Summary

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Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll and King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer This may be the oldest selfie ever,” Head Coach Pete Carroll said before touring the White House with his World Champion Seahawks.

Players from the 2013 Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks and invited guests celebrate their Super Bowl XLVIII victory over the Denver Broncos today with President Barack Obama at the White House. 

“I am honored to join the World Champions at the White House today to celebrate their achievement on the field,” said Metropolitan King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, who used private funds to travel to the ceremony.

This is the culmination of a great achievement.  I am proud of the team John Schneider and Pete Carroll assembled that brought such pride to King County and the greater Pacific Northwest. I've never seen a region so unified under the banner of the 12th man — blue collar, white collar or no collar, they're all in.”

17 years ago, the Seattle Seahawks almost left the Pacific Northwest.  von Reichbauer stood in the middle of the storm.

According to The Seattle Times: “When Behring decided he no longer wanted to own the team, he quietly reached out to von Reichbauer. He wanted him to gauge interest in potential buyers. Von Reichbauer looked up and down the Pacific Northwest, from Vancouver, B.C., to Eugene, Ore.” (Seattle Times Oct 26, 2013)

According to The Los Angeles Times: “He found that buyer in Paul Allen, who at the time was third on the Forbes list of richest Americans with an estimated net worth of $7.5 billion, was wary of being used as a pawn by Behring to drive up the price. He didn't negotiate directly with Behring, but instead had his people listen to the deal, with Von Reichbauer acting as a go-between.” (LA Times, Jan 25 2014)

With their efforts, the fans have watched their beloved football team become one of the most successful and enviable franchises of the NFL.  Their achievements are also reflected in the strength of the 12th man. 

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