12 Fun Facts About 12 Flag Raiser Paul Allen

Seattle Seahawks chairman Paul Allen raised the 12 Flag prior to Sunday's NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers. Here are 12 fun facts about the team's most-recent 12 Flag Raiser Allen, who also raised the flag prior to the team's conference title games against the Carolina Panthers (2005) and San Francisco 49ers (2013), both of which turned out to be Seahawks wins. 1. His Lifetime Giving Totals More Than $1.8 Billion Through his Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Allen is one of the world's leading philanthropists. He's supported several innovative initiatives, including a $26 million gift to build Washington State University's School for Global Animal Health, a $300 million donation to expand the Allen Institute for Brain Science, a $100 million pledge to help tackle the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and a $100 million gift to create the new Allen Institute for Cell Science. 2. He Co-Founded Microsoft A Seattle-area native, Allen co-founded Microsoft with childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975 to develop and sell computer software. The company is now headquartered in Redmond, Wash. and valued at $343 billion as of May 2014 by Forbes.com. 3. He Became A Billionaire At Age 37In 1990, seven years after resigning from Microsoft, Allen joined the billionaires club. 4. He Purchased The Seahawks In 1997 Allen developed a fondness for his hometown team over the years and purchased the franchise in 1997 after former owner Ken Behring had threatened to move the team to Southern California. 5. He Was Closely Involved In The Design Process Of CenturyLink Field After purchasing the team, Allen set his sights on building a world-class stadium for the state that the Seahawks could call home. He was closely involved in the stadium's design process, emphasizing an open-air venue that still maintained an intimate atmosphere. 6. He Owns The Portland Trail Blazers, Too Allen purchased the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers in 1988, and like his involvement with the construction of Seattle's CenturyLink Field, he was instrumental in the development and funding of the Rose Garden - the Trail Blazers' home now known as the Moda Center.7. He's A Minority Owner Of Seattle Sounders FC Vulcan, Inc., Allen's investment and project management firm he founded with his sister Jody in 1986, owns a minority share of Seattle Sounders FC, the city's Major League Soccer franchise that plays its matches at CenturyLink Field. 8. He's On Twitter You can follow him at @PaulGAllen. 9. He Attended Washington State University Go Cougs. 10. He's A Musician Allen and his blues-based guitar rock band The Underthinkers made their major label debut in August 2013 with their first album "Everywhere At Once." All proceeds from the band's project fund education-based programs at Allen's Seattle-based EMP Museum. A songwriter and guitarist since he was a teenager, Allen either wrote or co-wrote all 13 tracks on the album. 11. He Grew Up In The Space Race Allen grew up in the Space Race era and has always been intrigued by space exploration. In 2011, he sponsored the development SpaceShipOne, the first privately-based effort to successfully put a civilian in suborbital space. 12. He Released His Memoirs In 2011 Allen released his memoirs - "Idea Man" - in 2011, detailing his life of adventure and discovery. It's a book you can purchase [right here](http://www.amazon.com/Idea-Man-Memoir-Cofounder-Microsoft/dp/1591845378/ref=sr13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349815872&sr=1-3&keywords=idea man by paul allen "Paul Allen Idea Man").

12 Fun Facts About 12 Flag Raiser Paul Allen

Seahawks chairman Paul Allen raised the 12 Flag ahead of the team's NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers.