The Seattle Seahawks are associated with the number 12 because their fans are treated as the team’s “12th player” on the field, now commonly called the “12s.”

What “12” Means for the Seahawks

  • In American football, each team can only have 11 players on the field at one time, so the crowd is symbolically called the 12th player for its impact on the game.
  • Seahawks fans embraced this idea early on, calling themselves the “12th Man” to highlight how their noise and energy help the team.
  • The franchise later shortened this to “12s,” and the number 12 became a core part of the team’s identity, from jerseys to flags and branding around Seattle.

How the Tradition Started

  • In 1984, the Seahawks formally honored their fan base by retiring jersey number 12, meaning no player could wear it because it belonged to the fans.
  • Over the years, the team has raised a giant “12” flag at home games as a pregame ritual to represent the fanbase before kickoff.
  • The stadium (Lumen Field) was designed to amplify crowd noise, helping “12s” become known for some of the loudest home crowds in the NFL.

Why It Still Matters Now

  • Seahawks “12s” have twice set Guinness World Records for loudest crowd noise at a sporting event, hitting around 137 decibels and disrupting opposing offenses.
  • Their celebrations during Marshawn Lynch’s famous 2011 “Beast Quake” touchdown were so intense they registered as a small earthquake on local seismic monitors.
  • Around Seattle, you’ll see the number 12 on flags, buildings, and even on airplanes and landmarks during big playoff runs, tying the fan identity to the city itself.

In short, when people say “Seahawks 12,” they’re talking about the fanbase—loud, loyal, and officially recognized as part of the team.

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