The1976 season was theSeattle Seahawks' 1st in theNational Football League (NFL), This season was also the team's only one in theNFC until the league realigned divisions before the2002 season, at which point the Seahawks were once again placed in theNFC West. The Seahawks obtained a futurePro Football Hall of Fame inductee from theHouston Oilers, who had drafted receiverSteve Largent in the 4th round in 1976. Largent would go on to be a first-ballot Hall-of-Fame wide receiver, playing in sevenPro Bowls, recorded over 13,000 receiving yards and score 100 touchdowns in a 14-year career with the Seahawks.

However, before the Seahawks even played their first game, tragedy struck, as the team's owner Lloyd W. Nordstrom died from aheart attack while vacationing inMexico on January 20. Nordstrom had been instrumental in landing an NFL team in thePacific Northwest, and hiring the front office, but he never had a chance to see his team take the field. The estate of Mr. Nordstrom would oversee the team (with Lloyd's son Elmer being chairman), with co-ownerHerman Sarkowsky serving as the team's first chief operating officer.^[1][2][3]

The Seahawks, coached byJack Patera, played their first preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on August 1, and their first regular season game came on September 12 at the sold-outKingdome. The Seahawks played a solid game, but had their desperation final pass intercepted in the endzone in a 30–24 loss to theSt. Louis Cardinals. The Seahawks would go on to lose their first five games, before beating theTampa Bay Buccaneers, their brothers in expansion, 13–10 inTampa on October 17. Three weeks later, the Seahawks would earn their first (and only for that season) home victory by beating theAtlanta Falcons 30–13 behind the 124-yard effort of running backSherman Smith. These two wins would be the only ones for the season, as the first-year team compiled a record of 2–12, making them the worst team in the NFC, although this was nevertheless better than their expansion cousins theTampa Bay Buccaneers, who went 0–14 in the AFC.

^[4]

• Starters in bold.

Source: Seahawks Media Guides^[5][6]

In its first year, Seattle played all of the teams in theNFC, plus fellow expansion teamTampa Bay, as a member of theNFC West.

Bold indicates division opponents.

Source: 1976 NFL season results^[21]

The Seahawks played their first game in team history on September 12, 1976, hosting theSt. Louis Cardinals at theKingdome inSeattle,Washington. The Cardinals took a 3–0 lead afterJim Bakken kicked a 28-yard field goal, however, the Seahawks fought back andDon Bitterlich kicked a 27-yard field goal to earn the first points in team history, and to tie the game at 3–3. St. Louis took a 10–3 lead in the second quarter, asIke Harris caught a 12-yard touchdown pass fromJim Hart. The Cardinals then kicked another field goal to take a 13–3 lead into halftime. St. Louis stayed hot in the third quarter, asPat Tilley caught a 27-yard pass for a touchdown, followed by another field goal byJim Bakken, as St. Louis took a commanding 23–3 lead. The Seahawks cut into the lead late in the third quarter, asSam McCullum scored the first touchdown in team history, completing a 15-yard pass fromJim Zorn, as Seattle narrowed the Cardinals lead to 23–10. In the fourth quarter, Cardinals running backJim Otis scored a one-yard touchdown, as St. Louis took a 30–10 lead. The Seahawks made a late charge in the fourth quarter, as McCullum scored his second touchdown of the game, completing a 72-yard pass from Zorn, to make the score 30–17. Later in the quarter, Zorn had an eight-yard rushing touchdown, as the Seahawks cut the Cardinals lead down to six, 30–24, however, it would be too late, as the Cardinals hung on for the victory.

With the loss, the Seahawks began the season 0–1–0.

