Kenneth E Behring

Ken Behring, the controversial second owner of the Seahawks who guided the team through a turbulent period that included his attempt to move the franchise to southern California, has died. Behring was 91 and died Tuesday night June 25 2019 of undisclosed causes, according to a Facebook post from his son, David. Behring and Ken Hofmann (who died in 2018) bought the team in 1988 from its original owners, Seattle Professional Football Inc., headed by the Nordstrom family, and kept it until 1997 when it was sold to Paul Allen. His tenure as owner included the team’s worst season in 1992 and an attempt to move it to southern California when he failed in a bid to get a new stadium built to replace the Kingdome. Behring also was known for donating millions to charities — including donating wheelchairs to people in need — as well as the Smithsonian Institution. David Behring, who became president of the team in 1993, said in a 2006 interview with the Seattle Times in 2006 that even though his father had initially attended Wisconsin on a football scholarship — which he reportedly eventually lost due to an injury — he had never shown interest in owning a pro sports team until the Seahawks became available in 1988. The Seahawks became available for purchase in 1988 Nordstroms decided to sell the team following the strike-marred season of 1987. Behring, a real estate developer from the Bay Area who had also initially made his name in the used car business, eventually purchased the team for a reported $80 million. Behring was born on June 13, 1928, in Freeport, Illinois. Behring had five children and 10 grandchildren.