A 20-year-old Seahawks fan got the surprise of his life when he delivered lunch to the Legion of Boom. Austin Calhoun spoke with BuzzFeed News.
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Last week, Dominos Pizza employee Austin Calhoun pulled up to Richard Sherman's home to deliver a stack of pizzas. The 20-year-old Seattle-area native immediately noticed that this was a moment unlike the previous two times he'd delivered to the mansion in Maple Valley, Washington.
Those previous deliveries were during away game weeks, and Sherman's girlfriend, Ashley Moss, was the one accepting the pizza. On his 10-minute drive over to the residence, he'd thought to himself, "Huh, maybe Richard will be there this time."
When Calhoun arrived, he found Sherman's driveway filled with cars. He walked toward the garage, where Sports Illustrated photographer Robert Beck was conducting the photoshoot. He first saw safety Earl Thomas, then took another step toward the garage and thought, "Oh shit, they're all here."
Calhoun lives in nearby Covington, and told BuzzFeed News he's a lifelong Seahawks fan who is reeling with envy over his grandmother and uncle, who are in Arizona to attend the Seahawks' second Super Bowl in as many years. His coworkers at Dominos, who have also delivered to Richard Sherman's home on less exciting days, probably feel little sympathy for him, though.
When the players and photographer noticed him walking toward them with their order, someone told him to "get in the picture," and so he did. Photos of Calhoun with the most intimidating secondary in the NFL — the Legion of Boom — ran in a gallery that appeared in Sports Illustrated's online version of the feature. In the photos, he hands the stack of boxes to Richard Sherman, who had told SI that he wouldn't appear on the cover without his teammates. Calhoun is facing the squad, face-to-face with Kam Chancellor, whose jersey he wears while watching games with friends and family.
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After watching the Seahawks with his family throughout his childhood — Walter Jones was his favorite while growing up — Calhoun says he realized "this team could be something special" after the tough loss they took to the Falcons in the 2012 Divisional Round.
Calhoun is excited for the Seahawks' second run for a ring, and thinks the match-up against the Patriots will be competitive and intense, unlike last year's 43-8 blowout against the Broncos. "It's like Peyton Manning just gave up after he caused a safety in the first quarter," he says, not inaccurately.
Now that the Seahawks have one Super Bowl victory under their belts, Calhoun says he's feeling confident and eagerly anticipates watching Sunday's game with close friends.
He hopes, along with his fellow Seahawks fans, widely known as the team's "12th Man," that the next time he delivers pizza to the best cornerback in the game, he'll be readying himself for the team's second consecutive victory parade.
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