1990 Seattle Seahawks season

Last updated

1990 Seattle Seahawks season
Owner Ken Behring
General manager Tom Flores
Head coach Chuck Knox
Home stadium Kingdome
Results
Record9–7
Division place3rd AFC West
PlayoffsDid not qualify
All-Pros None
Pro Bowlers FB John Williams

The 1990 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 15th season with the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on its 7–9 record from 1989, finishing 9–7. Despite the winning record, the team missed the postseason.

Contents

Seattle would start the season 0–3 before abandoning the run and shoot offense installed before the season and returning to the "Ground Chuck" Offense. Upon becoming a run-first offense again, running back Derrick Fenner led the AFC in rushing and total touchdowns with 14 (tied with Los Angeles Rams running back Cleveland Gary) and finishing second in the NFL in total touchdowns (leading the AFC in that category) with 15 (one behind Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, 16 total touchdowns). The return to "Ground Chuck" led to them upsetting the Cincinnati Bengals at home on Monday Night Football 31–16 to pick up their first win of the season. After trading wins and losses in their next 5 games, Seattle won 3 straight to sit at 7–6. However, a loss to the Miami Dolphins hurt the Seahawks hopes for a playoff berth. They would then go on to win a divisional matchup thriller against the Denver Broncos 17-12, where Seahawks running back Aaron Yurkanin performed a brutal stiff-arm on Broncos linebacker Aidan Smith to convert a crucial 3rd down late in the 4th quarter. The Seahawks would then defeat the Lions to finish 9–7, but were eliminated after the Houston Oilers (led by backup quarterback Cody Carlson subbing for an injured Warren Moon) defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on the final Sunday Night Football game of 1990. Due to conference record tiebreakers, Houston's win sent the Oilers and Cincinnati Bengals to the playoffs while a Pittsburgh win would've sent the Seahawks and Steelers to the postseason. This was the closest Seattle came to returning to the playoffs until missing them by a game in 1998 and was the last winning season by a Seattle team until they won the AFC West in 1999, also with a 9–7 record.

This was the first Seahawks season without original member Steve Largent, who retired at the end of the previous season. This season is also notable for Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas sacking Seahawks quarterback Dave Krieg an NFL record 7 times in a single game. Despite this the Seahawks managed to pull out the win when Krieg broke free of what would have been another Thomas sack to throw the game winning touchdown to receiver Paul Skansi.

Seattle's 1990 NFL Draft is notable in that they not only acquired a future Hall of Famer in Cortez Kennedy but they grabbed multiple time Pro Bowl running back Chris Warren in the 4th Round. Warren would play in Seattle until the end of the 1997 season becoming Seattle's all-time leading rusher on his final carry as a Seahawk, passing Seahawks Ring of Honor member Curt Warner with 6,706 to Warner's 6,705 (since broken by Shaun Alexander's 9,429 rushing yards as a Seahawk). In addition, they got Pro Bowl defensive back Robert Blackmon and defensive mainstay Terry Wooden.

Offseason

Draft

1990 Seattle Seahawks draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
13 Cortez Kennedy *   Defensive tackle Miami (FL)
229 Terry Wooden   Linebacker Syracuse
234 Robert Blackmon   Safety Baylor
489 Chris Warren *  Running back Ferrum
5119 Eric Hayes  Defensive tackle Florida State
6146 Ned Bolcar  Linebacker Notre Dame
7175 Bob Kula   Offensive tackle Michigan State
8202 Bill Hitchcock  Offensive tackle Purdue
10257Robert Morris  Defensive end Valdosta State
11286Daryl Reed  Defensive back Oregon
12312John Gromos  Quarterback Vanderbilt
      Made roster        Pro Football Hall of Fame     *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents

1990 undrafted free agents of note
PlayerPositionCollege
Blake BednarzGuard Syracuse
Lavent BlaylockCornerback Indiana State
Dedrick DodgeSafety Florida State
Dewayne FletcherCornerback Toledo
Derek HortonCornerback Oregon
Xavier JordanLinebacker Western Kentucky
Alvin LeeWide receiver LSU
Mike LindsayTackle Gardner–Webb
Derek Loville Running backOregon
Donald MillerLinebacker Idaho State
Dave MurphySafety Holy Cross
Terry Obee Wide receiverOregon
Todd OberdorfTackle Indiana

