SEATTLE – As Keith Gilbertson stood and watched the Seattle Seahawks hold up their NFC Championship trophy, he couldn’t help but think about how far he’s come.
Just 14 months earlier, he announced he would resign as the head football coach at the University of Washington. As recently as last July, he was out of work. He practically begged Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren to take him on as an assistant to the offensive-line coach.
And then on Sunday, Gilbertson stood and watched as the players he helped coach celebrated an NFC title.
“I loved coaching at Washington and didn’t want it to end the way it ended,” the Snohomish native said. “But coach Holmgren was good enough to give me this chance, and this is an unbelievable feeling.”
Sunday was not the first big football moment of Gilbertson’s career. He was the offensive coordinator on the Huskies’ 1991 co-national championship team and also served on Rick Neuheisel’s staff when Washington won the 2001 Rose Bowl.
“I’ve been fortunate to be a part of some big football moments in this town,” Gilbertson said. “I think this is probably the biggest. I was fortunate to be a part of some national championships and Rose Bowls, but being part of a team that won the NFC and gets to go to the Super Bowl is unbelievably special. I’m very lucky.”
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