The Seattle Seahawks proudly boast the best pregame tradition in the NFL. Prior to every home game, a Seattle legend of sorts gets the honors of raising the iconic blue 12th Man Flag in the south end zone. Usually it is a former Seahawks player, like Earl Thomas (Week 4, 2026). Sometimes it is a Seattle sports icon like former Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs (Week 5, 2026). It can even be a fun celebrity from the Pacific Northwest, such as Bill Nye the Science Guy (Week 8, 2023)
For tonight's game between Seattle and Chicago, it will be none other than former Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren. From 1999-2008, Mike Holmgren was the man who helped elevate the Seahawks franchise from near-irrelevancy to a staple in the national NFL landscape. Holmgren took
Seattle to the playoffs six times, including five-straight appearances from 2003-2007. To this day, five-straight postseason appearances is still the Seahawks franchise record, which was only matched one time under Pete Carroll from 2012-2016.
Holmgren also delivered five division titles, four NFC West championships and one final AFC West championship before the Seahawks switched conferences. Of course, the crowning achievement in Holmgren's Seattle tenure was a trip to Super Bowl XL in 2005, the first in franchise history. A game Holmgren still maintains the Seahawks should have won.
Holmgren is likely getting the 12th Flag treatment tonight because his Seahawks once hosted the Bears on "Monday Night Football," which was a thrilling victory back in the 2007 season.
Mike Holmgren is raising the 12 Flag tonight for Seahawks vs. Bears.
— Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) November 2, 2026
In '07, Holmgren's final division-winning season, the Seahawks stopped a Bears game-tying drive and more or less clinched the win with a Patrick Kerney strip-sack of Rex Grossman. Darryl Tapp had the recovery. pic.twitter.com/4CeOyWA2OW
Mike Holmgren is a proud member of the Seahawks' Ring of Honor, and we at Seahawks Wire maintain he continues to be snubbed from his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks legend Mike Holmgren to raise 12th Man Flag before MNF
