Joe Nash went from being an undrafted free agent out of Boston College in 1982 to an eventual focal point of a strong defensive line in the 1980s and remained a fixture for an incredible run of 15 seasons. He holds the franchise record for most career games played with 218.

In 1984, Nash was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler as the Seahawks won 12 games for first time in team history and made the postseason for the second straight year. He was the first Seattle defensive lineman to make a Pro Bowl. Nash registered seven sacks in 1984 and a career-high nine in 1985. Nash also totaled eight sacks in 1989, when he also posted a career-best 92 combined tackles.

“For a guy who weighed 275 pounds to play the position he played, and the way he played it, just remarkable,” said former Seahawks defensive end Michael Sinclair. “That guy taught me how to study film. So kudos out to Joe Nash, for not only being a great player but taking young guys under his wing and helping them be successful.”

Nash, who played nose tackle and defensive tackle for the Seahawks, also worked alongside franchise legend Cortez Kennedy from the beginning of his pro career. He told the Seattle Times in 1990 that the Seahawks’ eventual switch to a 4-3 defense helped extend his career.

“When I came here, not a lot of people gave me much of chance of staying," Nash said. "Now it's 13 years later and I think I surprised quite a few people."

From the beginning of his Seattle career until 1991, Nash was a permanent fixture on a formidable defensive line that also included standouts Jacob Green and Jeff Bryant. The trio became known as “The Die Hards” and played a huge role in the team making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in 1983 and 1984, and also winning its first AFC West championship in 1988. Nash was voted to the Seahawks’ 35th Anniversary Team on Seahawks.com in 2010.