By The Numbers: The Greatest Seahawks By Jersey Number

Originally Published:  April 16, 2012
Updated:  September 7, 2021

Let me be quite frank:  this post is a complete waste of time.  But, it’s MY waste of time, dammit!

I spent probably about three hours compiling this list.  I used this site as a guide.  I would say half, or two thirds of the picks were easy.  For the tough ones, I generally went by their Approximate Value as listed in Pro Football Reference.com (however, for the most part, I did NOT necessarily go by AV, mostly sticking to the impressions of My Gut).  For the next-to-impossible ones, I kept clicking on names until I found someone who wore the number 34 (for example).  I have to say that I almost went blind out of sheer monotony.

If a player wore multiple numbers in his career, then I chose the number he wore most often.  And, I only counted a player’s Seattle playing career, not his overall playing career.  If a guy only played two seasons with the Seahawks, and each season he wore a different number, then I didn’t include him because fuck it.

Without further ado, here is Part One of a 3-part series (yes, Mariners and Sonics lists are yet to come).  I have listed the Jersey Number, followed by the player name, followed by his primary position, followed by (in parenthesis) the player who ended up a close (or not-so-close) second in the running.  I’ll update this page accordingly for guys like Earl Thomas and Marshawn Lynch, should they continue to kick ass in their respective jersey numbers and surpass those currently ahead of them.  For the record, I think one more season for each might do it.

P.S.  This list was ALMOST incomplete.  For the life of me, I could NOT find one Seahawk who wore the number 48.  By chance, Mike Morgan – linebacker currently on the roster, a rookie last season – wears number 48.  He was injured all of last year and has zero stats for the Seahawks, but he’s your clubhouse leader for Best Seahawk To Ever Wear The Number 48.  If anyone can find a #48 who actually DOES have stats of some kind, please pass along the info and I’ll adjust accordingly.

And if you have any beef with any of my other picks, feel free to make your opinion known.  Who knows, maybe I’ll stand corrected and your pick will replace mine!  Anything can happen, I suppose …

1 – Warren Moon, Quarterback, (Efren Herrera)
2 – Todd Peterson, Kicker
3 – Russell Wilson, Quarterback
4 – Stephen Hauschka, Kicker, (Michael Dickson)
5 – Jason Myers, Kicker, (Ruben Rodriguez)
6 – Charlie Whitehurst, Quarterback, (Quandre Diggs)
7 – Jon Kitna, Quarterback
8 – Matt Hasselbeck, Quarterback
9 – Norm Johnson, Kicker, (Jon Ryan)
10 – Jim Zorn, Quarterback
11 – Brock Huard, Quarterback
12 Sam Adkins, Quarterback
13 – Ken Walter, Punter
14 – D.K. Metcalf, Wide Receiver, (Rick Tuten)
15 – Jermaine Kearse, Wide Receiver, (Seneca Wallace)
16 – Tyler Lockett, Wide Receiver
17 – Dave Krieg, Quarterback
18 – Sidney Rice, Wide Receiver, (D.J. Hackett)
19 – Bill Munson, Quarterback
20 – Maurice Morris, Running Back, (Jeremy Lane)
21 – Paul Moyer, Defensive Back
22 – Dave Brown, Defensive Back
23 – Marcus Trufant, Defensive Back
24 – Marshawn Lynch, Running Back, (Shawn Springs)
25 – Richard Sherman, Cornerback
26 – Shaquill Griffin, Cornerback, (Michael Robinson)
27 – Jordan Babineaux, Defensive Back, (Patrick Hunter)
28 – Curt Warner, Running Back
29 – Earl Thomas, Defensive Back
30 – Bobby Joe Edmonds, Kick Returner
31 – Kam Chancellor, Defensive Back
32 – John L. Williams, Running Back, (Ricky Watters, Chris Carson, Edgerrin James)
33 – Jamal Adams, Safety, (Leon Washington)
34 – Thomas Rawls, Running Back, (Franco Harris)
35 – David Sims, Running Back, (DeShawn Shead)
36 – Lamar Smith, Running Back
37 – Shaun Alexander, Running Back
38 – Mack Strong, Fullback
39 – Brandon Browner, Defensive Back
40 – Derrick Coleman, Fullback
41 – Eugene Robinson, Defensive Back
42 – Chris Warren, Running Back
43 – Leonard Weaver, Fullback
44 – John Harris, Defensive Back, (Derrick Fenner, Nick Bellore)
45 – Kenny Easley, Defensive Back
46 – David Hughes, Fullback
47 – Sherman Smith, Running Back
48 – Keith Simpson, Defensive Back
49 – Clint Gresham, Long-Snapper
50 – K.J. Wright, Linebacker, (Fredd Young)
51 – Lofa Tatupu, Linebacker, (Bruce Irvin, John Yarno)
52 – Kevin Mawae, Center
53 – Keith Butler, Linebacker, (Malcolm Smith)
54 – Bobby Wagner, Linebacker
55 – Michael Jackson, Linebacker, (Brian Bosworth, Frank Clark)
56 – Cliff Avril, Defensive End, (LeRoy Hill)
57 – Tony Woods, Linebacker
58 – Bruce Scholtz, Linebacker, (Isaiah Kacyvenski)
59 – Julian Peterson, Linebacker
60 – Max Unger, Center
61 – Robbie Tobeck, Center
62 – Chris Gray, Guard
63 – Nick Bebout, Tackle
64 – Ron Essink, Tackle, (J.R. Sweezy)
65 – Edwin Bailey, Guard
66 – Andy Heck, Tackle, (Pete Kendall)
67 – Antonio Edwards, Defensive End
68 – Justin Britt, Center, (Damien Lewis)
69 – Tyler Ott, Long-Snapper
70 – Michael Sinclair, Defensive End
71Walter Jones, Tackle, (Carl Eller)
72 – Joe Nash, Nose Tackle, (Michael Bennett)
73 – Ray Roberts, Tackle
74 – Manu Tuiasosopo, Defensive Tackle
75 – Howard Ballard, Tackle
76 – Steve Hutchinson, Guard, (Russell Okung, Duane Brown)
77 – Jeff Bryant, Defensive End
78 – Antonio Cochran, Defensive End
79 – Jacob Green, Defensive End
80Steve Largent, Wide Receiver, (Jerry Rice)
81 – Nate Burleson, Wide Receiver, (Koren Robinson, Golden Tate)
82 – Darrell Jackson, Wide Receiver, (Paul Skansi)
83 – Steve Raible, Wide Receiver
84 – Bobby Engram, Wide Receiver, (Joey Galloway)
85 – Mike Pritchard, Wide Receiver
86 – Mike Tice, Tight End, (Christian Fauria, Zach Miller)
87 – Ben Obomanu, Wide Receiver, (Derrick Mayes)
88 – Itula Mili, Tight End, (Jimmy Graham)
89 – Doug Baldwin, Wide Receiver, (Brian Blades)
90 – Terry Wooden, Linebacker
91 – Chris Clemons, Defensive End
92 – Brandon Mebane, Defensive Tackle
93 – John Randle, Defensive Tackle, (Phillip Daniels)
94 – Chad Brown, Linebacker
95 – Dean Wells, Linebacker
96 – Cortez Kennedy, Defensive Tackle
97 – Rufus Porter, Linebacker, (Poona Ford)
98 – Sam Adams, Defensive Tackle
99 – Rocky Bernard, Defensive Tackle, (Cortez Kennedy’s 1992 Season)

