Shaun Alexander: From Alabama Crimson Tide to NFL MVP

Shaun Edward Alexander, born on August 30, 1977, is a former American professional football running back whose career spanned from college stardom with the Alabama Crimson Tide to NFL success with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins. Alexander's journey is marked by record-breaking performances, accolades, and a lasting impact on both college and professional football.

Early Life and High School Career

Alexander's football journey began in Florence, Kentucky, where he attended Florence Elementary School and Rector A. Jones Middle School. Later, he entered Boone County High School in 1991. During his sophomore season, Alexander earned a spot on the varsity team as the second-string running back. By the middle of the season, he had become the team's primary running back, rushing for 1,095 yards and 14 touchdowns.

His junior season in 1993 saw Alexander amass 2,396 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns, leading Boone County to the state semifinals. In one game against Campbell County, Alexander scored seven touchdowns. During his senior season in 1994-1995, Alexander rushed for 3,166 yards and a state record 54 touchdowns, earning him the title of Kentucky's "Mr. Football."

College Career at Alabama

In 1995, Alexander accepted a scholarship from Gene Stallings, then-head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Mike DuBose replaced Stallings in 1997.

1996 Season: The Emergence of a Star

During the 1996 college football season, Shaun Alexander didn’t start off the year as the team’s starting running back, in fact, he was actually the 3rd option. That all changed on the ESPN prime time night game on November 9th, 1996 when #10 Alabama played #11 LSU. Shaun ended the night with 4 touchdowns and 291 rushing yards. Alexander still holds the single-game rushing record (291 vs LSU in 1996).

Read also: Shaun Alexander: College Years

1998-1999 Seasons: Rising to Prominence

The 1998 season turned out much better for both, as Alabama improved to 7-5, and Alexander had 18 touchdowns (14 rushing and four receiving) and attained 1,178 yards. Following his junior season, Alexander decided to return for his senior season rather than leaving early for the NFL draft. After initially being given Heisman Trophy consideration to start the 1999 season, those hopes faded as the season progressed and he ended with a sprained ankle versus Tennessee. Alexander still played a key role in leading the Tide to the 1999 SEC Championship Game, as Alabama trampled #3 Florida with a 34-7 victory.

Legacy at Alabama

Alexander played for Alabama from 1996-99 and held the school record for most rushing yards (3,565) for 16 years and most rushing touchdowns (41) for 10 years.

Shaun ended his career at Alabama with 3,565 yards rushing (41 touchdowns), 798 receiving yards (8 TD receptions), and one kickoff return for a touchdown. One of the most dominant running backs in the history of The University of Alabama, Shaun Alexander, will serve as grand marshal for homecoming weekend on Oct.

When he left Alabama in 1999, Alexander held 15 school records, including total rushing yards and yards per carry. Alexander finished his college career at Alabama with 3,565 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns, in addition to 798 receiving yards and eight TDs.

NFL Career

Alexander was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

Read also: Alexander's Collegiate Impact

2001: Becoming the Featured Back

In Alexander's second season in the NFL, he became the Seahawks' featured running back, following injuries and the eventual retirement of Watters. Alexander rushed 309 times for 1,318 yards and 14 touchdowns, only behind Marshall Faulk for total touchdowns. The offensive line was led by All-Pro left tackle Walter Jones and rookie left guard Steve Hutchinson.

2002-2004: Consistent Production

In 2002, Alexander started all 16 games en route to an NFC leading (and franchise record) 16 rushing touchdowns, four of which came in the first half of Seattle's September 29, 2002 game against the Minnesota Vikings in only the second regular-season game ever at Seahawks Stadium in Seattle. He also caught an 80-yard touchdown pass in the first half. The five touchdowns in that half set an NFL record.

2003 was another productive year for Alexander. He rushed his way to a career-high of 1,435 rushing yards and scored 16 touchdowns. Seattle also made its first playoff appearance since 2000. Against the Green Bay Packers in the wild card game, Alexander had only 45 yards on 20 carries, but had three rushing touchdowns. In 2004, Alexander remained one of the key components of Seattle's offense.

2005: MVP Season

Alexander had a great deal of success in the 2005 season. In the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he rushed for 73 yards. Other highlights include an 88-yard touchdown run against the Arizona Cardinals on November 6, and rushing for 165 yards against the St. Louis Rams on November 13. Also, he had two 4-touchdown games, against Arizona on September 25, and against the Houston Texans on October 16.

During the 2005 season, Alexander broke the franchise record for the most rushing yards in the Seattle Seahawks' history. On November 13, 2005, scoring 3 touchdowns, Alexander became the first running back in NFL history to record 15 or more touchdowns in five consecutive seasons. On November 20, 2005, in San Francisco, Alexander became the first player in NFL history to score 19 rushing or receiving touchdowns in only 10 games (Steve Van Buren had 18 in 1945).

