... Ben Joppru!!!

Why did Ben Joppru get this year's prize? Well, you tell us! Who is Ben Joppru?!

My guess is that the only thing you know about him is that he's that one guy who bums a sleep-over at the home of another player! Am I right?

Let me refresh your memory? Remember the 20-17 loss to the Chargers? Remember Burleson's 96 yard touchdown on a kick-off that was taken back because of a flag? Who was the guy with the hold? Our very own Graffy Award winner, Bennie Joppru! And for the record, that holding call is a little iffy!

We chose Ben Joppru as the recipient of the Graffy Award before the Seattle papers picked up on the vagabond story and ran with it, and we chose him in spite of the questionable holding call that brought the touchdown all the way back. We picked him knowing he's a 2nd round draft pick of the Texans in 2003 and that his career has been hampered with injury.

When we went through the roster of players to determine who was eligible, it occurred to us that with so many injuries, the players whose names we came up with had already been acknowledged. In this year of injuries, many players who otherwise would have remained obscure became starters and therefore received their dues!

So as we went through the list, we saw the name Joppru and thought ... WHO???

As near as I can tell, we signed him in late November, no doubt when everyone else we had on the roster was trying to recover from injury. I believe he played on special teams for the entire month of December and into the playoffs. I saw him in on at least one play in the play-off game against the Bears. I can't honestly say I saw much of him in other games.

Ben Joppru epitomizes the spirit of the Graffy Award! He is an unsung hero because when we needed a player to fill a gap, he stepped in without fanfare and did what was asked of him. Did he get star billing? No. Was he a fan favorite? No. Will he go high in fantasy rounds next season? No.

It doesn't matter. The Graffy is about solid contributions to our team from players who don't make the headlines. Joppru, a relatively unknown Seahawk player, is that guy! In a season of signing people off the street mid-season to suit up because even our back-up squad has been depleted, Joppru signed on with the Hawks and played the latter part of our season including the play-off games! It's our hope he'll be back next season! Read more.

First Runner Up: Safety John Howell. Signed 1/2/07 to play for the Seahawks in the play-off game; waived 1/10/07. Eight days. It's a harsh business.

Neil Graff? WHO'S NEIL GRAFF?!?!
And what's this award about?!?

This message from my in-box will explain it all!!

Of all the 1976 Seahawks - all 54 players on the roster in the year - Graff is the only one who didn't play in a single regular-season game.

That's right - zero starts and zero appearances while on the active roster.

[Note: He had one pre-season start which went like this -- "When the 49er lead rose to 24-0 in the third period, Patera lifted the starting quarterback, Neil Graff, and sent in Zorn."]

It occurred to me that if we ever wanted a definition of an under-appreciated footballer, Neil Graff is our man.

I think we need an award for the Seahawks' best kept secret player. The guy who's doing the hard work without getting the recognition.

That's the message from my in-box! I think it's a terrific idea! We implemented the plan in 2001, when Mack Strong was awarded the 1st annual Neil Graff Award! Congrats, Mr. Strong, and to those who have received the honor subsequently!