Home  :  Sea Hawkers Banquets  :  2005 - Banquet Review Review By: Will Harrison If there was a theme to the Sea Hawkers’ annual banquet this year, it would have to be “unexpected guests.” Sure, the Stagecoach Restaurant in Qwest Field was packed with Seattle’s biggest Seahawk fans. Familiar faces such as Jerramy Stevens and Jerheme Urban showed up to snack on chicken, beef, and fish. The emcee was none other than KIRO radio personality Paul Moyer, who kept the crowd entertained and the program on schedule. But it was the guests who made the evening. CEO Tod Leiweke mingled with fans prior to kicking off the evening’s festivities. New Team President Tim Ruskell spoke to the crowd and earned a standing ovation for his stated commitment to build the team through high character, high effort players. Then, in an appearance worth stopping the 2004 highlight video for, Seattle’s draft class entered the room. Every drafted rookie from Chris Spencer to Doug Nienhuis entered the room, hit the stage, and received a warm welcome from the Sea Hawker faithful. Spencer and second round pick Lofa Tatupu briefly addressed the crowd and took a few questions from Paul Moyer. The draftees had to leave shortly thereafter, but their surprise appearance was clearly the highlight of the evening.   Sea Hawker Of The Year - Sue Farley   Most Improved Player - Marcus Tufant The Most Improved Seahawk Award was presented to Marcus Trufant for his excellent play in 2004. Trufant was not present at the banquet due to rehabilitation work, and the award was accepted on his behalf by his mother as a result. The well-deserved winner of the Sea Hawker of the Year Award was present, however, and Sue Farley earned the honor for all of her hard work on behalf of the booster club and the team itself. Rounding out the evening were performances from a live band, a roaming magician, a visit from several Seattle Sea Gals, and NFL highlights playing on the restaurant’s widescreen televisions; sharp-eyed fans even got to relive Dave Krieg’s miracle win at Kansas City. But it was the appearance of the newest Seahawks—players and front office personnel alike—that was the most pleasant surprise and made this year’s banquet a rousing success.