Prominent Northwest figures, from Super Bowl MVP to symphony conductor, weigh in on big game
With the Seattle Seahawks back in the Super Bowl – they’re set to kick off Sunday at 3:30 p.m. against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60 – we reached out to a wide range of prominent folks in the Northwest to offer predictions for the big game.
We started with homegrown quarterback Mark Rypien, who earned MVP honors in the 1992 game while leading Washington to a 37-24 victory over Buffalo.
The more people we asked, the more responded. Whether their field of study or expertise was sports, academia, politics, faith, music or about anything else, their expectations were, predictably, a Seahawks win.
Seems just about everyone can unite behind a Super Bowl.
Mark Rypien
1992 Super Bowl MVP and former Washington State quarterback
“I see a rather low scoring game with two really good defenses. Final outcome – I have Seahawks 21, Patriots 17.”
Shari McMahan
Eastern Washington University president
“Very excited to see Eastern Eagles on both sides! Hoping for a great game with no injuries. Efton Chism III (NE Patriots) has a bright future ahead. And of course, Cooper Kupp – a Washington favorite! Prediction: Tie with a Seahawk win in overtime.”
Cardinal Blase Cupich
Former bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Spokane
Cupich noted from his office in Holy Name Cathedral in downtown Chicago that the Seahawks are favored to win and said he believes they will.
“I think they’ll win,” he said, “because I think their defensive and offensive lines are solid.”
He added: “Go Zags.”
Kirby Moore
Washington State football coach
“No predictions. I’m leaning towards the home team. Obviously we went to a playoff game there a couple of weeks ago; it was a great environment. That’s what we have to make come to life here this fall at Gesa Field.”
Richie Frahm
Former Gonzaga and NBA basketball player
“What an exciting team. (The Seahawks) seem poised and ready to finish the job of winning the championship. … I do wish that this year’s team can bring some redemption to the missed opportunity in SB 2015. They should sign Marshawn Lynch to a one-day contract and give him the ball if/when they get to the 1-yard line. I still cannot get over that missed opportunity to go back-to-back as Super Bowl Champs!
“Go Seahawks!”
Joe Palmquist
Former Spokesman-Review sports editor
“Seahawks 31, Patriots 3. Seahawks defense rips Cinderella’s shoes off her feet in the first quarter and tosses them in the stands along with the rest of Patriots’ magic.”
John Nowels
Spokane County sheriff
As Nowels prepares to run for another term as the top law enforcement officer in the county, he’s predicting the Seahawks will preempt him in victory. The Lombardi trophy will return to Washington state, he said.
“Despite Punxsutawney Phil’s weather prediction, the Seahawks and the 12s will not suffer a Groundhog Day-type loss to the Patriots,” Nowels said in a written statement. “Summer is coming, and so is a Super Bowl win! Go Hawks!”
Tim Collins
EWU athletic director
The EWU football community is torn heading into this year’s Super Bowl, athletic director Tim Collins said, with an Eagle alum on both the Seahawks and the Patriots.
“I predict this will be the first tie in Super Bowl history – and I say that facetiously, in that there is no way that it will end in a tie,” Collins said. “So I don’t have to pick.”
If he had to pick, though, Collins said he would choose the Hawks.
“But I’m rooting for both of them.”
Lisa Fortier
Gonzaga women’s basketball coach
“I would be stoned if I didn’t pick the Seahawks. Best team in the NFL, right? I think we got it. I think it’s our time.”
Jess Walter
New York Times best-selling novelist
“Seattle 126, New England 2: Out of pity, Sam Darnold starts taking a knee just after halftime to run out the clock on the overmatched Patriots, who score their only points when the Seahawks bring someone out of the crowd to kick an extra point for a chance at winning a whole year of Ivar’s chowder, but the kick only goes a few yards before former EWU receiver Efton Chism III catches it and runs it the other way for New England’s only 2 points.”
Dick Zornes
Hall of Fame EWU football coach
“All the way with the Hawks. I believe the NFL is won with defense, and (Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald) does, too.”
Zornes, who coached EWU from 1979-93, also believes the Seahawks have had a nice combination of momentum and luck since a wild 38-37 win over the Rams on Dec. 18 – a game that featured an unlikely two-point conversion that turned the tide. And it’s why he sees the Seahawks winning 27-21.
“Those are the kind of breaks you get when things are going right. They’re just hot right now,” he said.
Luke Falk
Former WSU and NFL quarterback
“Seahawks, 35-17. Abe Lucas with a big man TD reception from Sammy D!”
Heidi Hanes
Lewis and Clark High School band director
Hanes, a diehard Hawks fan, carries with her some guilt after the Seahawks’ infamous loss to the Patriots at their last Super Bowl appearance.
