While growing up in DeWitt, Iowa, Matt Frey used to collect miniature NFL football helmets with his brother.
“The Seahawks was always one of my favorites,” he said. “I liked them when they had Jim Zorn and Steve Largent.”
Ironically enough, the Navy brought Frey to Kitsap County where he spent about 17 years living in Silverdale, Bremerton or Port Orchard and his love of the Seahawks soared.
This Friday, he’s “coming home” to attend the NFC Championship game at Century Link.
“I’m hoping that it’s one of the loudest games on record and the Seahawks just destroy the 49ers,” he said.
Frey will fly out of Moline, Illinois, about 25 minutes from his home, on a puddle jumper to O’Hare and then head for Seattle. He specifically chose Alaska Airlines and hopes to don a new Russell Wilson jersey in order to get priority boarding.
Frey has had two season tickets to Seahawks games for about 14 years now.
“I will not get rid of them as long as I can help it,” he said.
As a season ticket holder, Frey got the first crack at playoff tickets before they went on sale to the general public. His seats are six rows up from the end zone, right above the visitors’ tunnel. He’s having a banner made that he hopes to hang nearby that reminds the 49ers to leave their NFL Championship Lombardi Trophies at home because they won’t be any use against the Seahawks on Sunday.
“Whoever you are playing or wherever you’re at, it always comes down to how many trophies do you have?,” Frey said. “They always throw that in your face. It’s an argument that I cannot stand.”
Sunday, of course, could take the Hawks one step closer to silencing all the doubters. Frey isn’t worried about Seattle’s vaunted defense and is hopeful that Russell Wilson and his cohorts can put points on the board.
“I just hope the offense can move the ball as effectively as we have in the past; the last four weeks has been a little slow on offense,” Frey said.
The last game Frey attended in Seattle was the 14-12 Monday Night Football victory over the Green Bay Packers that featured a wildly controversial touchdown by Golden Tate after he and M. D. Jennings came down with the ball simultaneously in the end zone. The play is often referred to as the “Fail Mary” or “Inaccurate Reception.” Frey also went to a Seahawks preseason game this year in Green Bay sporting a Steve Largent jersey and was interviewed by reporters and asked about the famous catch from the year before.
“I haven’t gotten to see them at home this year, so I’m excited to come home and see them in the NFC championship,” Frey said.
