
While Steve Largent is the clear pick for best receiver in franchise history, a good case can be made for either Baldwin or Brian Blades for No. 2 on that list. Unfortunately for this exercise, those two wore the same number, making this arguably the toughest choice on this list. Blades is No. 2 on the franchise list ahead of Baldwin in catches and receiving yards, though he played 11 seasons to Baldwin's eight, while Baldwin is No. 2 in receiving touchdowns. Baldwin gets the slightest of edges for having the slightly better peak, some massive playoff performances, and for playing a big role during the most successful decade in team history.
90: LB Terry Wooden
Jarran Reed's 10.5-sacks 2018 season might be the best single season in this number, but for now at least, Wood is the easy pick for best career in No. 90. Wooden, who is now a national scout for the New Orleans Saints, started 87 games over seven seasons with the Seahawks, and recorded more than 100 tackles four times in five seasons from 1991-1995, including a career-high 135 in 1995.
91: DE Chris Clemons
The Seahawks acquired Clemons in a 2010 trade with the Eagles that didn't seem like a big deal at the time, but it turned out to be one of best trades of the Pete Carroll/John Schneider era. Clemons recorded 33.5 sacks from 2010-2012. For Seahawks fans, it's hard not to wonder if the 2012 playoff loss in Atlanta might have gone differently if Clemons hadn't torn his ACL on a subpar playing surface the week before.
92: DT Brandon Mebane
A force on Seattle's interior line for nearly a decade, Mebane started 125 games in nine seasons with the Seahawks, providing production, leadership and an all-time great "belly roll" sack dance. Mebane, along with Red Bryant, provided crucial leadership for a young defense that established itself as one of the best in NFL history. Also deserving of mention here is linebacker Dave Wyman, who started 56 games over six seasons in Seattle, eclipsing the 100-tackle mark twice in his first three seasons.
93: DT John Randle
Randle built his Hall of Fame resume with the Vikings, but he was still very productive in his final three seasons in Seattle. Randle earned Pro-Bowl honors in 2001 when he recorded 11 sacks, making him one of only three Seahawks defensive tackles in franchise history to record double-digit sacks in a season along with fellow Hall of Famer Cortez Kennedy and current Seahawk Jarran Reed.
94: LB Chad Brown
After staring his career in Pittsburgh, Brown joined the Seahawks in 1997 and earned Pro-Bowl honors twice, as well as first-team All-Pro honors in 1998 when he had 149 tackles and 7.5 sacks. Brown had more than 100 tackles in four of his first five seasons, and recorded 48 sacks over eight seasons.
95: LB Dean Wells
Wells was a four-year starter in his six-seasons with the Seahawks, recording 330 tackles, including 107 in 1996.
96: DT Cortez Kennedy
Kennedy was an absolute force who unfortunately did not get to enjoy much team success during his Hall of Fame career. Despite playing on only one playoff team, Kennedy made people notice his play, earning Pro-Bowl honors eight times and first-team All-Pro honors three times. Perhaps nothing illustrated Tez's dominance more than the fact that he earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1992 despite the Seahawks finishing with a 2-14 record.
97: LB Rufus Porter
Porter went undrafted in 1988, but that didn't stop him from being an instant-impact player in the NFL, earning Pro-Bowl honors each of his first two seasons, including a 1989 season in which he recorded 10.5 sacks. Porter went on to appear in 98 games over seven seasons with the Seahawks, recording 37.5 sacks, 35 of which came over a four-year stretch from 1989-1992. Patrick Kerney, who was a first-team All-Pro in his first season with the Seahawks, recording 14.5 sacks, also merits a mention here.
98: DT Sam Adams
A first-round pick in 1994, Adams started 66 games over six seasons with the Seahawks, recording 23 sacks. Adams went on to earn Pro-Bowl honors three times after leaving Seattle, including in Baltimore's Super Bowl-winning 2000 season.
99: DT Rocky Bernard
Cortez Kennedy could almost be the choice here for his one season in No. 99, his Defensive Player of the Year campaign in which he recorded 14 sacks, 92 tackles and four forced fumbles, but Kennedy had a big and generous heart, so he probably wouldn't have wanted to take up two spots on this list. Besides, Bernard is more than deserving for his seven-year Seahawks career in which he recorded 29 sacks, including 8.5 on Seattle's NFC Championship-winning 2005 squad.