“We all know that outcome, and, I think part of it is my fault,” Hanes wrote. “With my students I often have them (voluntarily and outside of class time of course) write down score predictions, do playoff brackets, etc. And I actually wrote NE 28 SEA 24 on the white board in my band room at Pasco High School, I had a feeling, I’m not proud of it! It just didn’t feel like the same team, I just had a feeling. Many students rushed in that Monday morning to talk to me about this … a very, very sad day.”
After correctly guessing the final score of the 2015 game, Hanes is hoping whatever clairvoyance may have inspired that prediction will carry forward this year.
“SO, this year … my prediction is that we will win 28-24,” she wrote. “We WILL beat the New England Patriots with the exact same score they beat us with in 2015.”
Jenny Slagle
Spokane Public Schools board president and local business owner
Jenny Slagle can’t help but root for all local and regional teams, she said. The Seahawks are a particular point of pride for her because of her late father’s affinity for the team. Slagle, an enrolled tribal member in the Yakama Nation and descendant of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, said the team is popular among Indigenous communities.
“Many tribes here in the Northwest and across the country claim the Seahawks as their team, and seeing Coast Salish formline represented in the Seahawks logo matters,” she wrote. “Representation shows up in big and small ways, and sports are one of those places where culture, pride, and community intersect. On Super Bowl Sunday I’ll be cheering for the Seahawks, enjoying the shared experience, and thinking about my dad – win or lose.”
David Riley
WSU basketball coach/former EWU coach
“I’m going with the Hawks because Kupp used to play hoops with us in the summers back at EWU.”
Maria Cantwell
United States senator from Washington
“The Dark Side delivers and so does Kupp. Seahawks by 10.”
Rich Landers
Former Spokesman-Review outdoors editor
“Odds are good that I’ll get my pickup washed before the second quarter, my dog walked before the fourth quarter and my fishing gear put way around the time the game is over. I’ve never watched a Super Bowl. Don’t bet on me breaking that perfect record.”
Ken Hopkins
Longtime radio personality
“Darkhorse Darnold & the Hawks prevail 24-21. Kupp with a big play, late!”
James Lowe
Music director and conductor of the Spokane Symphony
“Coming from the UK, ‘football’ always meant the game you play with an actual ball and your actual feet, so I was just as surprised as everyone else when I found myself falling for the sport I once dismissed as ‘rugby with armour.’ Unfortunately, the friend who recruited me into this new faith happens to be a Bills fan, which means I’ve learned the rituals of hope and disappointment with brutal efficiency. Their recent overtime heartbreaker has left me temporarily faithless, so I’m casting my loyalty with the plucky upstarts from Washington’s second city. That is, until the Bills start up again and I remember who taught me how to suffer.
“The final result? Seahawks to win, but only after they’ve gifted the Patriots a few turnovers.”
Michael Baumgartner
U.S. representative from Eastern Washington
“28-10 Seahawks. Patriots score early on a long Kyle Williams (WSU) TD reception, but the Seahawks go up for good when Abe Lucas (WSU) throws a key block Patriots LB Christian Elliss (Idaho) on a WR screen for Cooper Kupp (EWU). Kupp scores three TDs for the Seahawks on the day and is the first Inland Northwest Super Bowl MVP since Mark Rypien. Go Cougs, Go Eags, Go Vandals and most of all Go Seahawks!”
Adam Shackleford
Former Spokane Shock coach
“24-13 Seahawks. Too much firepower with that Seahawk offense against what I think is a really good Patriot defense. I think you could argue the two best head coaches in the NFL might be my favorite matchup of this game.”
Chris Bennett
Former Whitworth football star/owner of Bennidito’s Pizza & BrewPub
“Cooper Kupp races for the first of his three touchdowns right as the doorbell rings with your pizza delivery. 38-14 Seahawks.”
Dennis Patchin
Hall of fame TV/radio broadcaster
“Seahawks 31-17. The Seahawks are too good on both sides of the ball combined. You can’t play a game where we will out defend you or we will outscore you. The only way the Seahawks lose this game is if they beat themselves with stupid plays, penalties or turnovers.”
David Ellis
Spokane Valley police chief
Most Valley residents know Ellis’ football bonafides are predominantly in the international interpretation of the word. The longtime Spokane County Sheriff’s Office undersheriff and leader of the agency’s Spokane Valley bureau also serves as the head coach of Freeman High School’s girls soccer program.
On Monday, he lent his thoughts on what he expects to play out for the marquee matchup in the American football world: Seahawks defeat the Patriots 21-10.
“I think the Seahawks’ ‘Dark Side’ defense will be so overwhelming that it’ll be officially deemed a public nuisance for the New England sideline, while Sam Darnold will be solid and effectively lead the Hawks’ offense,” Ellis said in a written statement. “The Seahawks will take this opportunity to turn the tables from the last time these two teams played each other in the Super Bowl, and there won’t be another goal-line ‘theft’ of the Lombardi Trophy from the 1-yard line.”
