Top 15 Sports Stories of 2015
From the Super Bowl to the U.S. Open to the Apple Cup, 2015 was another big year in Seattle sports. It wasn't easy, but we've distilled the year down to the 15 biggest stories below, in no particular order.
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Spieth wins U.S. Open at Chambers Bay
June 18-21
The sporting world turned its eyes to Washington in June for the 2015 U.S. Open Championship, as the state played host to its first major golf tournament in 17 years. And while local fans were happy to welcome one of golf’s most storied events, the Chambers Bay course in University Place became a lightning rod for criticism — nearly overshadowing the golf itself. As challenging as the course was, it was no match for golf’s rising superstar Jordan Spieth, who captured his second major championship in a thrilling Sunday showdown with Dustin Johnson on the 18th hole.
Seahawks lose Super Bowl XLIX
February 1
The Seahawks were 1 yard from making history — 1 yard from their second consecutive Super Bowl title — when the unthinkable occured. When everyone at University of Phoenix Stadium thought Marshawn Lynch would get the ball, the Seahawks chose to pass. New England cornerback Malcolm Butler stepped in front of Seattle receiver Ricardo Lockette and intercepted Russell Wilson's pass, sealing the Patriots' victory. Many have called that decision the worst call in Super Bowl history, and Carroll spent the entire summer answering to critics of him and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
Nelson Cruz joins M's, brings the boom
February-October
It was in December 2014 that the Mariners signed slugger Nelson Cruz to a four-year, $58 million deal, and it was on Feb. 25, 2015, that he first suited up for Seattle. Never mind the Mariners, at the start of spring training, were a favorite to reach the World Series — Cruz certainly did his part while the rest of the team struggled around him. He finished the season batting .302 with 44 home runs and 22 doubles, sneaking for a time into the MVP conversation and winning a Silver Slugger award.
Reign stars help win Women's World Cup
July 5
A local product and an adopted Seattleite helped lead the way as the U.S. Women's National Team lifted its first Women's World Cup in 16 years on July 5. Richland's own Hope Solo posted five consecutive shutouts in goal, while Reign midfielder Megan Rapinoe helped the USWNT overcome a sluggish start to the tournament. Their NWSL form wasn't too shabby, either, as Seattle won the regular-season title before falling to Kansas City in the championship game Oct. 1 for the second straight season.
Mariners brass turns over yet again
August-October
The 2015 Mariners did not live up to their spring-training hype, finishing further from a playoff berth than they had the year before despite a stronger roster. On Aug. 28, before his seventh season officially ended, the Mariners said goodbye to general manager Jack Zduriencik. One month later, the ballclub hired former Los Angeles Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, who has a more analytics-driven approach to talent acquisition. Along with the changeover came the departure of most of Seattle's coaching staff, including manager Lloyd McClendon (though hitting coach Edgar Martinez stayed), and Dipoto on Oct. 23 hired former Angels assistant Scott Servais as the team's new skipper.
Bellevue football recruiting questioned
January-December
A slew of allegations befell the Bellevue High School football program, including controversy over mistreatment of players and apparant recruiting violations. A Seattle Times investigation uncovered what two former teachers called a "diploma mill" at a nearby private school, allowing its students to play for Bellevue. The WIAA launched its own investigation into the alleged recruiting violations, including coaches wooing middle-school athletes to Bellevue.
Seahawks trade for Jimmy Graham
March 10
The Seahawks made arguably the biggest splash of the NFL offseason — on free-agency deadline day, no less — when they traded center Max Unger to the New Orleans Saints for star tight end Jimmy Graham. His addition was expected to give the Seahawks an offensive bump, but fans were disappointed with his apparent lack of touches. Graham had just gotten rolling when a knee injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Iwakuma throws no-hitter, later re-signs
August 12 / December 17
Having worked through an injury earlier in the season, Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma tossed the fifth no-hitter in team history Aug. 12, blanking the Baltimore Orioles in front of a lucky crowd of 25,661 at Safeco Field. The 116-pitch effort (77 for strikes) only strengthened the 34-year-old's stock for free agency in the offseason, but he failed a physical after agreeing to a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Seattle's new GM, Jerry Dipoto, swooped back in Dec. 17 and re-signed the Tokyo native.
