The Seahawk “12s” are the fans of the Seattle Seahawks, treated as an honorary extra player on the team.

What “12s” Means

  • In American football, there are 11 players on the field for each team at a time. The “12th” spot is symbolically given to the fans, whose noise and energy are seen as a real competitive advantage for Seattle at home games.
  • The Seahawks retired jersey number 12 in 1984 specifically to honor their fanbase, meaning no player on the roster can wear that number because it represents the crowd instead.

From “12th Man” to “12s”

  • For years, Seahawks supporters were called the “12th Man,” a term originally associated with Texas A&M University’s fans going back to the 1920s.
  • The Seahawks had a licensing agreement with Texas A&M that allowed them to use “12th Man,” but when that deal expired in 2016, the team shifted its official branding and now simply calls its fanbase the “12s.”

Culture and Traditions of the 12s

  • Before home games, the team raises a large “12” flag at the stadium as a tribute to the fans, often with a former player, celebrity, or local figure doing the flag-raising.
  • The noise generated by the 12s at Lumen Field is famous league‑wide; Seattle has twice held the Guinness World Record for loudest crowd noise at a sporting event, and that volume is credited with causing false starts and communication breakdowns for opposing offenses.
  • The number 12 shows up all over Seattle—on flags, buildings, and even on things like airplane tails or the Space Needle during big playoff runs—turning “12s” into a broader regional identity, not just a game-day label.

Quick HTML FAQ Table

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Question Answer
What are the Seahawk 12s? The collective name for Seattle Seahawks fans, symbolically the “12th player” on the field.
Why the number 12? Football has 11 players per side; 12 honors the fans as an extra impact player through their noise and support.
When did it start? In 1984, when the Seahawks retired jersey number 12 in honor of their fans.
What changed in 2016? After a licensing deal with Texas A&M for the “12th Man” phrase expired, the team rebranded to calling fans simply “12s.”
What are the 12s known for? Extremely loud home‑field support, pregame 12-flag ceremonies, and integrating the number 12 into Seattle’s city and fan culture.
**TL;DR:** “Seahawk 12s” are the Seattle Seahawks’ fanbase—the retired number 12 represents them as the loud, game‑changing “extra player” in the stadium.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.