The Seahawks played their first ever road game in week two, as they traveled across the country to Washington, D.C. to face theWashington Redskins. Washington opened the season with a 19–17 win over theNew York Giants in the first week of the season. The Redskins opened the scoring in the first quarter, asMike Thomas rushed for five yards into the Seahawks' end zone to give Washington a 7–0 lead. In the second quarter, Redskins kickerMark Moseley kicked a 37-yard field goal to make the score 10–0.Jean Fugett then completed a 12-yard pass fromBilly Kilmer to give the Redskins a 17–0 lead heading into halftime. In the third quarter,Mike Thomas earned his second touchdown of the game, as he caught a 10-yard pass from Kilmer to increase the Redskins lead to 24–0. The Seahawks got on the board in the fourth quarter, asDon Testerman rushed one yard into the end zone to cut Washington's lead to 24–7, however, the RedskinsFrank Grant caught a five-yard pass from Kilmer, as Washington won the game easily by a 31–7 score.

Seattle fell to 0–2–0 with the loss.

The Seahawks returned home for the third week of the season, as they faced theSan Francisco 49ers, who had a 1–1–0 record during their first two games. The 49ers took control of the game early, as in the first quarter, kickerSteve Mike-Mayer had a 45-yard field goal to give San Francisco a 3–0 lead. The Niners then took a 10–0 lead whenRalph McGill ran back a 50-yard punt return.Gene Washington completed a 38-yard pass from quarterbackJim Plunkett to give the 49ers a 17–0 lead in the first quarter. The SeahawksHugh McKinnis had a one-yard rush into the 49ers' end zone to cut San Francisco's lead to 17–7 at the end of the quarter. The 49ers took a 24–7 lead when Washington caught his second touchdown completion of the game in the second quarter, followed by a 52-yard touchdown completion byWillie McGee as San Francisco had a 31–7 lead going into halftime. In the third quarter, McKinnis rushed for his second touchdown of the game to cut the 49ers lead to 31–14. In the fourth quarter, Seattle continued to come back, asSteve Largent caught a six-yard touchdown pass fromJim Zorn to make the score 31–21. The 49ersSteve Mike-Mayer then kicked two late field goals in the game, as San Francisco won 37–21.

The loss dropped the Seahawks to 0–3–0.

TheDallas Cowboys came into theKingdome for the Seahawks fourth game of the season. Dallas had a record of 3–0 to begin the year. The Seahawks took the lead in the game for the first time in team history in the first quarter whenDon Testerman caught a seven-yard touchdown completion fromJim Zorn to give Seattle a 7–0 lead on the undefeated Cowboys. In the second quarter, the Seahawks continued to stun the Cowboys, asJim Zorn threw his second touchdown completion, this time a four-yard pass toSteve Largent, however, the extra point convert failed, as Seattle took a 13–0 lead. The Cowboys began to comeback, asDrew Pearson caught an eight-yard pass fromRoger Staubach for a touchdown to cut the Seahawks lead to 13–7. Dallas then took a 14–13 lead into halftime, asCharley Young caught a 25-yard pass by Staubach for a touchdown at the end of the quarter. The Cowboys scored another touchdown in the third quarter, asRobert Newhouse rushed for 24 yards into the Seahawks' end zone. Dallas put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, scoring their fourth touchdown in a row whenDoug Dennison had a one-yard run, as the Cowboys won the game 28–13.

With the loss, the Seahawks record dropped to 0–4–0.

After two home games in a row, the Seahawks were back on the road for the fifth week of the season, as they visited theGreen Bay Packers atCounty Stadium inMilwaukee, Wisconsin. The Packers entered the game with a 1–3–0 record. Green Bay opened the scoring in the first quarter, whenBarty Smith rushed for a yard into the Seahawks' end zone to give the Packers a 7–0 lead. The Seahawks responded with a big second quarter, asSteve Raible ran back a 26-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown to even the score at 7–7. The Seahawks took a 10–7 lead asJohn Leypoldt kicked a 48-yard field goal. Leypoldt kicked a second field goal, a 44-yard kick, to give Seattle a 13–7 lead into halftime. In the third quarter, the Seahawks took a 20–7 lead whenRalph Nelson ran for a one-yard touchdown. The Packers cut the lead to 20–14 whenSteve Odom caught a 66-yard pass fromLynn Dickey to close out the third quarter. In the fourth, the Packers took a 21–20 lead whenBarty Smith ran for a six-yard touchdown. Green Bay scored another touchdown, this time a six-yard rush byWillard Harrell, however, the extra point failed, as the Packers took the lead 27–20, and hung on to win the game.

