Seahawks' love affair with running backs: A legacy from Ground Chuck to Beastmode
Seahawks' love affair with running backs: A legacy from Ground Chuck to Beastmode
The Seattle Seahawks have had a romance with running backs since their 1976 inception, a love story that's been as rugged and reliable as the Pacific Northwest rain. From the hard-nosed days of Chuck Knox to the modern flair of Pete Carroll, the franchise has built its identity around a punishing ground game, with a cast of backs who've left fans cheering from the deafening noise in the Kingdome to the drizzling rain at Lumen Field.
It all started with Sherman Smith, the first Seahawk to rush for 100 yards in a game. Smith, who racked up 3,429 yards and 28 touchdowns from 1976 to 1982, was the first to make the ground shake down along Seattle's waterfront.
Then came Chuck Knox in 1983, a coach who loved the run like a kid loves candy. His 'Ground Chuck' philosophy turned Curt Warner into a star, with Warner amassing 6,705 yards and 55 touchdowns, including a 1,481-yard 1986 season. Knox led the Seahawks to their first playoff berth in 1983, leaning on Warner and fullback John L. Williams, who added 4,579 yards and 17 scores over eight seasons.
Fast forward to the 2000s, and Shaun Alexander acquired in a trade that sent Joey Galloway to Dallas, his time in Seattle's backfield wrecked havoc for defensive coordinators. Under Mike Holmgren, Alexander's 2005 MVP season—1,880 yards, 27 touchdowns—made him a Seahawks legend, solidifying his place as the franchise's all-time leading rusher with 9,429 yards.
Then came Marshawn Lynch, aka 'Beast Mode,' who joined in 2010 and turned Seattle into a quake zone. Lynch's iconic 67-yard touchdown run against the Saints in the 2010 playoffs—stiff-arming defenders into next week—sparked the loudest fan roar in team history. His 4,624 yards and 41 touchdowns over six seasons fueled Seattle's offense 2013 Super Bowl win under Pete Carroll. Sadly, the one time they should have looked to their Skittles loving running back, they did not, resulting in the worst offensive call in Super Bowl history with the infamous interception of Russell Wilson by Patriots cornerback Malcom Butler in the end zone of Super Bowl XLIX.
Carroll, much like Knox, has kept the run game at the heart of his offensve scheme. He leaned on Lynch, then Chris Carson, who churned out 4,238 yards from 2017 to 2022 despite injury setbacks. Today, Kenneth Walker III carries the rock, with his 2024 season tallying 1,152 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Will the tradition of the run game continue in Seattle with second year and defensive minded head coach Mike Macdonald? Time will tell.
Seattle's love of the run spans decades, blending Knox's grit with Carroll's modern twist. For Seahawks fans, nothing beats the sight of a running back bulldozing through defenders—it's a tradition as Seattle as a Starbucks on every corner in the Emerald City.
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