The man himself recounts one of the most memorable sporting events of his life as his beloved Seattle Seahawks advanced to Super Bowl XLVIII.
I have never seen my city like this.
I remember the Sonics going to the NBA Finals in 1996. I remember the Mariners and their miracle seasons in 1995 and 2001. I was in Las Vegas going to school in 2006 when the Seahawks went to the Super Bowl, so I didn’t really get to see the city then. But last week was amazing.
I couldn’t help but think of Macklemore’s song “My Oh My” and remember the hysteria that hit Seattle during the run the Mariners went on in ’95. That’s what this feels like right now.
I went to the NFC Championship game on Sunday with three of my best friends since first grade.
I didn’t know if we would be able to get tickets until Tuesday. Seeing the 12s everywhere in the week leading up – what an experience. And I didn’t have the tickets in my hand until Friday.
It didn’t feel real until we were on the way to the stadium.
We sat high up in the stands in Section 343, so I got to see what the crowd is like from high above. I’ve seen some big crowds from down on the field in big games but this was crazy, man.
The camaraderie among the fans is amazing – especially up top when you can really see what’s going on. It’s nice to be able to experience that. You can appreciate it more.
I was still trying to find my seat when Russell Wilson fumbled on the first play and it felt like it was going to be a long game. But the guys were grinding and the individual efforts fueled the team.
And the crowd never gave up, so to see the team reciprocate that and bring us a win, as well, was unbelievable.
To have the connection between the Seahawks and Sounders has been awesome. I got to meet Shaun Alexander and Walter Jones – two heroes from the last team to win the NFC Championship. Now I’ve gotten tweets from Doug Baldwin and I told him I’m a fan of his.
I feel a real connection to Doug and Golden Tate and Jermaine Kearse. The Seahawks brought in some big name receivers with Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice, but they are still out there getting it done.
People cheer even louder when those guys make a big play. The big-money guys are supposed to make the big plays, but when somebody coming up the ranks does, that makes it more special. I definitely can relate to that – especially Kearse coming from Tacoma.
And they all came up big on Sunday.
The atmosphere was unbelievable. To win it in that fashion, it was fitting. This is going to be one of those moments for Seattle and I’m glad I got to be there for such a big part of it.