With the loss, the Seahawks dropped to 0–5–0.

The Seahawks remained on the road for the sixth week of the season, traveling toTampa, Florida to face their expansion cousins, theTampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers entered the game with a 0–5–0 record. Tampa Bay opened the scoring in the first quarter, when kickerDave Green connected for a 38-yard field goal to give the Buccaneers a 3–0 lead. In the second quarter, the Seahawks took the lead whenSam McCullum caught a 15-yard pass fromJim Zorn to give the Seahawks a 7–3 lead. Before the quarter was over, Seahawks kickerJohn Leypoldt had two field goals, to give Seattle a 13–3 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, the Buccaneers cut the Seahawks lead down to three whenMorris Owens caught a one-yard pass fromLouis Carter to make it 13–10 for the Seahawks. In the fourth quarter, the Seahawks held off the Buccaneers, as Seattle held on for the win, the first in team history.

With the win, the Seahawks improved their record to 1–5–0.

The Seahawks returned home after two consecutive road games, and faced theDetroit Lions, who had a 2–4–0 record in their first six games of the season. The Lions opened the scoring in the first quarter when kickerBenny Ricardo had a 25-yard field goal. Ricardo then kicked a 44-yard field goal to give Detroit a 6–0 lead. The Lions then took a 13–0 lead whenDavid Hill caught a 20-yard pass for a touchdown from quarterbackGreg Landry at the end of the first quarter. The Lions stretched their lead to 20–0 whenLevi Johnson intercepted a pass from Seahawks quarterbackJim Zorn and ran it back 70 yards into the Seahawks' end zone in the second quarter. Seattle cut into the Lions lead whenHugh McKinnis rushed for a two-yard touchdown, to make the score 20–7 for Detroit. Before halftime, McKinnis ran for another touchdown, this time a seven-yard run, to make the score 20–14. The Lions took control of the game in the third quarter whenCharlie Sanders caught an eight-yard pass for a touchdown to give the Lions a 27–14 lead.Lawrence Gaines then caught a nine-yard pass for a touchdown as Detroit took a 34–14 lead. In the fourth quarter, the LionsLem Barney had a 24-yard interception and ran it back for a touchdown, as the Lions won the game 41–14.Jim Zorn threw six interceptions in the game, and in total, the Seahawks had eight turnovers.

With the loss, the Seahawks record dropped to 1–6–0.

The Seahawks headed back on the road for the eighth week of the season, traveling toLos Angeles to face the NFC West Division leadingLos Angeles Rams, who entered the game with a 5–1–1 record. The Rams opened the scoring in the first quarter, whenTom Dempsey kicked a 20-yard field goal to make it 3–0 Los Angeles. The Rams then took a 10–0 lead whenMonte Jackson had a 41-yard interception for a touchdown from Seahawks quarterbackJim Zorn. Los Angeles took a 17–0 lead whenLawrence McCutcheon had a six-yard rushing touchdown, followed by a touchdown byRon Jessie as he caught a 15-yard pass fromJames Harris, giving the Rams a 24–0 lead after the first quarter. The Seahawks broke the shutout in the second quarter, whenJohn Leypoldt was good on a 43-yard field goal attempt to cut the Rams lead to 24–3. Los Angeles took a 31–3 lead into halftime afterHarold Jackson caught a 30-yard pass from Harris. In the third quarter,John Leypoldt connected for his second field goal of the game for the Seahawks, making the score 31–6 for the Rams. Los Angeles took a 38–6 lead in the fourth quarter whenRob Scribner rushed for a yard into the Seahawks' end zone. The Rams capped off the scoring whenTom Geredine caught a pass fromPat Haden, giving the Rams the victory by a score of 45–6.

With the loss, the Seahawks record fell to 1–7–0.

