2007 MEDIA GUIDE - Seahawks Online Media Packet

HALL OF FAME 408MIKE MCCORMACK1982-88Pro Football Hall of Fame: MikeMcCormack was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame on July 28,1984. He was one of four playershonored in 1984 along with ArnieWeinmeister, Willie Brown andCharley Taylor. McCormack playedwith the Cleveland Browns from1954-1962 and served as head coachof the Philadelphia Eagles (1973-75),Baltimore Colts (1980-81) and SeattleSeahawks (1982). He also served aspresident and general manager ofthe Seahawks. In 1993, he was hiredby the newly formed CarolinaPanthers as their team president andgeneral manager. He retired from thePanthers organization in 1997.Pro Career: One of the game’s greatest offensive tackles, began his pro football career withthe NFL’s 1951 New York Yanks where as a rookie he earned the starting right tackle spot. Thatyear he earned the first of six trips to the Pro Bowl, before being called into military service.The Baltimore Colts who acquired his rights before the start of the 1953 season, traded himto the Cleveland Browns in a massive 15-player deal. Even though the Browns knew Mikewould not be available for a full year, he was the key man in the trade. Coach Paul Brownalways considered it one of his wisest personnel moves. In his first season in Cleveland,McCormack, a former University of Kansas star and Chicago native, was asked to fill the middleguard position that had been vacated by the retiring Bill Willis on the defensive unit. It wasa tall order, considering Willis would himself be elected to the Hall of Fame. McCormack, notsurprisingly, was up to the challenge. He quickly became an important factor on an excellentCleveland defensive team. Mike enjoyed perhaps his most memorable individual moment onthe defensive team when, in the 1954 NFL Championship Game, he stole the ball from DetroitLions quarterback Bobby Layne to set up one of the early touchdowns in a 56-10 Clevelandrout. But it was as an offensive tackle that McCormack made his lasting mark in pro football.Mike was the Browns' offensive right tackle for eight years from 1955 through 1962. Duringthat period, the Browns’ forward wall played a major role in assuring a balanced offensiveapproach and McCormack, equally adept as a blocker on rushing plays and as a quarterbackprotector, was a stabilizing factor throughout the period.Seahawks Career: In 1982, McCormack joined the Seattle Seahawks as director of footballoperations, eventually becoming president and general manager the following season. Healso served as the Seahawks interim head coach for the remainder of the 1982 season whenJack Patera was fired after the first two games. McCormack took over during the 57-day playersstrike and led the team to a 4-3 record. He then returned to his management positionwhen the Seahawks hired Chuck Knox as their new head coach in 1983. Under McCormack’sleadership, the Seahawks enjoyed the franchise’s finest years until the mid 2000’s. During hisseven seasons with the team, Seattle reached the postseason four times, including the AFCChampionship Game in 1983.Personal: Married to wife Ann and has four children; Michael, Tim, Molly and Colleen. Wasa member of the University of Kansas’ all-time team and served as co-captain of the 1950Jayhawks team.