Former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren named HOF finalist

Mike Holmgren, the first coach to lead the Seahawks to the Super Bowl and a member of the team’s Ring of Honor, took a big step towards enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Holmgren, who helped build the Seahawks and Packers into NFC powers, taking both teams to the Super Bowl, was named the coach finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.

Holmgren, who retired from coaching after the 2008 season, had a 161-111 record as a head coach for the Packers and Seahawks, as well as a 13-11 postseason record, taking the Packers to two Super Bowls, winning one, and the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl following a 13-3 2005 season.

Holmgren took those two teams to the playoffs a total of 12 times, winning eight division titles, and in both jobs, he helped turn around struggling franchises. For all their glory in the 1960s, the Packers hadn’t enjoyed much success over a span of more than two decades before Holmgren arrived, reaching the playoffs just twice between their championship season in 1967 and Holmgren’s arrival in 1992. Holmgren went on to reach the playoffs for six straight seasons from 1993-1998, reaching back-to-back Super Bowls, winning one.

Following that successful run, Holmgren joined the Seahawks in one of Paul Allen’s first big moves as the new owner of the franchise, and just as he did in Green Bay, Holmgren led a quick turnaround in Seattle. Prior to Holmgren’s arrival in 1999, the Seahawks had gone a decade without a playoff berth and hadn’t had a winning record since 1990. The Seahawks won a division title in Holmgren’s first season, then went the playoffs for five straight seasons from 2003-2007, winning four more NFC West titles and one NFC championship.

Holmgren’s impact on the game extends beyond those two franchises, having also won a pair of Super Bowls as the offensive coordinator of the 49ers, and having built a coaching tree that includes multiple NFL head coaches, including Super Bowl-winning coaches Andy Reid and Jon Gruden. Holmgren was particularly renowned for his ability to help develop quarterbacks, including Hall of Famers Brett Favre and Steve Young, as well as Seahawks Ring of Honor member Matt Hasselbeck. Even Joe Montana, who was already one of the league’s best quarterbacks before Holmgren joined the 49ers, credits his former offensive coordinator with helping him win a pair of MVP trophies later in his career.

“Mike Holmgren is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, who belongs in the Hall of Fame,” Montana wrote in a letter to the Pro Hall of Fame selection committee several years ago in 2019. “… Mike was like Bill Walsh in many ways, especially in the way he demanded perfection. He always pushed us to be perfect and those demands and his attention to detail helped make me and our offense better. The fact that he played quarterback only enhanced our relationship. When you have someone who has coached and played that position, when you come off the field you know the guy that you’re going to be talking to is going to understand what you’re going through. His method of being able to communicate as a player as much as a coach really made a difference for me.”

Holmgren is one of five finalists named by the Hall of Fame’s Blue-Ribbon Committees on Tuesday along with Ralphy Hay (contributor) and Maxie Baughan, Sterling Sharpe and Jim Tyrer (seniors).

The Hall of Fame’s selection committee will consider those five candidates at their annual meeting in New Orleans during Super Bowl LIX week, and up to three of the five will be selected for the Hall of Fame if they receive at least 80 percent of the vote. Each member of the selection committee may vote for only three of five finalists, and if none of the five receive 80 percent of the vote, then the one who receives the most votes will be elected to the Class of 2025.

Also still up for consideration are Seahawks Legends Earl Thomas and Ricky Watters, who are among the 25 semifinalists in the modern-era category. That group will be reduced to 15 finalists on December 28.