Bud Nameck
Hall of Fame TV/radio broadcaster
“Seattle defense stymies the Patriots and offense takes advantage of field position to win 24-10.”
Jim Walden
Former WSU football coach
“I think the LA Rams are/were the best team in the NFL and the Seahawks beat them twice. With that said, I believe the Seahawks will win 27-17. Go Cougs!”
John Yarno
Former Idaho football great and Seahawks center
“Obviously, I think the Seahawks are going to win the game. I think it will be a tight game. Because of the defense and the philosophy they have, I think the Seahawks have a really good chance to win.”
Zach Bruce
EWU safeties coach and co-DC/Former Eagle player
“Seahawks, 24-20. I think it’s going to be a battle of defense and special teams even though we have two Eagles on offense in this one! Seattle’s defense has been one of the most exciting in the league all year and New England is giving up less than 10 points per game in the playoffs this year. Rashid Shaheed for the Seahawks and Marcus Jones for the Patriots both have the ability to make you pay on special teams if you kick to them. A special teams play could make the difference.”
Lawrence Bingham
President of the Spokane Valley Sea Hawkers Booster Club
Bingham predicts a Seahawks’ victory, with Seattle winning by a touchdown over the Patriots.
Pat O’Connor
Past president of the Spokane Valley Sea Hawkers Booster Club
O’Connor says he is sure the Seahawks will beat the Patriots 24-14.
Gary Lindeblad
Golf professional
“Asking me to make a football prediction is a little like asking me to be the booger in a new hankie. I am flattered, and I hope I get the ‘pick’ correct. Bad Bunny kills the halftime show, followed by a 30% increase among conservative Republicans in cardiac arrest nationwide before the second half.”
Ralph Walter
Spokesman-Review sports editor
“I’ve got Team Ruff scoring the game-winning TD over Team Fluff just before both teams pee all over the field. Oh wait, that’s my Puppy Bowl XXII prediction.
“Super Bowl? I’ll go with the Seahawks to win big. Cooper Kupp catches two TD passes in a 31-14 victory. In a strange twist, both former EWU stars Kupp and New England receiver Efton Chism III will throw passes for their respective teams. Kupp’s will fall incomplete, but Chism’s will connect for a touchdown.”
Beth Nye
Adams Elementary School principal
Beth Nye predicts the Seahawks will win. She wrote that the Hawks seem to inflict some kind of pain on her, win or loss.
She went to a party for the 2014 Super Bowl when Seattle beat the Denver Broncos 43-8. “Every time the Hawks scored, we would all high-five each other,” she said. “It started right away after the safety and continued all night. Our hands were red and sore by the end of the night.”
It hurt more the next year, especially for her teenage son. She was “speechless” watching Russell Wilson throw the ball at the 1-yard line, only to be intercepted by the Patriots, preventing a second consecutive Lombardi Trophy for the Hawks.
“My son (13 at the time) was devastated and retreated to the basement,” she wrote. “He sulked in his room for days. As with any true Seahawk fan, just mentioning that moment causes a physical response.”
Paul Sorensen
Hall of Fame WSU defensive back
“In the 2015 Super Bowl between Seattle and New England, Russell Wilson threw a short slant pass on the 1-yard line … which gets picked off (with 26 seconds remaining) with Marshawn Lynch sitting in the Seahawk backfield. Seattle loses 28-24.
“Forward to 2026: QB Sam Darnold, WRs Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, and stud former WSU tackle/current OT Abe Lucas manning the o-line, and the NFL’s No. 1-rated overall defense – you’ll see Seattle pound the rock. Hawks run the ball to set up play-action pass and win game going away 24-14 in boring dominant fashion over the outmanned Patriots to win their second Lombardi Trophy in Seahawk history! Go Hawks.”
Matt Santangelo
Former Gonzaga basketball player
“I will be watching. I will be rooting on the Hawks. I (just) wish I had better retro Seahawks gear to wear.”
Jeff Jordan
Former Spokesman-Review sports editor
“I predict our very own Eastern Eagle, Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, will make that last yard if we need it for the victory.”
Angie Brown
Special education teacher at Adams Elementary
Angie Brown is already planning to head to Dick’s Sporting Goods after a Seahawks win to buy a championship T-shirt.
She was in the stands with 16 family members when the Hawks won their conference championship this year, sending them to the Super Bowl. It brought her to tears, thinking of her Hawks-obsessed auntie who passed away.
“The air was electric,” she wrote. “Everywhere we looked was a sea of green and blue. Our faces were painted with 12s and we wore all of our Seahawks’ gear. The energy kept us warm as we jumped up and down cheering for our team to make it to the Super Bowl.”
