August 7, 2009 Www.rentonreporter.com

6

Seahawks

August 7, 2009 www.rentonreporter.com

7

Seahawks

August 7, 2009 www.rentonreporter.com

seahawks’ superfans exemplify 12th man

hawkfiend

weehawk

soco president

It’s hard to say what is most noticeable at first glance. The bright green goatee? The dark blue monster-esque mask? Possibly the green horns. There’s a lot that sets Hawkfiend – or Bryan Murphy – apart from most fans, but the biggest thing may simply be his passion. Not only is Murphy one of the most iconic Seahawks superfans, he’s the president of the Seahawkers SoCo chapter. The chapter started last April and is already the biggest Seahawkers group, at 270 members. Murphy credits the chapter’s online approach (as well as memorable characters like Hawkfiend, WeeHawk and ‘Seattle’s biggest sports fan’ - Big Lo) as reasons for the rapid growth. The “Hawkfiend” name popped up in conversation between Murphy and his tattoo guy, Cody Hart at Derm FX Tattoo in Auburn. Hart commented to Murphy: “Man you’re a fiend for those Hawks.” The words clicked in Murphy’s head and a character was born.

Hawkfiend’s appearance has SEAHAWKERS gone through an evolution SOCO.COM over time, but Murphy found the current mask while walking through a Halloween store. “It was all gray and I thought wouldn’t that be cool if it was all blue and had green horns,” he said. “So I bought it and painted it at home.” Murphy’s devotion to the Seahawks is quite literally drawn out on his skin. What started with a Seahawks logo a year and a half ago has become a number of illustrations featuring some of the franchise’s best moments. One of Murphy’s legs is an homage to the 2005 NFC Championship team, featuring Shaun Alexander, Mike Holmgren and much more. Murhpy also has a “38” made out of iron for Mack Strong, Owen Schmitt smashing a helmet against his head, and much more. So how does Murphy’s family feel about his Seahawks obsession? “My wife is the coolest

soco vp

Seahawks safety Jordan Babineaux poses with WeeHawk.

wife in the world to let me do this. She’s Mrs. Hawkfiend,” he said. “Once I got her to the games, it was all over. Now she’s a fan.” As for his three daughters, their opinion changed after the 2005 season when the Seahawks became “the cool thing.” “Now they realize that dad is this crazy character getting all of this recognition,” Murphy said. “Now they want to take me to show and tell and stuff.”

Tattoos cover Bryan Murphy’s legs. This one depicts, among other things, former coach Mike Holmgren, linebacker Lofa Tatupu and the 12th Man flag.

Chris Johnson, creator of WeeHawk

Lopez later met Bryan Murphy, the president of the Seahawkers SoCo chapter, at a bar, then through MySpace and other networking became close with a number of the Seahawkers. Lopez said the tightly knit group travels to two to four away games each season, usually Arizona and San Francisco (two of Seattle’s division opponents) and one bigger game farther away (Dallas, Tampa Bay, etc., in the recent past). Murphy first tossed around the idea for the charro suit. A charro refers to a traditional horseman or cowboy of Mexico and charro suits are often worn by Mariachi bands. Lopez didn’t have any sort of a costume and since he was born in Mexico, the charro suit is a great fit. Lopez found someone in Los Angeles who makes custom charro suits. He bought five colors of suits and three sombreros,

all in combinations of blue, white and green. “I love the charro suit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen another fan in the NFL with a full-on charro suit,” Lopez said. “It caught a lot of attention last year, a lot of ‘oohs’ and ‘wows.’” One thing’s for sure: As uniquely as Lopez stands alone in the sea of fans on game day with his charro suits, he fits in to the 12th Man perfectly.

“Everybody smiles and points at him. He just MORE ONLINE: has a way with everyWEEHAWK12.COM body, even the players,” Johnson said. “It’s hard to explain. I’m along for the ride, I guess.” Johnson found WeeHawk about fives years ago and got him as a simple tailgating decoration. But as soon as he got home, the gears in his mind started cranking. Soon, the doll was christened WeeHawk and the journey began. WeeHawk’s popularity, and personification, picked up steam when Johnson made him a MySpace page. Since then, WeeHawk has been in locker rooms, in the hands of Seahawks players, national radio stations and even to Baghdad. Master Sgt. Traci Williams (president of the Military Seahawkers) took WeeHawk around into the field to visit soldiers and give them a post card featuring WeeHawk and the Seagals.

