The Seattle Seahawks made the customary visit to the White House on Wednesday, and were joined by King County Councilman Pete von Reichbauer.

According to a press release from his office, von Reichbauer covered the costs of the trip out of “private funds.”

“I am honored to join the world champions at the White House today to celebrate their achievement on the field,” von Reichbauer said in the press release. “This is the culmination of a great achievement. I am proud of the team John Schneider and Pete Carroll assembled that brought such pride to King County and the greater Pacific Northwest. I’ve never seen a region so unified under the banner of the 12th man – blue collar, white collar or no collar, they’re all in.”

Von Reichbauer is credited with saving the Seahawks franchise in Seattle.

According to the unofficial history as reported in various media outlets, the longtime public servant was instrumental in bringing together former owner Ken Behring and current owner Paul Allen when Behring threatened to take the team to southern California.

Instead, a deal was negotiated and Allen bought the team in 1997. During that time, the Seahawks have made two Super Bowl appearances and have a 1-1 record after their 43-8 demolition of the Denver Broncos in February at MetLife stadium in New Jersey.