Former Seattle Seahawks owner Ken Behring died Tuesday at the age of 91, the team announced Friday.
"We are saddened by the loss of former Seahawks owner Ken Behring," the team said in a statement. "We send our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Behring's family and friends."
Behring owned the team from 1988 to 1997, purchasing the Seahawks, along with business partner Ken Hofmann, from the Nordstrom family, who was the franchise's founding ownership group.
In 1996, Behring flirted with moving the franchise to Anaheim, Calif. Ahead of the 1996 season, the Seahawks even set up shop and went through offseason workouts in Southern California. In response, King County filed lawsuits against the owner, and the NFL threatened to fine Behring $500,000 per day if he did not bring the team back to Seattle. Behring relented and, in 1997, officially sold the franchise to Paul Allen for $200 million.
After selling the franchise, Behring established the Wheelchair Foundation, committing $15 million to the cause in 2000, and traveled the world to deliver wheelchairs to disabled people on five continents, per the team's website. Behring also founded the Seattle Seahawks Charitable Foundation to promote the healthy, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of youth by enhancing opportunities for participation in sports and fitness activities, according to the team.
In Behring's time as owner, Seattle went 61-83 and made the playoffs once.
