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After
more than two decades of playing in a stadium with
another tenant, the Seattle Seahawks moved into
their own stadium in the summer of 2002. After
spending more than two decades at the Kingdome; a
multipurpose dome facility, which was also the home
of the Seattle Mariners (MLB), the Seahawks wanted a
new facility for themselves along with the Mariners.
In the mid 1990’s voters approved bonds for two new
stadiums to be built. A new baseball only stadium,
Safeco Field, was constructed adjacent to the
Kingdome. However, the Seahawks new facility was to
be constructed on the same site as the Kingdome. In
order for the new stadium to be built, the Kingdome
had to be imploded. While the new stadium was being
constructed, the Seahawks moved to Husky Stadium,
home of the Washington Huskies (NCAA). Construction
began on the Qwest Field in early 2000. |
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The Seahawks christened their new state of the art
facility on September 15, 2002. The stadium is
configured in a horse shoe shape, with three tiers
of 68,000 seats. The north end of the stadium is
open, allowing superb views of the surrounding
Seattle area. A 13-story tower with a scoreboard at
the top and bleacher seats for up to 3,000 fans,
known as the "Hawk Nest" is also located on the
north side. Qwest Field is the first of its kind to
have luxury suites on the field directly behind the
north endzone to provide an in-your-face experience.
The stadium has a total of 82 luxury suites and over
7,000 club seats. One of the most unique features of
the stadium is the overhanging roof design and
rainbow tri-chord trusses that rise 260 feet above
the field. The roof covers 70 percent of the seats
keeping many fans dry during inclement weather. The
exterior of the stadium consists of red brick, and
brick-accented colored concrete, tan pre-cast
concrete and white painted steel for
the roofing supports; blending in with other
surround facilities. Fans attending games at Qwest
Field have some of the best views than at any other
stadium in the NFL. In June 2004, Qwest
Communications International Inc. purchased the
naming rights to the stadium, thus the stadium is
know known as Qwest Field.
Some Seattle Seahawks history: The Seahawks
joined the NFL in 1976 when the league granted an
expansion team franchise to John Nordstrom, a
Seattle department store owner. In the club's first
season, quarterback Jim Zorn passed for more than
2,500 yards and was named the league's top offensive
rookie. Jack Patera was named coach of the year in
1978 after leading the Seahawks to their first
winning season. Zorn led the AFC in passing yardage
that year and wide receiver Steve Largent
notched the first of his eight 1,000-yard seasons.
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