SEATTLE — Long before Seattle Seahawks fans hated the San Francisco 49ers, they hated the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos were the Hawks' division rivals back when Seattle was part of the AFC West. Seattle's NFL team didn't move to the NFC until 2002, so local fans had 25-years to build up a dislike for Denver; a dislike so deep that Seattle fans publicly bashed Ford Broncos in the mid-'80s to show their disgust.
Norm Johnson of Kitsap County was the Hawks' kicker for nine of those early years. He remembers the Seahawks-Broncos rivalry as one of the nastiest of the time.
"The Bronco Busters and all the stuff we had going on in the 'Thunder Dome' back in the day was really big. It was a really exciting rivalry back then" he told KIRO 7 Reporter Amy Clancy on Tuesday.
Longtime Seahawks fans "can't wait to watch the Hawks pummel" Denver. On KIRO 7's Facebook page, many reminisced about wearing those "Bronco Busters" T-shirts Johnson talked about, and one said it's "time to send Peyton Manning and John Elway to the glue factory."
But perhaps no moments bring back Bronco Busting memories more than two games in 1988. Hall of Famer wide receiver Steve Largent was knocked cold for three minutes by Denver's Mike Harden in September 1988. Three months later, Largent got his revenge on Harden with a hit of his own that brought fans to their feet for minutes.
Follow this link to watch Largent's hit.
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