SIGWX
Well-known member
In both American football and soccer, each team fields eleven players, making the crowd the so-called "12th man" - a rather apt nickname given that the psychological and emotional lift is equal to having an extra player on the field. Many teams have embraced the term, including the Seattle Seahawks - fresh off their dominant win in Super Bowl LX, the Hawks have once again shown how powerful that identity can be. Long before their latest championship run, though, the Hawks' "12th Man" had already inspired one of the coolest crossovers between sports and aviation: hometown aerospace giant Boeing painted not one, but two Boeing 747s in Seahawks colors, complete with a giant "12" on the tail.
The Seahawks began their "12th Man" tradition in 1984, when they retired 12 as a jersey number in honor of their fans. As the number swayed gently from the rafters of the Kingdome, however, it marked what was really the calm before the storm. Nearly 3,000 miles away, the Fightin' Texas Aggies of Texas A&M University, known for their rich traditions, military heritage, and Texas-sized marching band, share little in common with the Hawks, beyond the nickname for their fans, with the Aggies having proudly used the phrase "12th Man" since 1922. While the school didn't coin the phrase - that distinction belongs to the Minnesota Golden Gophers (who are also commemorated with a special livery) - the passionate Aggies embraced the identity like no other college football fanbase, and were the first to secure a federal trademark for the term. So, despite competing at different levels (pro vs collegiate), the Aggies and Seahawks were ultimately set on a legal collision course.
So, when the Hawks advanced to Super Bowl XL in 2006, they not only drew the attention of the nation, but also Texas A&M's lawyers, and it wasn't long before the dispute escalated into legal territory. The two sides ultimately cooled their jets (pun intended) and settled, with A&M leasing the phrase to the Seahawks for ten years. When the agreement neared expiration in the 2010s, the Hawks chose not to renew it and instead began officially referring to their fans as the "12s," allowing both programs to move forward amicably (and hence the "Spirit of the 12s" title). In the end, the trademark spat did little to strain ties between the two football powerhouses, as numerous Aggies have since gone on to suit up for the Hawks, finding themselves surrounded once again by familiar "12" pride.
All of that lore brings me to N841BA, a factory-fresh 747-8F painted in full Seahawks livery in 2015. She followed an earlier jumbo, N770BA, which wore the scheme during the Hawks' 2014 championship run. As an Aggie 12th Man, I had wanted a model of one of them ever since discovering the backstory; when I realized that I had actually seen N841BA years later at HKG as G-CLAB with CargoLogicAir, the decision was easy. This also gave me a chance to try HX's 747 mold, which flawlessly captured her every detail, preserving a snapshot when she celebrates a Super Bowl contender, a unique sports saga, and the enduring power of the 12th Man. The release timing feels poetic as well: although N841BA never witnessed a Seahawks Super Bowl victory in this livery - Seattle fell to the New England Patriots in 2015 - the Hawks got their revenge this year, crushing the Pats and bringing the story full circle.
From one 12th Man to another, congratulations on the title, Hawks! And thanks to that lease agreement, we Aggies can also jokingly claim we got a jumbo jet and a Super Bowl win out of the deal. Not a bad return at all!
The Seahawks began their "12th Man" tradition in 1984, when they retired 12 as a jersey number in honor of their fans. As the number swayed gently from the rafters of the Kingdome, however, it marked what was really the calm before the storm. Nearly 3,000 miles away, the Fightin' Texas Aggies of Texas A&M University, known for their rich traditions, military heritage, and Texas-sized marching band, share little in common with the Hawks, beyond the nickname for their fans, with the Aggies having proudly used the phrase "12th Man" since 1922. While the school didn't coin the phrase - that distinction belongs to the Minnesota Golden Gophers (who are also commemorated with a special livery) - the passionate Aggies embraced the identity like no other college football fanbase, and were the first to secure a federal trademark for the term. So, despite competing at different levels (pro vs collegiate), the Aggies and Seahawks were ultimately set on a legal collision course.
So, when the Hawks advanced to Super Bowl XL in 2006, they not only drew the attention of the nation, but also Texas A&M's lawyers, and it wasn't long before the dispute escalated into legal territory. The two sides ultimately cooled their jets (pun intended) and settled, with A&M leasing the phrase to the Seahawks for ten years. When the agreement neared expiration in the 2010s, the Hawks chose not to renew it and instead began officially referring to their fans as the "12s," allowing both programs to move forward amicably (and hence the "Spirit of the 12s" title). In the end, the trademark spat did little to strain ties between the two football powerhouses, as numerous Aggies have since gone on to suit up for the Hawks, finding themselves surrounded once again by familiar "12" pride.
All of that lore brings me to N841BA, a factory-fresh 747-8F painted in full Seahawks livery in 2015. She followed an earlier jumbo, N770BA, which wore the scheme during the Hawks' 2014 championship run. As an Aggie 12th Man, I had wanted a model of one of them ever since discovering the backstory; when I realized that I had actually seen N841BA years later at HKG as G-CLAB with CargoLogicAir, the decision was easy. This also gave me a chance to try HX's 747 mold, which flawlessly captured her every detail, preserving a snapshot when she celebrates a Super Bowl contender, a unique sports saga, and the enduring power of the 12th Man. The release timing feels poetic as well: although N841BA never witnessed a Seahawks Super Bowl victory in this livery - Seattle fell to the New England Patriots in 2015 - the Hawks got their revenge this year, crushing the Pats and bringing the story full circle.
From one 12th Man to another, congratulations on the title, Hawks! And thanks to that lease agreement, we Aggies can also jokingly claim we got a jumbo jet and a Super Bowl win out of the deal. Not a bad return at all!
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