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Seattle Seahawks

‘His legacy will live on forever’: Seahawks induct Paul Allen into Ring of Honor

The Seattle Seahawks hold a ring of honor ceremony to induct former Seahawks owner Paul G. Allen into the team’s Ring of Honor before Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson / AP)
By Bob Condotta Seattle Times

SEATTLE – The man who kept the 12th Man alive in Seattle became the 12th member of the Seahawks’ Ring of Honor on Thursday night.

And in keeping with the theme of the night – the love affair between a team and a city that Paul G. Allen made sure wouldn’t die – his name on the wall at CenturyLink Field was unveiled after a countdown from 12 during a ceremony before Thursday night’s game against the Rams.

The honoring of Allen concluded with his sister, Jody – who took over as the Chair of the team following Paul G. Allen’s death last October – raising the 12 Flag before kickoff.

With six of the previous Ring of Honor inductees watching, and five others represented by friends or family members, master of ceremonies Steve Raible led a countdown from 12 as Allen’s name on the side of the stadium was unveiled.

The ceremony began with an introduction of the Ring of Honor inductees who were present – Steve Largent, Curt Warner, Jacob Green, Dave Krieg, Jim Zorn and Walter Jones – as well as family members or representatives of the other five – Pete Gross, Kenny Easley, Dave Brown, Cortez Kennedy and Chuck Knox.

Raible also noted the team’s many accomplishments from the time Allen bought the team after former owner Ken Behring had threatened to move it to southern California in 1997, notably 13 playoff appearances, nine divisional titles and three Super Bowls.

A video tribute narrated by former Seahawk Mack Strong then played with highlights from Allen’s tenure, noting the building of CenturyLink Field (which opened in 2002).

“He built us a house that would break records and shatter expectations,” Strong said, noting that “the kid from Ravenna gave a lot to this city.”

As Raible led the countdown and Allen’s name was revealed, the one-time Seattle receiver and longtime play-by-play announcer concluded with words that could hardly have been better scripted.

“His name will shine under the lights tonight and his legacy will live on forever,” Raible said.