Seahawks struggle as Kam holds out
August-September
The Seahawks, coming off of a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss, opened the 2015 season with two losses. Many fans put some of the blame on strong safety Kam Chancellor, who held out from training camp, the preseason and into the regular season in an effort to get more money. He was not successful, and returned to the team Sept. 23 in time to help lead Seattle to victories the following two weeks.
Freshmen lead Huskies to bowl victory
August-December
The Huskies' 2015 season kicked off with a mystery: Who would be the starting quarterback? By the coin flip of UW's first game, second-year head coach Chris Petersen had settled on true freshman Jake Browning. Along with freshmen Trey Adams and Myles Gaskin at left tackle and running back, respectively, Browning led a young Huskies squad to their sixth consecutive bowl game and a 7-6 record. Having beaten the Luke Falk-less Cougars 45-10 in the Apple Cup, the Dawgs topped Southern Miss 44-31 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
Luke Falk, Cougars shock the Pac-12
August-December
Before the season started, Washington State was expected to win maybe a couple more games than it did in 2014, when the Cougars went 3-9. Instead, after a forgettable opening loss to Portland State, WSU and junior QB Luke Falk went on a tear, upsetting Oregon and nearly toppling Stanford en route to a 9-4 record. A 20-14 win over Miami in the snowy Sun Bowl eased the pain of an embarassing, 45-10 loss to UW in the Apple Cup while Falk was injured.
Russell Wilson becomes celebrity QB
January-December
Remember 2012, when rookie Russell Wilson came out of nowhere to become the darling of Seattle? Those days are over; in 2015, Wilson became a celebrity quarterback. He led his team to a second straight Super Bowl, he started dating singer Ciara, he joined her for a state dinner at the White House, he appeared on numerous magazine covers, he endorsed Recovery Water ... and, oh, he signed a four-year, $87.6 million contract extension with the Seahawks. And let's not forget his outstanding offensive performance in the second half of the 2015 season.
Sounders unravel, still advance to playoffs
June-November
On June 16, Seattle was in first place in MLS and more than living up to its billing as a preseason title contender. But 120 disastrous U.S. Open Cup minutes later, Obafemi Martins was injured, Clint Dempsey was facing suspension and the Sounders entered a tailspin that would bring eight losses in the next 10 games. Seattle rallied late to reach its seventh straight postseason, but never did reclaim that early-season form, crashing out in the conference semifinals Nov. 8.
Thomas Rawls rumbles as Seahawks surge
November-December
On Nov. 15, the Seahawks’ season looked all but over. At 4-5 after a tough loss to the Cardinals and with Marshawn Lynch battling significant injuries, the Hawks’ playoff chances seemed minimal at best. Insert Thomas Rawls, an undrafted free-agent running back, who transformed from Clark Kent to Superman for a team in desperate need of a hero. Rawls rushed for 391 yards over the next three games, igniting yet another run into the playoffs. Rawls suffered a season-ending ankle injury Dec. 13 against the Ravens, but he provided the burst the team needed when times looked bleak.
Joe Kennedy polarizes the nation
September-October
On Sept. 17, the district superintendent sent Bremerton coach Joe Kennedy a letter demanding he stop praying with his athletes at the 50-yard line after football games. He did, for a few weeks, then called a news conference to announce he would pray after his game Oct. 16. Surrounded by media and supporters, and opposed by a contingent from The Satanist Temple, Kennedy led his prayer ... and two weeks later was placed on leave. The controversy went national — even up to Congress — and Kennedy has since filed a complaint against the school district with the backing of a religious freedom group.