Bob Whitsitt - Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks

Several years after hiring Whitsitt to run the Trail Blazers; Paul Allen gave him a second role as president of the Seattle Seahawks in 1997. Whitsitt is a self-proclaimed "basketball guy", being more knowledgeable about basketball than about football; for this reason his role with the Seahawks was primarily involved with business management; decisions on players were generally left to others, that is until after his resignation in 2003 as GM of the Trailblazers, he installed himself as the ultimate decision maker of personnel in the Seahawks organization, causing much friction due to his poor decision making and basketball background making him poorly suited as an NFL GM. The powerplay is generally viewed as the catalyst that ultimately lead to his firing after the 2004 season.

While president of the Seahawks, Whitsitt oversaw two major changes to the team. First, he helped negotiate the development of Qwest Field, the stadium the team plays its home games in (this facility replaced the aging Kingdome). Second, Whitsitt hired Mike Holmgren (formerly of the Green Bay Packers as coach of the Seahawks (and later as general manager).

In 2004, Whitsitt was diagnosed with a growth on his colon (which was surgically removed); according to media reports he has an excellent prognosis for recovery.

After the 2004-2005 season, in a move which has been widely praised by both the Portland and Seattle sports media, Whitsitt was suddenly (and unexpectedly) fired as president of the Seahawks after losing a power struggle with Holmgren. The move paid dividends, as the following year the Seahawks won the NFC championship, advancing to Super Bowl XL.