Seattle’s sacred numbers tell the franchise’s story, and Kenny Easley’s 45 sits among them for a reason. The Seahawks have retired only a handful of jerseys, from Steve Largent and Cortez Kennedy to the No. 12 that honors the fan base.
Easley’s case is singular. In seven seasons, he stacked five Pro Bowls, multiple All-Pro nods, and the 1984 Defensive Player of the Year while redefining the strong safety role. Though his time in Seattle ended amid the 1987 labor strife and a failed trade that exposed kidney damage he attributed to heavy painkiller use, fences were mended. The club put his name in the Ring of Honor and retired 45 in 2002, and Canton followed in 2017.
Legendary Seahawks safety Kenny Easley, who spent his entire seven-year, Hall of Fame career in Seattle, passed away last night at 66, as reported by ESPN’s Brady Henderson on Twitter. The news lands heavily in a city that still measures defensive electricity against the standard Easley set.
On the field, he was the original tone-setter in the secondary, long before the Legion of Boom. At 6-3 with rare range and striking power, he played downhill in the box, flipped his hips like a corner, and turned third downs into punts with instincts that felt a step ahead.
He was the best player on a defense that helped lift Seattle to multiple playoff trips in the 1980s, and his 1984 season remains one of the most complete defensive campaigns in team history.
Those who rank the greatest Seahawks almost always place Easley near the top tier. He is often listed just behind franchise pillars like Largent and Kennedy, a testament to the impact he had in a comparatively brief career.
He entered the Ring of Honor on October 14, 2002, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 4, 2017, formal markers of what the film already showed.
Seattle now mourns a legend who made the secondary feel like a stage. Number 45 will not be worn again, and that is fitting. For a generation of fans and players, Kenny Easley defined what it meant to play defense here, with intelligence, courage, and a presence that could tilt a game.
