Leading Seahawks to Super Bowl, Mike Macdonald wins 101 Club coach of the year
The Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald to beat Sean McVay, to beat Kyle Shanahan, to be the coach of their division.
Now that Macdonald has done that — to get Seattle into its first Super Bowl in 11 years — he’s an NFL coach of the year.
The 38-year-old, first-time head coach was named NFC coach of the year by the prestigious 101 Club on Tuesday. Atop a podium on Lumen Field Sunday night immediately after his Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC championship game, Macdonald was asked by FOX Sports television’s Michael Strahan about beating NFC West rival Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers and McVay’s Rams in succession in the playoffs to reach Super Bowl 60.
“We. Did. Not. Care,” Macdonald spat out over the stadium’s public-address system and international television airwaves.
The 68,800-plus inside Lumen Field roared at that.
Folks are already turning Macdonald’s proclamation into T-shirts and hoodies — for $39.95.
Mike Vrabel is the AFC coach of the year from the 101 Club. The veteran coach led his New England Patriots he used to play for into the Super Bowl against Seattle Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.
Macdonald’s players credit their second-year head man for the Seahawks being back in the Super Bowl.
“We only have one goal in mind and obviously the job’s not done yet. We still have more work to put in,” safety Coby Bryant said Sunday night following the NFC title game.
“He (Macdonald) set the tone from day one. And we’re behind him.”
The tone and the culture. The players credit the Seahawks’ “special sauce” to Macdonald.
“It starts with our leadership. ...It’s a testament to Mike for setting the culture,” wide receiver Jake Bobo said after his touchdown catch against the Rams in the conference championship.
“It’s a fun group and it’s really fun to do this with this group.”
Macdonald is the fourth Seahawks coach to win a conference coach of the year award in the 55 seasons the 101 Club has voted on it. Pete Carroll won for the 2012 season. Chuck Knox won the award in 1983 and ‘80. Jack Patera won in 1978, the third season of Seattle’s franchise.
The 101 Awards is the nation’s longest-running awards program dedicated exclusively to the National Football League. It was founded in 1969 by Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt and a group of Kansas City business leaders.
The 101 Awards have honored the most outstanding players and coaches in the AFC and NFC each full season since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Nationwide balloting of 101 sportswriters and broadcaster who cover the NFL daily select the winners each winter.
The votes are counted between the final week of the regular season and the first, wild-card round of the playoffs.
The News Tribune had a vote for this season. It voted for Macdonald, and Vrabel.
Is Tuesday’s announcement a preview of Macdonald winning The Associated Press NFL coach of the year award, recognized as the true league honor for coaching? That will be presented next week at the NFL Honors show at the Super Bowl.
The winner of the 101 Club’s coach of the year has also been the NFL’s AP coach of the year 13 times in the last 14 years.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Leading Seahawks to Super Bowl, Mike Macdonald wins 101 Club coach of the year."
