The Seattle Seahawks and Their NFL Uniform Changes over the Years (1976-Present)

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Born in 1976, the Seattle Seahawks have more or less maintained consistent uniform schemes in their 35-year history. The only real major revision came in 2002 when they moved back to the NFC and into their new post-Kingdome home, what was originally called Seahawks Stadium (now known as CenturyLink Field).

Here's a look at their various blue-and-green looks over the years.

First Helmet (1976)

The Seahawks originally wore a silver helmet with a gray facemask, as shown at HelmetHut.com. The logo on the sides was a totemic blue-and-green bird that wrapped around onto the back from both sides, but did not meet.

White Jersey (1976-1982)

Seahawks QB Jim Zorn (1976-1984)

The original Seattle road jerseys were white with blue numbers, while the striping sequence on the sleeves below the TV numbers was green-white-blue-white-green.

The Seahawks' pants for both the home and road uniforms were gray, with green-white-blue-white-green striping down the legs. The socks were white, and topped with blue-white-green-white-green-white-blue stripes (got all that?), with the blue stripes being much wider and thicker than the others.

Completing the original look was black cleats, which changed to white by 1980.

 

Original Blue Jersey (1976-1982)

Seahawks RB Sherman Smith (1976-1982)

The home jerseys for games at the Kingdome (and some road games) were blue with white numbers. The striping sequence on the sleeves below the TV numbers was white-green-white-green-white.

The Seahawks' pants for both uniforms were gray with green-white-blue-white-green vertical striping down the legs. The socks were white, and topped with blue-white-green-white-green-white-blue stripes, with the blue stripes being much wider and thicker than the others.

Completing the look was black cleats, which changed to white by 1980.

Blue Facemasks (1983-2001)

The original Seahawks helmet remained virtually unchanged until 1983, when blue facemasks were added.

Blue Jersey (1983-2001)

Seahawks WR Steve Largent (1976-1989)
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The most striking change to the Seahawks jersey in 1983 came on the sleeves. The white TV numbers on the blue home jerseys were moved to the shoulders, and the stripes were replaced by the same Seahawk head logo featured on the helmet.

The pants remained the same as before, gray with green-white-blue-white-green vertical stripes. The cleats were white, while the original white socks with alternating color stripes were replaced by blue socks that shifted to white further down the leg.

The original all-blue yoke or collar around the neck was replaced by a blue-white-green-white-green-white-blue striping sequence, and an NFL shield was also added below the collar in 1991.

A 10th anniversary Seahawks logo was added to the Seahawks pants for the 1985 season, according to Seahawks Uni History. A 75th NFL anniversary logo was worn on both the home and road jerseys in 1994, while the Seahawks also wore their original uniforms at certain points that season (minus the gray facemasks.)

A commemorative Seahawks 25th anniversary patch was worn on both jerseys during the 2000 season.

White Jersey (1983-2001)

Seahawks DE Jacob Green (1980-1992)
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

The white Seahawks road jersey underwent the same changes as its blue counterpart did in 1983. The blue TV numbers on the sleeves were moved to the shoulders, and the sleeve stripes were replaced by the same Seahawk head logo featured on the helmet.

The pants remained the same as before, gray with green-white-blue-white-green vertical stripes. The cleats were white, while the original white socks with alternating color stripes were replaced by blue socks that shifted to white further down the leg.

The original all-white yoke or collar around the neck was replaced by a green-white-blue-white-green striping sequence, and eventually an NFL shield was also added in the middle in 1991.

New Blue Helmet (2002-Present)

The Seahawks underwent a radical uniform redesign in 2002 as they prepared to move back to the NFC West and into their new outdoor stadium.

Chief among those changes was a new navy blue helmet with a dark navy blue facemask. The totemic Seahawk logo was also redone in the team's new colors, with a lighter "Seahawks Blue" replacing the original kelly green. The new logo also appeared to be more aggressive, with a more forward-arching, lime green eye, and a more hooked beak.