The Seahawks returned to Seattle for their ninth game of the season, as they hosted theAtlanta Falcons, who entered the game with a 2–6–0 record. After a scoreless first quarter, the Falcons opened the scoring in the second, when kickerNick Mike-Mayer was successful on an 18-yard attempt to give Atlanta a 3–0 lead. The Seahawks responded whenSherman Smith caught a 21-yard touchdown pass fromJim Zorn, as Seattle took a 7–3 lead. The Seahawks upped their lead to 14–3 by halftime, whenJohn McMakin had a 31-yard touchdown reception. In the third quarter, Seahawks cornerbackDave Brown tackled the FalconsRolland Lawrence in the Falcons' end zone for a safety, giving Seattle a 16–3 lead.Nick Mike-Mayer of the Falcons kicked his second field goal of the game later in the quarter to cut the Seahawks lead to 16–6, however,Al Matthews of the Seahawks intercepted a pass from Falcons quarterbackKim McQuilken and ran it 40 yards into the Falcons' end zone, giving the Seahawks a 23–6 lead. Before the end of the third quarter, the Seahawks added another touchdown whenSherman Smith had a 53-yard rush, as Seattle took a 30–6 lead.Alfred Jenkins of the Falcons scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, however, the Seahawks won the game 30–13 for their first ever victory at theKingdome.

With the win, Seattle improved to 2–7–0.

The Seahawks were on the road for their tenth game of the season, as they headed toMetropolitan Stadium inBloomington, Minnesota to face theMinnesota Vikings. It was a very cold day, as the temperature at kickoff was 24 degrees, 16 with the windchill. Heading into the game, the Vikings had a 7–1–1 record. Minnesota took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter whenBrent McClanahan rushed for a yard into the Seahawks' end zone. Seattle responded and tied the game at 7–7 when quarterbackJim Zorn rushed 12 yards into the Vikings' end zone. Minnesota re-took the lead in the second quarter whenSammy White caught a 29-yard pass for a touchdown fromFran Tarkenton, giving the Vikings a 14–7 into halftime. Seattle tied the game early in the third quarter, whenJim Zorn threw an 80-yard pass toSteve Raible, making the score 14–14. Vikings kickerFred Cox broke the tie with a 43-yard field goal to give Minnesota a 17–14 lead, and then connected on a 39-yard attempt before the end of the quarter as the Vikings led the game 20–14. Seattle took their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter whenSam McCullum caught a seven-yard pass from Zorn, as the Seahawks took the lead 21–20. The Vikings avoided the upset though, asStu Voigt caught a five-yard pass from Tarkenton, giving the Vikings the victory by a score of 27–21.

With the loss, Seattle fell to 2–8–0.

The Seahawks returned to theKingdome for the eleventh week of the season, where they hosted theNew Orleans Saints, who came into the game with a 3–7–0 record. Seattle opened the scoring whenSherman Smith had a one-yard rush into the Saints' end zone, however, the extra point failed, as the Seahawks had a 6–0 lead. New Orleans cut the Seahawks lead in half when kickerRich Szaro had a 46-yard field goal, making the score 6–3 for Seattle. The Saints took full control of the game in the second quarter, asBobby Douglass had two rushing touchdowns, followed by another field goal by Szaro, as the Saints scored 17 unanswered points to take a 20–6 lead. New Orleans kept coming on strong in the third quarter, asChuck Muncie had a three-yard rushing touchdown to make it 27–6 for the Saints. Seattle cut into the Saints lead whenSteve Largent caught an 11-yard pass from quarterbackBill Munson, making the score 27–13 for New Orleans. The Saints responded with three touchdowns before the end of the quarter, two of them on Seahawks turnovers. The SaintsTom Myers returned a 20-yard fumble into the Seattle end zone to make the score 34–13 for New Orleans.Elex Price then had a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown to give the Saints a 41–13 lead, followed by aTony Galbreath three-yard run into the Seahawks' end zone to give New Orleans a 48–13 lead after three-quarters. In the fourth, the SeahawksSherman Smith rushed for his second touchdown of the game, as the score was 48–20 for New Orleans. The SaintsRich Szaro kicked his third field goal of the game, this time from 21 yards, as New Orleans went ahead 51–20. Seahawks quarterbackJim Zorn had a seven-yard touchdown rush late in the game, making the final score 51–27 for the Saints.

