Seahawks’ decision no shock

The Seattle Seahawks’ plan to build new team headquarters in Renton, which would return training camp to the west side of the state in 2008, didn’t catch Eastern Washington University officials totally off guard.

“It’s not completely a surprise,” EWU spokesman David Rey said. “Last summer they had talked about it a bit and I think it had been in the media a few times that they were looking at it as a possibility.”

Team president Tim Ruskell told The Spokesman-Review last August there had been discussions about a new facility in the Seattle area, but “nothing concrete.” The Seahawks are expected to announce plans today for their new team headquarters with 5 ½ practice fields on 20 acres on the Renton waterfront.

The Seahawks have held training camp at EWU since 1997 and are expected to spend this summer and 2007 in Cheney. Seattle also trained at EWU from its inaugural season in 1976 through 1985. The Seahawks trained at team headquarters in Kirkland from 1986-96.

When the Seahawks depart after the 2007 camp, there will be numerous sad faces at EWU, Cheney and in the Inland Northwest.

“We’ve been good partners and they’ve been good partners,” West Plains Chamber of Commerce executive director Joelean Copeland said. “It’s just the next step for them. You can’t have a good thing forever. We totally stand behind this team and they have a long-standing history in Cheney. There’s not a whole lot we can do about it but send them off with the best possible impression and maybe they’ll come back some day.”

The Seahawks are paying EWU nearly $1 million on a three-year contract that expires after camp this summer. A 2002 economic impact study estimated the team and its fans pump $2 million annually into the region.

In addition, the team’s presence has resulted in technological improvements in several EWU buildings, superbly manicured practice fields and upgrades to the campus weight room and athletic training areas.

“I’m sure our football coaches talk about (Seahawks training camp being in Cheney) a lot on the recruiting trail and even coaches of our other sports as well,” Eagles interim athletic director Pam Parks said. “Even though a lot of our student-athletes aren’t here when the Seahawks are around, many are and it’s always great to see a pro athlete train and the intensity in which they train is a great residual benefit for our student-athletes.”

The Seahawks bring visitors from throughout the Pacific Northwest to the EWU campus for roughly one month every summer. Practices generally draw between 150-400 people. EWU and Cheney also benefit from the publicity generated by daily newspaper articles and radio and television reports originating from camp.

“I would say the exposure and publicity the Seahawks have brought to EWU are more important than the monetary end of things,” Rey said. “Our football program has won about 65 percent of its games since the Seahawks have been back. Having people coming onto campus in the summer time and visiting and dropping in on Seahawks practices is a great thing.”

Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren has always praised the quality of EWU’s facilities and the benefits of the region’s warm and relatively dependable weather.

“I think there is something to be said for getting away from home and coming together as a team,” Holmgren said last August. “After practice you can’t shoot home and between practices you aren’t shooting over to the mall in Bellevue.”

However, many players and team employees dread leaving their families for 3-4 weeks to live in the dorms at EWU.

With the NFL Draft complete, the Seahawks and EWU officials will communicate more frequently about the set-up of camp this summer. Seattle is coming off its most successful season, advancing to the Super Bowl before falling to Pittsburgh.

“With all the success they had last year they want to build off that,” Copeland said. “I know this summer we’re expecting a little more (fan attendance) and the chamber had developed a small marketing campaign to get more people to stay out on the West Plains. We wanted to kind of ride that wave, too.”