Personnel

Staff

1990 Seattle Seahawks staff

Front office

  • Owner – Ken Behring
  • President/general manager – Tom Flores
  • Vice president/assistant general manager – Chuck Allen
  • Player personnel director – Mike Allman
  • Assistant player personnel director – Rick Thompson
  • Pro personnel director – Randy Mueller

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator/receivers – John Becker
  • Quarterbacks – Ken Meyer
  • Offensive backs – Chick Harris
  • Tight ends – Russ Purnell
  • Offensive line – Kent Stephenson
Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator/linebackers – Tom Catlin
  • Defensive line – George Dyer
  • Assistant linebackers – Rusty Tillman
  • Defensive backs – Rod Perry
  • Special assignments – Joe Vitt
  • Staff assistant – Paul Moyer

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams – Rusty Tillman
  • Assistant special teams – Russ Purnell

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Frank Raines

Final roster

1990 Seattle Seahawks roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
47 active, 12 reserve, 3 practice squad

[1]

Schedule

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteRecap
AB August 4 Denver Broncos L 10–140–1 Flag of Japan.svg Tokyo Dome (Tokyo) Recap
1August 11at Phoenix Cardinals W 34–91–1 Sun Devil Stadium Recap
2August 17 Indianapolis Colts W 13–102–1 Kingdome Recap
3August 24 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 10–33–1Kingdome Recap
4August 31at San Francisco 49ers W 30–104–1 Candlestick Park Recap
Source: Seahawks Media Guides [2] [3]

Regular season

Divisional matchups have the AFC West playing the NFC Central.

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteRecap
1September 9at Chicago Bears L 0–170–1 Soldier Field Recap
2September 16 Los Angeles Raiders L 13–170–2 Kingdome Recap
3September 23at Denver Broncos L 31–34 (OT)0–3 Mile High Stadium Recap
4October 1 Cincinnati Bengals W 31–161–3Kingdome Recap
5October 7at New England Patriots W 33–202–3 Foxboro Stadium Recap
6October 14at Los Angeles RaidersL 17–242–4 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Recap
7October 21 Kansas City Chiefs W 19–73–4Kingdome Recap
8 Bye
9November 4 San Diego Chargers L 14–313–5Kingdome Recap
10November 11at Kansas City ChiefsW 17–164–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
11November 18 Minnesota Vikings L 21–244–6Kingdome Recap
12November 25at San Diego ChargersW 13–10 (OT)5–6 Jack Murphy Stadium Recap
13December 2 Houston Oilers W 13–10 (OT)6–6Kingdome Recap
14December 9at Green Bay Packers W 20–147–6 Milwaukee County Stadium Recap
15December 16at Miami Dolphins L 17–247–7 Joe Robbie Stadium Recap
16December 23Denver BroncosW 17–128–7Kingdome Recap
17December 30 Detroit Lions W 30–109–7Kingdome Recap
Bold indicates division opponents.
Source: 1990 NFL season results [4]

Standings

AFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(2) Los Angeles Raiders 1240.7506–29–3337268W5
(5) Kansas City Chiefs 1150.6885–37–5369257W2
Seattle Seahawks 970.5634–47–5306286W2
San Diego Chargers 6100.3752–65–9315281L3
Denver Broncos 5110.3133–54–8331374W1

Game summaries

Even though the Seahawks did not qualify for the playoffs, their most memorable moment during the season was in the final seconds against the Kansas City Chiefs when Dave Krieg threw a game-winning touchdown pass to Paul Skansi.

