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Jun 16, 2020, 8:55 AM | Updated: Jul 9, 2020, 3:42 pm
SPONSORED – The chapter started with 12 members.
Fitting, right? These are Seattle fans we’re talking about down in the other corner of the country. Central Florida. The Orlando area. The Space Coast.
There are a lot of different nicknames, but it’s about as far away from Seattle as you can get, and those 12 fans met on Facebook and started watching games together Week 2 of the 2014 season. By the end of that year, there were 100 people coming to cheer on the team and by 2017 there were more than 200 official members in the Central Florida Sea Hawkers.
They gather at the Kiwi’s Pub & Grill in Altamonte Springs, Fla., to watch the games, and in the fourth week of the 2020 season they will be congregating in Miami for a takeover, and guess what: You’re invited.
Yep. The fan-club chapters from both Central Florida and the Tampa area are making plans to touch down in Miami for Seattle’s first visit there since 2012 back when Russell Wilson was a rookie.
Travel: Best tip for your trip: Consider flying into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood as opposed to Miami International Airport. Both airports are less than 20 miles from Miami’s football stadium, but Alaska Airlines flies directly from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL), which makes it well worth your consideration.
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium is located in Miami Gardens, which is just north of the city of Miami. The stadium, which opened in 1987 as Joe Robbie Stadium, is on its sixth name, and it has also hosted six championship games.
Last time here: Russell Wilson was a rookie the last time Seattle played in Miami, losing 24-21 on Nov. 25, 2012. Leon Washington returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the fourth quarter only to have Seattle surrender 10 points in the final 6 minutes. Seattle is 1-6 in regular-season games played in Miami, but you can’t talk about Seattle’s history in that city without mentioning one of the biggest wins in franchise history. Seattle upset Miami on New Year’s Eve in 1983, defeating Miami and rookie quarterback Dan Marino to advance to the AFC Championship Game where Seattle lost to the Los Angeles Raiders.
Dining: My favorite place in Miami has a bit of a back story. Joe’s Stone Crab dates back to 1913, before Miami Gardens was even incorporated. Founded by Joe Weiss, who was born in Hungary and lived in New York before coming to Florida in 1913. People didn’t even know the stone crab was edible at that point. Now, it’s such a staple that you can have them ship their crabs to you. To understand why, you’ve got to eat their first: Joe’s Stone Crab (11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139)
