I have been a Seahawks fan since I was a little girl. I grew up just outside of Seattle surrounded by wilderness. One of the highlights of my childhood was going to a Seahawks game with my dad. He would take each of us kids to a game and I always looked forward to spending time with my dad, no siblings in sight, at the Kingdome. We would listen to the oldie's station all the way in and walk what seemed like miles from the car to the Kingdom. My dad would always buy me a program, a huge tub of popcorn and a drink. Our seats were always really high and we would climb and climb to nearly the top of the stadium. The players looked so small from there, but it didn't matter because I was at the big game with my dad.
The Seahawks back then lost more than they won, but that was ok too. I just enjoyed the sounds of the crowd, the food and talking with my dad. At the end of the game we would walk back to the car and I would fall asleep to the sounds of oldies radio. My dad would carry me into the house and tuck me in to bed.
I have never lost my love of the Seahawks, even though they had not won a championship and weren't all that great. As I got older, I didn't go to as many games, but watched them on the television or listened to them on the radio. When I went to the East Coast for college, I would get updates from my friends and family back home.
Fast forward to this season, the big season for the Seahawks. I joined a fantasy football league with my family for the first time. I picked a few Vikings players and a few Seahawks players for my team. I did horribly, coming in last place in the league, but my disappointment was tempered by the fact that my team was winning game after game.
Sundays became a special event for the Bullock family. We would have dinner together and stream in the Seahawks games, cheering them on. Some of the wins were fantastic while others with ugly nail-biters. I was so excited when the Seahawks took home field advantage for the NFC championship game. There is a huge rivalry between the Seahawks and the 49'ers and I was hopeful that my beloved team would come out on top. In perhaps one of the dirtiest games I have ever seen, my dream came true when the Seahawks scraped out a win to claim the NFC championship. My hawks were going to the Super Bowl for the second time ever.
ADVERTISEMENT
The two weeks between the NFC championship and the Super Bowl seemed to drag by. Each day brought out different emotions of anticipation, nervousness and excitement. I made jello shots in Seahawks colors in anticipation of touchdowns.
Finally the big day arrived and the family gathered at my sister's home along with several friends to cheer on the Seahawks. There were a few Broncos fans in the mix that had to endure some good-natured ribbing. We all threw in some cash for a game to see what the points would be at the end of each quarter.
Imagine our delight when the Broncos had a huge miscue at the beginning of the game to give the Seahawks a 2-point lead. We replayed poor Manning's face over and over again as he watched in horror when the ball flew past him instead of into his hands. We all hoped it was a sign of good things to come.
With each interception, touchdown and spectacular defensive play, we jumped up and down and screamed. The jello shots were quickly devoured in our celebration. My favorite moment of the game was when Percy Harvin, former Minnesota Viking, returned the kick 87 yards for a touchdown. We all looked at each other stunned, wondering if that really did just happen. Why yes, yes it did.
As the final seconds of the game ticked down, we cheered so loudly that we scared my dog! Finally, after over thirty years of waiting, I was able to witness my much loved Seahawks win the Lombardi Trophy. I actually cried a little as I hugged my family. It was such an exciting game for our family - never in our wildest dreams did we expect the Seahawks to so thoroughly dominate the game. It almost made me feel a little bad for the Broncos.
My brother-in-law posted was the lucky one who was actually at the game, sitting above the Seahawk endzone. He sent us a victory photo. I am a bit jealous that he was able to experience the game live and celebrate with the other fans.
What makes this such a sweet victory is that not only did the Seahawks win so handily, but they also made history by being the only team to EVER score a safety, a defensive touchdown and a return kick touchdown in a Super Bowl. And they scored their first points 12 seconds into the game and 12 seconds into the second half, a nice homage to their twelfth man fans who never lost faith in them even when nearly everyone else, from the media to several of my friends, said they would never win.
But best of all is that I got to share this historic moment with my dad, coming full circle.
