It’s back for another season!
This will be a weekly article series throughout the season looking back on what happened for the Seattle Seahawks 40, 30, 20, and 10 years ago this week. Since the 1984 Seahawks played in the Hall of Fame preseason game, we’ve got an even earlier start this year.
40 Years Ago
July 28, 1984
Game Log
Only a certifiably insane Seahawks fan would want to read, much less write about, preseason football from 40 years ago.
Welcome fellow sickos!
In 1984, Seattle played in the Hall of Fame Game, the contest that coincides with the yearly Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement and kicks off the preseason. Former Seahawks GM (and current at the time, actually) Mike McCormack was part of that 1984 HoF class because of his stellar play as an offensive tackle, where he was named All-Pro 9 consecutive seasons from 1954-1962.
As for the game, it was a decidedly one-sided affair in favor of the Seahawks over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the battle of the 1976 expansion teams!
Byron Walker opened the scoring with a 16-yard TD catch – on his 24th birthday no less – from Dave Krieg for the 7-0 lead near the end of the 1st Quarter. Then, the Seahawks really turned it on in the 2nd frame with 21 points. John Harris picked off the “Throwin Samoan” Jack Thompson to set up the first TD of the 2nd Quarter, a 5-yard TD plunge by Zachary Dixon. They scored again on their next possession when Eric Lane ran it in from 1 yard out to make the score 21-0. TB then gave Seattle a gift by snapping the ball over their punters head and into the end zone where it was recovered by Greg Gaines for a special teams TD and the 28-0 lead heading into halftime.
Norm Johnson added a 33-yard FG for the only scoring plays of the 3rd Quarter to put Seattle up 31-0. They weren’t finished, as the RB for Seattle named Gutierrez scored on a 1-yard rushing TD in the 4th Quarter to give the final score of 38-0 in favor of the Seahawks. I only have a last name to go on from the scorebook and my internet sleuthing didn’t turn anything up…so if you have more info on who this mystery back is, feel free to chime in down in the comments! The 38-point margin of victory was the largest in the Hall of Fame game up to that point and still holds that distinction as far as I can tell. That’s worth something!
Dave Krieg was 5/6 for 76 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT. Zachary Dixon led the Seahawks in rushing with 30 yards on 7 carries and 1 TD. Charle Young paced the receivers with 2 catches for 44 yards.
Seattle’s defense forced 5 fumbles, recovering 2 of them, and also picked off 3 passes. Oh, and they pitched a shutout.
Not too shabby for the start to this year’s history articles!
