June 4 is a special day in the history of Seattle sports.
Exactly 50 years ago today, the National Football League awarded a franchise to the city of Seattle, giving the city its second major sports team* alongside the National Basketball Association’s SuperSonics.
*Once upon a time, there was a Major League Baseball team before the Mariners, but the Pilots only lasted one season (1969) before becoming the Milwaukee Brewers. The Mariners expansion was granted in 1976 (mid-lawsuit) and their inaugural season began in 1977.
Let’s go into the time machine and look at how the New York Times covered this story:
The National Football League awarded a franchise to Seattle yesterday, bringing the total number of its teams to 28.