Sasquatches? Electric loggers? How Seattle's NFL team became the 'Seahawks'

SEATTLE — Abominable Snowmen. Cumulo Nimbos. Ferrys. Green State Geoducks. Harpooners. Puget Puffers. Sasquatches. Weather Beaters.

In another universe, perhaps one of these fan-suggested names would have been the name for Seattle's fledgling National Football League (NFL) franchise in 1975.

But this is not that universe.

Team officials selected the name "Seahawks" to represent the franchise on June 17, 1975 - 47 years ago Friday.

The winning team name was submitted by 153 people from about 20,365 entries in total, according to team officials. There were 1,741 unique name suggestions team officials poured over before landing on the name, "Seahawks."

Here are some of the fan-suggested team names that did not make the cut.

"It's overwhelming, simply overwhelming," then-managing general partner Herman Sarkowsky said at the time. "We expected only about one-tenth this many entries."

The Seahawks sent the 153 people who suggested the franchise's eventual team name two free tickets to a preseason game against the San Diego Chargers at the Kingdome on Aug. 29, 1976. Seattle played at the Kingdome for 23 years before eventually finding its current home in Lumen Field, then known as CenturyLink Field. 

Now in this universe, the Seattle Seahawks have won 374 regular-season games in 47 seasons, advanced to the NFL playoffs 19 times, ushered in one of the most iconic plays in league history, galvanized an entire fan base behind a young star quarterback and elite defense, won a Super Bowl in 2013 and very nearly won the championship the following season.

Who knows how the Seattle "Electric Loggers" would have fared?