With the loss, Seattle fell to 2–9–0.

For the twelfth week of the season, the Seahawks traveled across the country toGiants Stadium inEast Rutherford, New Jersey, the Seattle faced theNew York Giants, who entered the game with a 1–10–0 record. The Seahawks opened the scoring in the first quarter whenSherman Smith had a two-yard rushing touchdown, however, the Seahawks failed in the extra point attempt and took a 6–0 lead. Seattle stretched their lead to 9–0 by the end of the first quarter whenJohn Leypoldt hit a 45-yard field goal. The Giants fought back in the second quarter, asGary Shirk caught a three-yard touchdown pass fromCraig Morton, cutting the Seahawks lead to 9–7. New York then took the lead whenGordon Bell ran for a two-yard touchdown, making the score 14–9 for the Giants at halftime. The Giants struck again to open the scoring in the third quarter, asGordon Bell rushed for his second touchdown of the game, this time for 21 yards, as New York took a 21–9 lead. The Seahawks replied with their own rushing touchdown, as quarterbackJim Zorn rushed for seven yards into the Giants' end zone, cutting the New York lead to 21–16. The Giants put the game away in the fourth quarter, asEric Marshall caught a nine-yard touchdown reception, making the final score 28–16 for New York.

The loss dropped the Seahawks to 2–10–0 on the season.

The Seahawks final home game of the season was against theChicago Bears, who entered the game with a 6–6–0 record. After a scoreless first quarter, the Bears opened the scoring whenJohnny Musso rushed for two yards into the Seahawks end zone, however, Chicago failed on the extra point attempt to take a 6–0 lead. The Seahawks responded with their own touchdown, asJohn McMakin caught a 14-yard pass fromJim Zorn, giving Seattle a 7–6 lead at halftime. The Bears took control of the game in the third quarter, asJames Scott had a 63-yard touchdown reception, followed by a 30-yard touchdown reception, both from quarterbackBob Avellini, giving the Bears a 20–7 lead. Before the quarter was over, Chicago took a 27–7 whenRoland Harper had a 39-yard touchdown reception. In the fourth quarter, the Bears went up 34–7 when Randy Burks caught a 55-yard pass for a touchdown fromVirgil Carter, as Chicago ended the game scoring 28 unanswered points.

The loss dropped Seattle to a record of 2–11–0.

Seattle headed on the road for the final game of the season, as they faced thePhiladelphia Eagles on a cold day atVeterans Stadium. The Eagles entered the game with a 3–10–0 record. Philadelphia scored the lone touchdown in the first quarter, asTom Sullivan had a four-yard rush into the Seahawks' end zone to give the Eagles a 7–0 lead. In the second quarter, Sullivan rushed for his second touchdown, this time a one-yard rush at the goal line, as Philadelphia took a 14–0 lead. The Seahawks got on the scoreboard whenJohn Leypoldt connected for a 24-yard field goal, as the score was 14–3 for the Eagles at halftime. The Eagles took a 17–3 lead in the third quarter asHorst Muhlmann had a 33-yard field goal, then Philadelphia took a 24–3 lead asCharlie Smith rushed for three yards into the Seattle end zone. In the fourth quarter, Muhlmann had his second field goal of the game, making the score 27–3 for Philadelphia. The Seahawks cut the lead to 27–10, asSteve Largent caught a nine-yard touchdown pass fromJim Zorn for the final score of the game.

The loss dropped the Seahawks' record to 2–12–0 for the season. It was also their last game as an NFC team for the next 26 years.

• Official website
• 1976 Seattle Seahawks season at ESPN
• 1976 Seattle Seahawks season at Pro Football Reference (pro-football-reference.com)
• 1976 Seattle Seahawks Statistics at jt-sw.com
• 1976 Seattle Seahawks Schedule at jt-sw.com

• 1976 NFL season by team
• Seattle Seahawks seasons
• 1976 in sports in Washington (state)
• 1970s in Seattle

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from August 2023
• Pages using NFL final roster with unknown parameters
• Official website not in Wikidata