Following the shocking news that Pete Carroll would be stepping down as head coach, the Seahawks announced today that they would be honoring the team’s longtime leader by hanging his gum in the rafters.
“After 14 incredible seasons with the Seahawks, we wanted to honor Coach Carroll for everything he did for Seattle, so we’ve been collecting all the gum he chewed over the years to create a one-of-a-kind banner to hang from the rafters,” said Seahawks owner Jody Allen in a press release. “While this is a sweet and sour day for the organization, we hope that fans will look upon the banner dripping down from the rafters and remember the Super Bowl victory, the five NFC West titles, and tens of thousands of Bubble Yum wrappers he left on the sideline with fondness.”
Though Carroll will remain with the Seahawks as an advisor, fans were already honoring the beloved coach by creating a new Gum Wall mural on the side of Lumen Field.
“As soon as I heard the news, I stuffed an entire pack of Bubble Tape into my mouth and headed down to Lumen Field to honor the best dang coach the Seahawks have ever had,” said Mark Henderson, crafting an ‘We <3 Pete!’ message in chewing gum. “Whoever the next head coach is will have some mighty big chompers to fill.”
Meanwhile the Gum Wall has requested to borrow Pete Carroll’s first piece of gum for display in their new permanent Local Legends collection.
Photo with alterations from The Needling by Mike Morris (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)
