10-Year-Old Seahawks Fan Has Richard Sherman-Themed Prosthetic Leg

You can paint birds on your face. You can work out 18 hours a week and dress up as the Hulk.

You can do a number of things to prove your citizenship in the 12th Man Nation, but odds are strong it will not make you a bigger Seattle Seahawks fan than Nate Semmler. 

A 10-year-old resident of Boise, Idaho, Nate was born seven weeks early with a tumor in his left leg that required amputation. He grew up wearing various prostheses until eventually adopting the Seahawks as his football team.

Seattle KING 5 News’ Alex Rozier (h/t Sporting News’ Jasmine Watkins) reports that Semmler’s latest prosthetic is a custom job of sorts featuring a picture of Richard Sherman and other Seahawks themes. (Mobile users: Click here for video.)

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Nate’s mother, Mary Semmler, says she wanted to make a prosthetic her son would be proud of.

“We decided that we wanted to design something that was cool enough for him to wear,” Mary said. “And that’s where we got the idea for the Richard Sherman leg.”

Word traveled fast after Nate adopted his new prosthetic, and a meet-and-greet was arranged between the young man and his hero. Sherman and his biggest fan came together at the Seahawks practice facility in Renton earlier in the 2014-15 season. They talked football and took pictures, and Nate left with an autograph on his prosthetic.

“That was the best day,” Mary said. “To watch this moment, to watch Richard Sherman autograph that leg, it was huge.”

Naturally, Nate was excited to have met the top pass-defender in the league.

“He’s the best in the game,” Nate said. 

The Seahawks followed up the meeting by hosting the Semmler family at Seattle’s home matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in November. 

As for Seattle’s chances against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, Nate is feeling good. Rozier says the young man has picked Seattle over New England, 43-36.

It’s going to be a high-scoring affair, guys. And if Nate and his hero have their way, none of the touchdowns will occur on Sherman’s side of the field.

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