On December 11, 2005, in Seattle's NFC West-clinching victory over the San Francisco 49ers, Alexander had his ninth 100-yard rushing game of the year, breaking Chris Warren's franchise record of eight 100-yard games. In the process he also set a more significant NFL record, running for 100 yards against divisional opponents in nine straight games, a record previously held by Walter Payton. On December 18, 2005, in a game against the Tennessee Titans, Alexander passed the 1,600-yard mark for the second consecutive season, had a Seahawks franchise record 10th 100-yard rushing game, and scored his 24th rushing touchdown of the year (as well as the 86th of his career, tying him with Priest Holmes at 12th on the all-time rushing touchdown leader list). Perhaps more substantial is that his 96th career touchdown moved him into an 18th place tie with Randy Moss and Eric Dickerson on the all-time touchdown leader list, having already bumped Priest Holmes (94 TDs) into 21st.

On January 1, 2006, in a game against the Green Bay Packers, Alexander set the single-season touchdown record at 28, and tied Priest Holmes's record of 27 rushing touchdowns in a season. Alexander also won his first NFL rushing title with 1,880 rushing yards, while leading the NFC for the second consecutive year. In 2005, he joined Emmitt Smith, Priest Holmes, and Marshall Faulk as the only running backs to record consecutive seasons of 20 or more touchdowns.

Four days later, on January 5, he was awarded the 2005 NFL MVP Award, becoming the first Seahawk to win the MVP award. He beat out New York Giants running back Tiki Barber and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning who had won the award the previous two years. Alexander garnered 19 out of a possible 50 votes. A day after receiving the MVP award, Alexander was named Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year. He received 34 votes of a panel of 50 NFL sportswriters and broadcasters. He was also named the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year.

In the divisional round against the Washington Redskins, Alexander suffered a concussion early on and had to watch the Seahawks win. The Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006. Alexander was, however, the leading rusher of the game with 95 yards. At the end of the season, he was selected to be the cover athlete of Madden NFL 2007. Alexander was the first player to be featured on both the covers of Madden NFL and NCAA Football (the latter on 2001).

2006-2007: Injuries and Decline

Alexander broke his left foot in Week 3 of the season, effectively continuing the Madden Curse. However, in the same game, Alexander set a team record while scoring his 102nd touchdown of his career, breaking Steve Largent's record. He returned to action on November 19 against the San Francisco 49ers, rushing 17 times for 37 yards. In a November 27 game on ESPN's Monday Night Football against the Packers, Alexander carried the ball a team record 40 times for 201 yards in a game that featured snow for the first time at Qwest Field. Alexander's performance was a return to MVP form and yet another prime-time showcase for Alexander, who was still playing with the broken foot.

During the Week 1 game against Tampa Bay, Alexander sustained a fractured left wrist. He indicated that the injury was not major and that he would continue to play, but his performance took a noticeable turn for the worse. During Week 5, Alexander's lead blocker, Mack Strong, was injured with a herniated disk in his neck, forcing him to retire; he was replaced by Leonard Weaver. This left Alexander even more exposed and as a result, injuries continued to plague him. In Week 9, he sprained both his knee and ankle. Alexander's final regular season statistics for the 2007 season were 716 yards rushing on 207 attempts, a 3.5-yard per carry with four touchdowns in 10 games.

2008: Washington Redskins

After his release, Alexander visited several teams including the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and New Orleans Saints, but was not able to come to terms on a contract until he visited the Washington Redskins.

Career Statistics and Achievements

In nine seasons as a pro, Alexander rushed for 9,453 yards and scored 100 touchdowns.

Alexander is one of 25 players with 100 career touchdowns, ranking 17th as of 2024 and he is one of ten with 100 rushing touchdowns.

NFL Records and Accolades

NFL MVP (2005)
NFL All-Decade Team of the 2000s
Single-season touchdown record (28 in 2005)
Seattle Seahawks franchise record for most rushing yards

Life After Football

Off the field, Alexander has been a leader through charitable organizations, including Shaun Alexander Professional Legacy Program, which give pro athletes the tools, training and personal coaching in order to handle fame, family, friends, finances and ther future.

In 2019, The Freshman Player of the Year Award was started by the Football Writers Association of America.

Alexander married Valerie Alexander (née Boyd) in April 2002 after a two-year courtship.

FOX Sports chose its all-time greatest college football player from each of the 50 states, and former Boone County High School standout running back and Florence native Shaun Alexander - who starred for the Alabama Crimson Tide before playing eight National Football League seasons for the Seattle Seahawks before finishing his career in Washington - is their pick for the state of Kentucky.

Hall of Fame Consideration

However, he has not been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he has not even been selected as a semifinalist since being first eligible in 2014. In June, Alexander was among first-time nominees for the College Football Hall of Fame. Inductees will be announced in early 2022.

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