Renton’s Seahawks spirit was front and center for all the world to see as hundreds of fans descended upon Renton City Hall Friday to cheer the team on to Saturday’s playoff game against the Carolina Panthers.
A confident and boisterous crowd filled the upper parking deck of City Hall clad, in all manner for blue and green Seahawks regalia. Former players Marcus Trufant and Craig Terrill got the crowd going, as did the band Blue Thunder, Blitz and the Sea Gals.
The rally brought ESPN, all local broadcast stations, the Evening Magazine crew and photographers, amateur and professional, out to witness the historic occasion. A giant 12th Man flag flew over the crowd from the extended ladder of a Renton fire truck. A plane flew over towing the flag, too, and emblems of it were painted on faces, emblazoned on shirts and hoodies and etched into fans’ hair.
The Beast Bus was there offering free tours and 1,100 free hot dogs were given out by the City of Renton.
It took Efren de Jesus a month to put together his costume. The Renton resident spread his arms wide and let onlookers take pictures of him and with him.
Nikki and David Kallam came all the way from Ohio for the rally and game on Saturday.”It was a whole new experience; I’m so excited,” said Nikki. “My husband has been a die-hard Seahawks fan for years. . . .I was a Pittsburg Steelers fan, but he convinced me to be a Seahawks fan.”
David was born in Seattle but has never attended a Seahawks game. The couple is on their way to Okinawa, Japan, as David is in the military and they decided to make a pitstop in Seattle. “I’ve never been to a Seahawks game, so for this to be a playoff game and to be my first game in the work, I’m really excited,” said David.
It took KB Van Horn two days to make her Seahawks costume, a giant Seahawks head piece. She took a break from her job with the City of Renton to support the team at the rally.
“I made this for Halloween, so I need to get some mileage out of it,” she said of her costume.
Other fans sported retro gear, like Irvin Rollins of Newcastle. He bought his jacket 20 years ago when the team wasn’t doing as well.
“Your team is your team,” Rollins said. “So what if they lose, you still gotta stay with your team. It’s fan-up for the days we didn’t do good. Now we’re going to do better and that’s why we’re going to the Super Bowl again.”
Nicole Schultes was one of the few that won to tomorrow’s game at the rally. She was in shock after winning the tickets and amazed by all the fans that turned out. She’s looking forward to the Seahawks beating Carolina.
“I am looking forward to taking my 11-year-old son Derek who’s never been to a Seahawks game,” she said. “It’s pretty awesome that his first game ever will be a playoff game and I can’t wait to surprise him with the tickets tonight.”