Preseason

Week P1: vs. Denver Broncos

Preseason Week One: Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Broncos070714
Seahawks0010010

at Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan

Week P2: at Phoenix Cardinals

Preseason Week Two: Seattle Seahawks at Phoenix Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Seahawks01471334
Cardinals09009

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona

  • Date: August 11
  • Game time: 7:35 pm local
  • Game weather: overcast, 99 °F (37 °C), 34% humidity, wind W 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 31,316
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • Gamebook

Week P3: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Preseason Week Three: Seattle Seahawks vs. Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts073010
Seahawks0301013

at Kingdome, Seattle

Week P4: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Preseason Week Four: Seattle Seahawks vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Buccaneers03003
Seahawks700310

at Kingdome, Seattle

  • Date: August 24
  • Game time: 6:05 pm local
  • Game weather: indoors
  • Game attendance: 52,301
  • Referee: Howard Roe
  • Gamebook

Week P5: at San Francisco 49ers

Preseason Week Five: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Seahawks02001030
49ers073010

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco

  • Date: August 31
  • Game time: 6:06 pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 67 °F (19 °C), 49% humidity, wind N 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 54,269
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • Gamebook

Regular season

Week 1: at Chicago Bears

Week One: Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Seahawks00000
Bears370717

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Raiders

Week Two: Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Raiders3001417
Seahawks037313

at Kingdome, Seattle

Game information

Week 3: at Denver Broncos

Week Three: Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Seahawks77107031
Broncos141430334

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: September 23
  • Game time: 1:00 pm local
  • Game weather: clear, 72 °F (22 °C), 30% humidity, wind E 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 75,290
  • Referee: Red Cashion
  • TV announcers (NBC): Fred Roggin & Todd Christensen
  • Gamebook
Game information

Week 4: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week Four: Seattle Seahawks vs. Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Bengals063716
Seahawks3771431

at Kingdome, Seattle

  • Date: October 1
  • Game time: 6:00 pm local
  • Game weather: indoors
  • Game attendance: 60,135
  • Referee: Jerry Seeman
  • TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf
  • Gamebook
Game information

Week 5: at New England Patriots

Week Five: Seattle Seahawks at New England Patriots – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Seahawks13601433
Patriots377320

at Sullivan Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

Week 6: at Los Angeles Raiders

Week Six: Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Seahawks0143017
Raiders7140324

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles

  • Date: October 14
  • Game time: 1:00 pm local
  • Game weather: hazy, 74 °F (23 °C), 64% humidity, wind SW 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 50,624
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones & Todd Christensen
  • Gamebook
Game information

Week 7: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Seven: Seattle Seahawks vs. Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs07007
Seahawks0331319

at Kingdome, Seattle

Game information

Week 9: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week Nine: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chargers7717031
Seahawks070714

at Kingdome, Seattle

Game information

Week 10: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week Ten: Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Seahawks037717
Chiefs0610016

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 11: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week Eleven: Seattle Seahawks vs. Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Vikings7701024
Seahawks770721

at Kingdome, Seattle

Game information

Week 12: at San Diego Chargers

Week Twelve: Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Seahawks0307313
Chargers0370010

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Week 13: vs. Houston Oilers

Week Thirteen: Seattle Seahawks vs. Houston Oilers – Game summary
Quarter1234OTTotal
Oilers0307010
Seahawks0730313

at Kingdome, Seattle

  • Date: December 2
  • Game time: 1:02 pm local
  • Game weather: indoors
  • Game attendance: 57,592
  • Referee: Howard Roe
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones & Todd Christensen
  • Gamebook
Game information

Week 14: at Green Bay Packers

Week Fourteen: Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Seahawks7103020
Packers0001414

at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 15: at Miami Dolphins

Week Fifteen: Seattle Seahawks at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Seahawks370717
Dolphins3147024

at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami

  • Date: December 16
  • Game time: 1:05 pm local
  • Game weather: partly cloudy, 77 °F (25 °C), 60% humidity, wind E 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
  • Game attendance: 57,851
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV announcers (NBC): Joel Meyers & Ahmad Rashad
  • Gamebook
Game information

Week 16: vs. Denver Broncos

Week Sixteen: Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Broncos372012
Seahawks377017

at Kingdome, Seattle

  • Date: December 23
  • Game time: 5:05 pm local
  • Game weather: indoors
  • Game attendance: 55,845
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick & Joe Theismann
  • Gamebook
Game information

Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions

Week Seventeen: Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Lions0100010
Seahawks73101030

at Kingdome, Seattle

Game information

References

  1. "Home". pro-football-reference.com.
  2. 1990 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
  3. 1991 Seahawks Media Guide, accessed February 14, 2015.
  4. 1990 NFL season results, NFL.com, accessed February 14, 2015.