Seattle Seahawks 12th man meaning is the honorary referral to their fans. They encourage the 11 players on the field to score in the game.
The collective term for the supporters is being used in most of the games consisting of 11 players including American football as well as Soccer. Addressing the fans by the term is to mark their significance and importance in the game.
The exciting and engaging participation of the supporters in the stadium could bring about some notable changes in the match as their cheers and noise help to energize the players.
How the team performs somehow depends upon the cheers of the cheerleaders and chants of the supporters. They whistle, shout, stomp, clap, and use various other ways to produce sound that will encourage their team, confuse the opponents, and convenience the referee to make decisions in their favor.
Shouting at the time of their team’s possession of the ball truly demotivates and demoralizes the opponent team and makes an easy way for the home team to score.
Thus, the term is to recognize the fans’ invaluable support and presence that has significantly contributed to the better performance of the team.
Seattle Seahawks 12th Man History
Seahawks initially addressed their fan base with the 12th Man term and retired their #12 jersey number for the team’s supporters on 15 December 1984.
The only member to wear that jersey number is Sam Adkins who played for the Seahawks as a QB from 1977-1982. He retired in 1983 due to hand surgery.
The history of the Seahawks’ use of the term is interesting to mark because they had to face a lawsuit regarding the copyright and trademark of the term, filed by Texas A&M.
The team did not own the trademark to the term but A&M did. So, they made the Seahawks pay $100,000 right at that time and $5000 yearly for up to five years. This took place in 2006 as the team was entering the Super Bowl XL.
Texas A&M applied for the registry in 1989 and got the approval in the following year making it their own slogan officially and rightfully. Agreements were made between the team and Texas A&M in 2011 and 2016 which made the Seahawks pay more. The team paid more than $150,000 combined in those years.
Seattle Seahawks applied for the trademark of “The 12s” in 2014 which was approved. Ever since the team has used the “The 12s” slogan more than the “12th Man”.
There is another important incident related to the 12 number when the Boeing 747-8 flew over eastern Washington painted with the Seahawks’ livery and No. 12 on the tail.
Evolution of the Term
The term was first used in 1900 in a magazine published by the University of Minnesota referring to the rooters (a group of people who cheer in rhythm).
It was again used later by E. A. McGowan in the Iowa Alumnus in November of 1912 where he described the Iowa vs. Illinois game played in 1903 to refer to the loyal-spirited Iowa rooter.
The 1922 Dixie Classic football game between Centre College and Texas A&M was later called “The Story of the 12th Man”. Similarly, there are a number of other mentions of the term until it finally came to the Seahawks after 1984.
Glimpse Into 12th Man logo
Seattle Seahawks 12th man logo consists of a Seahawk’s head placed on the center of the big 3-D “12” number. The head includes a blue eye.
The bottom of the hawk’s neck taken from the team logo consists of a medium-light icy gray color with a slight bluish touch. The upper border, the sidelines of the eye area, and the border of the beak have been painted dark navy blue.
The “12” also has the same dark navy blue color on the outer border whereas the inner lines have been given a parrot green color. The seahawk appears like it is gazing at its prey.
The harsh gaze is adopted from Egyptian Mythology indicating the ferocious look at the opponents. The head overall represents the team’s determination, focus, and strong will. It also displays the strength of the squad and its continuity in the field of football.
Whereas the number “12” relives the time back in 1984 when the Seahawks officially retired jersey #12 to honor their fans. It has set a tradition of recognizing the fans as an inseparable part of all their victories and the team’s proud moments.
The 12’s Ball
In a match between the Seahawks and the New York Giants that took place on 27 November 2005, Seattle Seahawks went for a dramatic win in the overtime.
The Giants were called for 11 false start penalties and 3 missed field goals by the support provided by Seahawks fans in the stadium.
Mike Holmgren, the then head coach of the team, dedicated the ball to the fans and named it the “Twelfth Man Ball” which is currently kept at club level at Lumen Field.
12th Man Seattle Seahawks Jersey
Seattle Seahawks is among the five teams in the NFL to retire their official jersey number 12 to provide tribute to their fans. The Bills, Jets, Dolphins, and 49ers are others.
The #12 jersey was worn by Sam Adkins who served in the backup role to Jim Zorn from 1977-1982. He was selected in the 1977 NFL Draft in the tenth round. He is also the only member to put on the mark.
After the player’s retirement in 1983, the franchise declared to retire the jersey number officially for their fans and dedicated the numeral to the supporters on 15 December 1984.
The shrug has 12 printed on it. On the top of the number, there is a “Fan” printed on both sides. “Seahawks” is also featured on the front lower end of the shoulder on the grey background label.
The “12” is placed on both shoulders and the Nike logo is placed on both sleeves with its background part painted in green color. There is a small label at the lower right side at the front which features the logo of NFL, NFLPA, M, and Nike.
The Ts are available in a wide variety of colors including dark navy blue, Grey, White, Black, Green, Blue, White Vapour Fuse, Navy Vapour Fuse, and Neon green.
Where To Buy?
They are available to buy online on the official store of the Seattle Seahawks, The Pro Shop as well as in the NFLshop.com, the online store of the National Football League.
The T-shirts are available under different categories including those which are most popular among men’s jerseys. The average price starts from $89.99 and can cost you $294.99 in maximum.
Similarly, medium-range Ts can cost you $129.99. The price doesn’t include shipping charges which may vary according to the place you are residing at present.
Flag For the 12th Man
Seattle Seahawks 12th man flag was first installed in 2003 in a giant flag pole at the south end zone of Lumen Field. It is still enshrined in the same place.
The Giant flag consists of the number 12 written on white and has a blue background. Other variations of the ensign have “12” of the Seahawks’ helmet.
The green color border runs on both ends of the rectangular flag. It is painted with a navy blue color same as their logo in the middle.
Some also feature the same numeral but with a green belt running across the flag in the middle. It divides the navy blue color into two equal halves and has a seahawk’s head on two opposite ends.
The official one is still the one with the blue flap. The Ensign is raised all over Seattle whenever the team makes the playoffs. Besides raising the flag, the fans have set a Guinness World Record two times making the loudest crowd noise ever recorded on earth.
The record was 136.6 decibels in the game against the 49ers on 15 September 2013 and 137.6 decibels against the Saints on 2 December of the same year.
Who Raised The 12th Man Flag At The Seahawks Game Today?
Former Seahawks Running Back Ricky Watters raised the flag on the first 2023 home game. The team played against the LA Rams on 10th September.
The tradition of raising the giant flag in football began in 2003 in honor of the supporters. Different individuals raise the Ensign on different occasions.
In the pregame events, a local celebrity or a season ticket holder gets to raise the flag. Similarly, in the Super Bowl XLVIII LB Heath Farwell led the team with the giant pennon.
The flag also reached Mount Everest when mountaineer David Liano Gonzalez took it with him to climb the world’s tallest mountain in May 2016.
This season, the Ensign has already been raised once and twice in the preseason games. The raisers to do the honor were:
- Seneca Wallace, a former quarterback of the Seahawks on 19 August against the Dallas Cowboys
- Ross Mathews, a TV personality on 10 August against the Minnesota Vikings
In the 2022 season, the flag was raised in a total of 10 matches by various personalities including former Seahawks players, athletes of various sports, actors, comedians, intellectual personalities, and season ticket holders.
The tradition will be continued in the upcoming regular season games of 2023 as well. It is considered one of the greatest gameday cultures in the NFL. The honor is typically done by the former legends of the Seattle Seahawks.