Riley Stockton
Executive director at Hoopfest
“31-17 Seahawks. Seahawks get their revenge for Super Bowl 48 with a dominant defensive performance. AJ Barner and Kupp both have TDs with Darnold as the MVP! Go Hawks!
“If the Patriots (my least favorite team tied with the Boston Celtics) win, you won’t hear from me for a couple of months. Haha!”
Selena Hagan
Resource para educator at Adams Elementary
Selena Hagan predicts a “hard fought” victory for the Hawks. Among her favorite memories is the 2011 “Beast Quake,” when running back Marshawn Lynch rushed 67 yards to score a touchdown in an NFC Wild Card game against the New Orleans Saints. The crowd in Lumen Field cheered and stomped so loudly that a nearby seismometer registered a 2.0 magnitude earthquake at the time of the touchdown. Hagan watched from her living room with her family.
“We were on our feet, jumping and screaming like Marshawn could actually hear this house of 12s from the other side of the state!” She wrote. “Later, when the seismograph was reported on, we knew we had just witnessed, and been a part of, football history!”
Jim Hazelton
Multimedia specialist at Spokane Public Schools
You may find Jim Hazelton and his wife Grace Hazelton “stress-eating” on Sunday watching the game. He anticipates a nail biter.
“I think it will be low scoring in the first half, and the Seahawks will wear them down in the second half and run away with it. 27-13 Seahawks win,” he wrote.
Rick Lukens
Longtime TV/radio personality
“While the Seahawk offense will be efficient, the game will be decided by the defense and special teams, which will be responsible, directly or indirectly, for two Seahawk scores. Seahawks will win 38-17, and exorcise the demons from 11 years ago. And they will do it with Marshawn Lynch on the sideline, taking photographs. He’s all about those action photos, boss!”
Parker Ritzmann
Former West Valley student recently selected for fully funded master’s program in Beijing, China’s Tsinghua University
Seahawks will win 27-20, Parker Ritzmann predicts.
“Go home team! Defense wins championships, right?”
Nate Graham
Gonzaga Prep football coach
“Seahawks 35-24. The Seahawks just have too much firepower on offense.”
Greg Deckard
President and CEO of State Bank Northwest in Spokane
“Seahawks will run the ball near the goal line, this time, and win the Super Bowl. Hawks will win in all three phases of the game and be champs! Great sports year in Seattle!”
Tim Verzal
Mayor of Deer Park
Verzal predicts that the game will be a grinding, defensive masterclass. He expects wide receiver Cooper Kupp to “come through” and for quarterback Sam Darnold to “show who he is.” Verzal predicts the final score will be 24-17, in favor of Seattle.
Otto Klein
Spokane Indians Senior VP
“Seahawks 27-10. As a lifelong Hawks fan I wouldn’t vote any other way! In John Schneider and Mike Macdonald I trust.”
Brenna Greene
Former KREM-TV sports director
“Even though I grew up in the PNW, I never had an NFL team I rooted for so therefore I really don’t have any biases here. The Seahawks just feel like an unstoppable force at this point and going against them feels like a silly thing to do, especially with the Patriots’ strength of schedule (or lack thereof).
“Seahawks 35-21.”
Freddie Rehkow
Girls basketball coach at Ridgeline High and father of Ryan Rehkow, a punter for the Cincinnati Bengals
Rehkow believes it will be a really fun game to watch, with Seattle’s hard-hitting defense matching up against an efficient Patriots offense. He said the Hawks need to limit early connections from quarterback Drake Maye and not take the Patriots’ defense too lightly.
“The Patriots’ defense is tough,” he said. “When all is said and done, I believe the Seahawks have a slight advantage and will win the ball game 27-24.”
Nadine Burgess
Owner of Spokane Gymnastics
“I think it is going to be a grinder and very exciting game! If the Seahawks can score early then NE won’t catch up due to our incredible defense. I predict a low scoring game, but Cooper Kupp will have at least one amazing play that we all talk will about on Monday.”
Tom Williams
Spokane Fire Department chief
“Hands down the Hawks. If it had been Denver with Oregon Duck Bo Nix, a different story, but now, for sure, it’s Seattle. I even have my outside house lighting set to Seattle Seahawks colors.”
Robert Sanders
Mt. Spokane stake president for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
“The Seahawks are gonna run all over them,” Sanders said.
He said this year’s Seahawks team seems like the best team they’ve ever had. He predicts they’ll beat the Patriots by 21 points or more. He can’t see the Seahawks scoring any less than 28 points in the Super Bowl.
“28 to 7 in favor of the Seahawks,” Sanders said.
Larry Weir
Voice of Eastern Washington athletics
“Seahawks 24-16. The Pats make it closer than some predict, but Seahawks are too good in all three phases in the end.”
Chris Banka
Owner, Brickyard Barbershop
“I’m predicting the Hawks for the win 35-17. Really just hoping for a good game overall with solid officiating.”