As with the original silver Seahawk helmet, the logo wrapped around to the back of the helmet on either side, but was separate in the middle. A new Seahawks wordmark was also developed, and was added in navy blue on the back bumper.

The Helmet That Never Was

The Seahawks proposed wearing two different helmets as part of their 2002 uniform alterations, but the NFL wouldn't allow it. The road helmets would have had the new, more predatory-looking Seahawk logo and navy blue facemask, but on a silver helmet—ostensibly an homage to the club's original lid from 1976-2011.

Blue Jersey (2002-Present)

Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander (2000-2007)
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

The new home uniform was all blue, including both the jersey and pants. All the numbers were white, trimmed with navy blue. The lower jersey sleeves were also the navy blue shade, darker than the rest of the jersey, and contained a small Seahawk head logo. The collar was striped navy-green-navy, with the NFL shield at the bottom. Below that shield was the wordmark "Seahawks" in white in the new typeface.

The striping sequence on the sides of the regular blue pants was navy-green-navy. The Seahawks later used navy blue pants, which were darker than the regular blue jerseys, in 2009. The striping on those pants was blue-green-blue.

The socks were white with navy blue tops, while the cleats reverted to black.

White Jersey (2002-Present)

Seahawks FB Mack Strong (1993-2007)
Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

The new road uniform was white, including both the jersey and pants. All the numbers were blue trimmed with navy. The lower jersey sleeves were navy and contained a small Seahawk head logo. The collar was striped navy-green-navy, with the NFL shield at the bottom. Below that shield was the wordmark "Seahawks", in blue, in the new typeface.

The striping sequence on the sides of the pants was navy-green-navy. The Seahawks have also used both the blue pants and the navy pants with the white jerseys at various times, all on the road.

The socks were white with navy blue tops, while the cleats reverted to black.

According to Wikipedia and other sources, the Seahawks are the only current NFL team to have never worn their white jerseys at home.

Alternate Uniform (2002, 2009)

Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander (2000-2007) and LT Walter Jones (1997-2009)
Al Bello/Getty Images

The Seahawks wore a white jersey-blue pants combination for road games in both 2002 and 2009.

Alternate Uniform (2005)

Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck (2001-2010)
A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images

The blue jerseys were worn with the white pants in the 2005 regular-season opener at Jacksonville, a 26-14 loss to the Jaguars.

The blue-white uniform combination has not been worn in a regular-season game since, although the Seahawks won the NFC Championship and advanced to their first Super Bowl that season.

Super Bowl XL (2006)

Seahawks WR Darrell Jackson (2000-2006)
Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The Seahawks wore their blue jerseys and pants for Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit on Feb. 6, 2005.

Their jerseys featured a commemorative "Super Bowl XL" patch for that contest, which was won by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-10.

Green Jersey (2009)

Seahawks QB Seneca Wallace (2003-2009)
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

The Seahawks wore a jersey other than blue or white for the first—and so far only—time on September 27, 2009, in a 25-19 loss to the visiting Chicago Bears at what was then called Qwest Field.

These lime green creations—or nightmares—had the traditional navy blue sleeves with the Seahawk head logo. A white "Seahawks" wordmark was situated under the NFL shield below the collar, which itself was striped navy-blue-navy. 

The green jerseys were paired with the navy pants and have seemingly been retired after that one and only appearance.

The Future (2012 and Beyond)

According to Seahawks Uni History, Nike will take over the manufacturing of all NFL team uniforms starting in 2012.

Whether this means changes for the Seahawks has yet to be announced, but last year so-called Nike Pro Combat Uniform prototypes (like the one shown above) were found floating around the Web (and Bleacher Report).

Supposedly, they're not definitive.

What Could Have Been in King County, Washington

The Seattle Kings never came to be, but not for lack of trying

Before the  Seahawks came into being, and while the now-demolished Kingdome was under construction, there was an ownership group in Seattle that sought to land an NFL franchise that would have been called the Kings.

It's a long and interesting story that goes way back before the Seahawks finally began play in 1976.

Wayback Machine: Hugh McElhenny & the Kings