Seahawks fans to attempt stadium roar record

SEATTLE — Some of the loudest NFL fans in the country are attempting to become the loudest in the world.

This Sunday, Seattle Seahawks fans will attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records mark for loudest stadium, or officially “loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium,” which was set in 2011 in Turkey at the Ali Sami Yen Sport Complex Turk Telekom Arena during a soccer match between Galatasaray SC and Fenerbahce.

The record is 131.76 decibels.

“Seahawk fans are always loud, so basically we’re going to measure it,” said Joe Tafoya, a former NFL defensive end who played one season for Seattle.

He now co-runs Volume 12, the fan group organizing the attempt. The group is footing the bill for the Guinness Book of World Records official to come to Seattle. They’ve also found a sound engineer with equipment to do the measuring.

Seahawks fans are already known to be noisy, but on Sunday the game will be against the division rival San Francisco 49ers, the reigning NFC champs, and the stakes are already high for an early season game. The game is a sell-out.

The attempt at the roar record is not affiliated with the team. There won’t be an announcement, like what happened in Turkey. Instead, Tafoya hopes to get the word out through the fans.

While the noise will be recorded through the game, Tafoya wants the fans to cheer the loudest when the 49ers take their first possession.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to break the record then so I’ll be able to sit back and watch the game,” he said.

As a former player, Tafoya remembers well how loud CenturyLink stadium can get.

“I’ve played in about every NFL stadium. I played for the Cardinals, the Bears, I had a chance to travel, CenturyLink was by far and away the loudest,” Tafoya said. “The noise, it almost seems like it turns into energy.”