1983 Seattle Seahawks season
| 1983 Seattle Seahawks season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Nordstrom family |
| General manager | Mike McCormack |
| Head coach | Chuck Knox |
| Offensive coordinator | Ray Prochaska |
| Defensive coordinator | Tom Catlin |
| Home stadium | Kingdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC West |
| Playoffs | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Broncos) 31–7 Won Divisional Playoffs (at Dolphins) 27–20 Lost AFC Championship (at Raiders) 14–30 |
| All-Pros | RB Curt Warner (2nd team) SS Kenny Easley (1st team) |
| Pro Bowlers | RB Curt Warner SS Kenny Easley |
The 1983 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 8th season with the National Football League (NFL).
The 1983 season was the first season head coach Chuck Knox coached the team. It was also the first season in which the Seahawks made the AFC playoffs, where they won the first two postseason games in franchise history, before losing in the AFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Raiders 30–14. The AFC Championship game against the Raiders would be the only time the Seahawks would appear in the AFC Championship Game, as they failed to appear in one from 1984 to 2001, the rest of their time in the AFC. They would not reach a conference championship again until 2005, when they were in the NFC West. During the offseason, the Seahawks changed the color of the facemasks on their helmets from gray to blue.
Offseason
The Seattle Seahawks hired Chuck Knox, a coach capable of creating comebacks for teams. They also modified their uniforms, incorporating striping trim on the jersey collars, and incorprorating the Seahawks logo onto the jersey's sleeves. The TV numbers were moved from the jersey sleeves to the shoulders. The helmet facemasks became blue, and the socks lost their stripes and became all blue. The uniform would remain basically unchanged through the 2001 season.
NFL draft
| 1983 Seattle Seahawks draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Curt Warner * | Running back | Penn State | |
| 5 | 123 | Chris Castor | Wide receiver | Duke | |
| 6 | 150 | Reginald Gipson | Running Back | Alabama A&M | |
| 7 | 177 | Sam Merriman | Linebacker | Idaho | |
| 8 | 210 | Matt Hernandez | Offensive tackle | Purdue | |
| 9 | 236 | Bob Clasby | Defensive end | Notre Dame | |
| 10 | 263 | Pete Speros | Guard | Penn State | |
| 11 | 290 | Bob Mayberry | Guard | Clemson | |
| 12 | 317 | Don Dow | Offensive tackle | Washington | |
| Made roster | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| John Ball | Fullback | Texas Southern |
| Reggie Bazel | Fullback | Tennessee Tech |
| Darrell Dickey | Quarterback | Kansas State |
| Steve Ingalls | Tackle | Northern Iowa |
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
Final roster
- (*) Denotes players that were selected for the 1984 Pro Bowl.
Schedule
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 5 | at Denver Broncos | L 7–10 | 0–1 | Mile High Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 12 | Green Bay Packers | W 38–21 | 1–1 | Kingdome | Recap |
| 3 | August 19 | Minnesota Vikings | L 17–19 | 1–2 | Kingdome | Recap |
| 4 | August 26 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 20–6 | 2–2 | Candlestick Park | Recap |
Regular season
Divisional matchups have the AFC West playing the NFC East.
- Bold indicates division opponents.
- Source: 1983 NFL season results[20]
Postseason
The Seahawks entered the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, after two close attempts in 1978 and 1979.