Sky Blue denotes Ring Of Honor, along with head coaches Chuck Knox & Mike Holmgren, and play-by-play announcer Pete Gross.

Gold denotes Retired Jersey Numbers.  Note:  #12 is for “Fan” (obviously not a real football player, so it was not listed here).

Also of note:  Steve Largent, Cortez Kennedy, Walter Jones, Kenny Easley, Carl Eller, Franco Harris, Warren Moon, Jerry Rice, Kevin Mawae, John Randle, Edgerrin James, Steve Hutchinson, and Tom Flores are in the NFL Hall of Fame.

26 thoughts on “By The Numbers: The Greatest Seahawks By Jersey Number

  1. Pingback: Who Was The Better Seattle Supersonics Player: Ray Allen or Xavier McDaniel? | Seattle Sports Hell

  2. Love this list – I think it needs a 2013 refresh though. A number of these players got passed up last year (3, 25, 54, etc)

  3. Keith Simpson wore 48 in 1978. He was a Safety I believe, but not sure. Started 2 games so he must have been pretty decent…

    • I’d also have to put Paul Skansi first at #82. I think he was a better receiver overall than Jackson. That ’89 team had a lot of good players on it, for sure…

  4. 48 Keith Simpson. Simpson is better known for wearing #42, but he wore #48 as a rookie in 1978. Simpson, Carlester Crumpler and Mike Morgan are the only Seahawks ever to wear #48; all three of them wore the number as rookies and then changed to different numbers starting with their second seasons. Frankly I have no idea who was best while wearing this number, which should be the relevant inquiry, but Simpson had the most distinguished career.

  5. Daryl “the Burner” Turner #81 I believe, back in the 80’s. Used to have the highest touchdown spikes in football after a score.

  6. #79 Jacob Green! how can you see this number on the field and not think of him. One of the greats. I understand that he let his son in law use his number, but i think it should be re-retired for the great Jacob Green!

  7. Pingback: By The Numbers: The Greatest Seahawks By Jersey Number | Seattle Sports Hell

    • So, this is all I could find on #89. Blades had it from 1988-1998.
      Byron Walker had it from 1982-1986 (he had 54 catches for 925 yards and 7 TDs in his career)
      Mark McGrath had it in 1981 (he played in 6 games)
      Duke Fergerson had it from 1977-1979 (he had 502 yards on 32 catches in his Seahawks career)

  8. Edwin Bailey was one of the most aggressive and fundamentally sound offensive guards to play for the Seahawks. Edwin deserves to be in the ring of honor. When…….. Best pulling guard……#65 started 121 games for the hawks.

  9. I’m ready to put Dickson on the #4 list I don’t know if he replaces Hausch$, yet. One field goal in the playoffs and it’s his.

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