Monday 30 January 2017 14:25, UK
The Seattle Seahawks were born as an expansion team in 1976 and, as expected, initially struggled to get off the ground. It took them eight years to reach the play-offs, but in doing so in 1983 they triggered a series of appearances in the 1980s.
The decade was topped off by their first AFC division championship in 1988 when they overcame a serious early-season injury to their quarterback Dave Krieg to clinch the AFC West at 9-7.
Fans were made to wait another 11 years for the next division title in 1999, but Miami Dolphins' quarterback Dan Marino denied them any further progress in the playoffs.
Two more fruitless play-off appearances in 2003 and 2004 meant that Seattle had the longest streak of post-season losses in the entire league - dating back to their first playoff appearance in 1983.
2005 was a duck-breaking season, though, as the Seahawks beat Washington Redskins 20-10 in the playoffs and reached the Super Bowl for the first time in history. Alas, they would fall to Pittsburgh Steelers in Detroit, Michigan, in Super Bowl 40.
Wings were far from clipped as the turn of the millennium had ushered in the most successful period the Emerald City has seen in the NFL. The Seahawks have reached the play-offs 11 times since 2003 with three NFC championships and two further Super Bowl appearances.
Over 35 years of heartbreak was abolished at Super Bowl 48 as Seattle stopped the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos in their tracks. A resounding 43-8 win in New Jersey recorded the first ever NFL championship for Seattle.
A third Super Bowl appearance followed in the subsequent season as they clashed with New England Patriots in Arizona, which was considered by many to be one of the closest-matched championship games in recent history.
The sides were only split by a bizarre coaching decision by Pete Carroll, who decided to risk a pass with Seahawks down 28-24 in the dying seconds of the game. Cornerback Malcom Butler intercepted the pass and retained the Patriots' lead to clinch the championship, leaving the Seahawks to hunt for another big-game appearance to add to their single title.