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Game site | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | December 24 | Denver Broncos (5) | W 31–7 | 1–0 | Kingdome[21] | Recap |
| Divisional | December 31 | at Miami Dolphins (2) | W 27–20 | 2–0 | Miami Orange Bowl[22] | Recap |
| AFC Championship | January 8, 1984 | at Los Angeles Raiders (1) | L 14–30 | 2–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum[23] | Recap |
Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Los Angeles Raiders(1) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 10–2 | 442 | 338 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks(4) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 403 | 397 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos(5) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–5 | 9–5 | 302 | 327 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4–4 | 4–8 | 358 | 462 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 386 | 367 | W1 |
Game summaries
Preseason
Week P1: at Denver Broncos
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Broncos | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Date: August 5
- Game time: 7:00 pm local
- Game weather: cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C), 63% humidity, wind S 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
- Game attendance: 53,887
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (KING): Tony Ventrella & Gene Washington
- Gamebook
Week P2: vs. Green Bay Packers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Seahawks | 7 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 38 |
- Date: August 12
- Game time: 7:32 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 54,443
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- Gamebook
Week P3: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Week P4: at San Francisco 49ers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| 49ers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- Date: August 27
- Game time: 2:06 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 75 °F (24 °C), wind calm
- Game attendance: 47,074
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV: KIRO
- Gamebook
Regular season
Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: September 4
- Game time: 3:01 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 94 °F (34 °C), 31% humidity, wind S 18 miles per hour (29 km/h)
- Game attendance: 42,531
- Referee: Fred Silva
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Gene Washington
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: at New York Jets
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Jets | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Shea Stadium, New York
- Date: September 11
- Game time: 4:01 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 95 °F (35 °C), 46% humidity, wind NW 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
- Game attendance: 50,066
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: vs. San Diego Chargers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 31 |
| Seahawks | 14 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
- Date: September 18
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 61,714
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui & Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: vs. Washington Redskins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 7 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
- Date: September 25
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 60,718
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (CBS): Jack Buck and Hank Stram
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: at Cleveland Browns
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 3 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
| Browns | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: October 2
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 68 °F (20 °C), 68% humidity, wind S 10 miles per hour (16 km/h)
- Game attendance: 75,446
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone and Dave Rowe
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 6: at San Diego Chargers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: October 9
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C), 84% humidity, wind WSW 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
- Game attendance: 49,132
- Referee: Tom Dooley
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Reggie Rucker
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 7: vs. Los Angeles Raiders
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 7 | 10 | 5 | 14 | 36 |
| Seahawks | 7 | 0 | 17 | 14 | 38 |
- Date: October 16
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 60,967
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and John Brodie
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 8: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
- Date: October 23
- Game time: 1:01 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 61,615
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 9: at Los Angeles Raiders
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
| Raiders | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
- Date: October 30
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: overcast, 74 °F (23 °C), 76% humidity, wind W 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
- Game attendance: 49,708
- Referee: Jerry Seeman
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 10: vs. Denver Broncos
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 19 |
| Seahawks | 6 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 27 |
- Date: November 6
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 61,189
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (NBC): Merle Harmon and Dave Rowe
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 11: at St. Louis Cardinals
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 33 |
at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
- Date: November 13
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C), 75% humidity, wind S 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
- Game attendance: 33,280
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Gene Washington
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 12: at Denver Broncos
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 27 |
| Broncos | 10 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 38 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Date: November 20
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: clear, 50 °F (10 °C), 36% humidity, wind E 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
- Game attendance: 74,710
- Referee: Gene Barth
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and John Brodie
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 13: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 7 | 21 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 48 |
| Seahawks | 7 | 7 | 17 | 17 | 3 | 51 |
- Date: November 27
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 56,793
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (NBC): Merle Harmon and Jim Turner
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 14: vs. Dallas Cowboys
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
- Date: December 4
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 63,352
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Dick Vermeil
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 15: at New York Giants
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Giants | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: December 11
- Game time: 1:00 pm local
- Game weather: cloudy, 38 °F (3 °C), wind E 17 miles per hour (27 km/h)
- Game attendance: 48,945
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Gene Washington
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 16: vs. New England Patriots
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
- Date: December 18
- Game time: 1:02 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 59,688
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob Griese
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Postseason
Seattle entered the postseason as the #4 seed in the AFC.
AFC Wild Card Playoff: vs. #5 Denver Broncos
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Seahawks | 7 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
- Date: December 24
- Game time: 1:04 pm local
- Game weather: indoors
- Game attendance: 60,752
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob Griese
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
AFC Divisional Playoff: at #2 Miami Dolphins
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 27 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami
- Date: December 31
- Game time: 12:30 pm local
- Game weather: rain, 51 °F (11 °C), 84% humidity, wind N 20 miles per hour (32 km/h)
- Game attendance: 71,032
- Referee: Fred Wyant
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Bob Trumpy
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
AFC Championship Game: at #1 Los Angeles Raiders
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Raiders | 3 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
- Date: January 8
- Game time: 1:04 pm local
- Game weather: overcast, 66 °F (19 °C), 81% humidity, wind E 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
- Game attendance: 88,734
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
- Gamebook
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
References
- ↑ "Home". pro-football-reference.com.
- ↑ 1983 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
- ↑ 1984 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs - September 4th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at New York Jets - September 11th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "San Diego Chargers at Seattle Seahawks - September 18th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Washington Redskins at Seattle Seahawks - September 25th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns - October 2nd, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers - October 9th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Los Angeles Raiders at Seattle Seahawks - October 16th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Seattle Seahawks - October 23rd, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Raiders - October 30th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks - November 6th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Cardinals - November 13th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos - November 20th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks - November 27th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks - December 4th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "Seattle Seahawks at New York Giants - December 11th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ "New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks - December 18th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ↑ 1983 NFL season results, NFL.com, accessed February 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Wild Card - Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks - December 24th, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "Divisional Round - Seattle Seahawks at Miami Dolphins - December 31st, 1983". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
- ↑ "AFC Championship - Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Raiders - January 8th, 1984". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.