“They loved him over there,” Johnson said. “What more do you want than pretty girls and a little WeeHawk that represents Americana and football.” As for what’s in store for the Seahawks’ smallest fan, Johnson isn’t just sure yet, “I’ve been kind of going with the flow. Ideas just kind of come to me.”

Cowbell dude & mrs. cowbell

charro hawk For Efrain Lopez, being a Seahawks fan started the minute he stepped into the Kingdome. Now, more than a decade later, he’s taking the word “fan” to the next level by wearing his (increasingly famous) charro suit to game after game, increasing awareness that the Seahawks’ 12th Man extends south of the border, too. “It makes me feel proud to spread my love of the Seahawks as a multicultural game,” Lopez said. “I’m more than just a fan.” Lopez was born in Mexico and grew up in Los Angeles, a city without a football team. When he moved to Seattle in 1997, he went to a Seahawks game at the Kingdome with his father-in-law. The gameday atmosphere hooked him right away. “I was amazed,” he said. “I said ‘This is my team now.’”

Chris Johnson probably says it best: “My fandom reaches epic geekness every year.” Though Johnson, who lives in Renton, is the vice president of the SoCo chapter of the Seahawkers, he may be better known for his creation: WeeHawk. WeeHawk being the roughly 18-inch singing and dancing doll that has become so much more. Johnson may call it “epic geekness” that led to the character’s creation, but WeeHawk’s devoted following calls it something more like genius. And what’s not to love? Whether it’s the early style Seahawks helmet featuring a punter-type, one-bar facemask. The Seahawks No. 12 jersey, or the perpetual smile, Seahawk fans are finding plenty to like about the doll. Johnson estimates he spends three hours after every game answering fan mail for the little fan and even he has a tough time nailing down exactly what WeeHawk embodies.

Efrain Lopez shows off one of his many charro suit combinations, this one white on white.

Nancy Campbell and Jimbo Sabado have a passion for the Seahawks few can match.

They just call it Seahawks Laryngitis. Jimbo Sabado and Nancy Campbell, or Cowbell Dude and Mrs. Cowbell as they’re known by fellow fans, suffer from the condition roughly eight times a year. “I’d rather be heard than seen at games,” Sabado said. “When you lose your voice from screaming, it’s Seahawks Laryngitis. It lasts until Wednesday or Thursday; then if there’s another home game, you blow the voice out again. It gets rough when there are three homes games in a row.” The two take on the load of being Seahawks fans very intensely, both at home and at the field. From inflatable shoulder pads to mini-goal posts, their basement is entirely decorated with football items. “We live, eat and breathe Seahawks,” Campbell said. At games, the duo recognizes the importance of being really really loud. “We take it very seriously,” Sabado said. “You’re going into a hostile envi-

WeeHawk takes in the scene at a Seahawks football game.

ronment and we create that. That’s our responsibility, to give our defense an edge. You get 64,000 people and the electricity and the buzz is amazing. It’s unreal, like nothing else.” Before every home game, as a tribute to the 12th Man, the Seahawks raise the 12th Man flag. For Campbell, that’s when the game really gets going. “It’s when the crowd really starts getting into the three hours of frenzy,” Campbell said. “It’s just an incredible moment, the beginning of the whole game.”

Helping Sabado make noise is his arsenal of personalized cowbells. He got his first cowbell in 2006. Since then, he has painted more than 40 for charities, fellow fans and just about anyone who asks. The cowbells Sabado and Campbell keep and use are in for a much harsher life. “I beat the snot out of them,” Sabado said. He guessed he has gone through five bells since 2006. The two are undeterred by the fact that cowbells aren’t technically allowed at NFL games.

One of Jimbo Sabado’s cowbells shows a sizeable dent from so much noisemaking.

design & stories by adam mcfadden