The Seattle Seahawks came into existence in 1976. In 1976 the Seahawks became an expansion team in the National Football League. Interestingly enough, the team was around for nearly thirty years before they were able to find a tremendous amount of success in the franchise.

The team began as a member of the NFC West division. The Seahawks have an interesting history in their division play. They began as a member of the NFC West, but after just one season they were moved over to the AFC West. For more than 25 years the team played in the AFC West, but in 2001 the team returned to the NFC West in the NFL realignment plan. Under the new plan the divisions were made into four team divisions.

Seattle struggled to find a lot of success in their early years. They began playing in the NFL in 1976, but they were not able to find any success until 1983. In 1983 the team made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Success continued for the team as they proceeded to make the playoffs three more times in the decade.

Things looked promising following their four playoff appearances in the 80's. The last playoff appearance for the Seahawks was in 1988, where they won their first division title in franchise history. Things were looking up in 1988, but the Seahawks had no idea how far they'd fall.

The team hit a bump in the road for more than a decade. In the 90's the team could not find any success until the decade began to close out. In 1999 the team made the playoff for the first time in 11 seasons, opening the door for success in the franchise as the 21st century began. This season in 1999 also marked just the 2nd division title in franchise history. It would be their last title in the AFC West as they switched back to the NFC West in 2002.

The NFC West brought new hope an excitement for the franchise. After missing the playoffs in 2002, the team managed to turn things around to find the most success that they ever had in their history. In 2003 the team made the playoffs. This started a string of success that lasted half of a decade for the team.

In 2004 the team won their first division title in the NFC. They went on to win the AFC West division four years consecutively, starting in 2004 and finishing in 2007. The team became a perennial contender for the title. Their best season came in 2005 as they made it all the way to the Super Bowl.

In Super Bowl XL the team played against the Steelers. The Seahawks did not find success in Super Bowl XL, losing 21-10, but the Super Bowl appearance was a landmark in franchise history. This was the furthest that the team had ever reached. The all-time playoff record for the Seattle Seahawks is 7-10.

Currently the team is in a rebuilding mode. They have not had success for a few seasons and they have brought in Pete Carroll to turn things around. Carroll is best known for his success at USC. He has made the Trojans a perennial contender for the National Championship and the Seahawks hope that he can bring similar success to a rebuilding franchise.

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