Shaun Alexander facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shaun Alexander

Alexander with the Seattle Seahawks in 2006
No. 37
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1977-08-30) August 30, 1977 (age 47) Florence, Kentucky, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:	Boone County (Florence, Kentucky)
College:	Alabama (1996–1999)
NFL Draft:	2000 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19
Career history
Seattle Seahawks (2000–2007) Washington Redskins (2008)
Career highlights and awards
NFL Most Valuable Player (2005) NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2005) First-team All-Pro (2005) Second-team All-Pro (2004) 3× Pro Bowl (2003–2005) Bert Bell Award (2005) NFL rushing yards leader (2005) 2× NFL rushing touchdowns leader (2001, 2005) NFL scoring leader (2005) NFL 2000s All-Decade Team Seattle Seahawks 35th Anniversary team Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor First-team All-American (1999) First-team All-SEC (1999) Second-team All-SEC (1998) SEC Player of the Year (1999)
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 9,453 Rushing average: 4.3 Rushing touchdowns: 100 Receptions: 215 Receiving yards: 1,520 Receiving touchdowns: 12
Player stats at PFR

Shaun Edward Alexander (born August 30, 1977) is a former American football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins.

Alexander played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. In 1999, he was named an All-American. The Seahawks picked him 19th overall in the 2000 NFL draft. In 2011, he joined the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Alexander set many records for the NFL and the Seahawks. He was named the NFL MVP in 2005. He was also part of the NFL's 2000 All-Decade team. He ranks eighth in NFL history for rushing touchdowns with 100. Alexander was the first athlete to be on the cover of both the NCAA Football and Madden NFL video games.

Growing Up and High School Football

Shaun Alexander was born and grew up in Florence, Kentucky. His parents divorced when he was 11. He and his older brother, Durran, were raised by their mother.

Shaun went to Florence Elementary School and Rector A. Jones Middle School. In 1991, he started at Boone County High School. As a freshman, he played football for the junior varsity team. He was also voted Class President every year in high school. Besides football, Shaun was good at basketball, baseball, and track.

In his second year, Alexander joined the varsity football team. He became the main running back by mid-season. He ran for 1,095 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. In 1993, during his junior year, Alexander ran for 2,396 yards and 42 touchdowns. Boone County reached the state semifinals. In one game, he scored seven touchdowns. Sports Illustrated featured him in January 1994.

In his senior year (1994–1995), Alexander ran for 3,166 yards. He set a state record with 54 touchdowns. He was named "Mr. Football" in Kentucky. He was also chosen as an All-American by Parade and USA Today. His high school number, 37, was retired before he graduated. In three varsity seasons, Alexander ran for 6,657 yards and 110 touchdowns. Both are among the top records for high school players.

College Football Journey

Alexander considered playing for Michigan, Alabama, or Notre Dame. He chose the University of Alabama because of the warm weather. He also liked the students' excitement for football.

In 1995, Alexander received a scholarship from Gene Stallings. Stallings was the head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Mike DuBose became the coach in 1997. Alexander did not play in his first year at college. This is called "redshirting."

In 1996, Alexander played as a redshirt freshman. He ran for a school-record 291 yards and four touchdowns against LSU. He finished the year with 589 rushing yards and six touchdowns. The team ended with a 10–3 record.

The 1997 season was tough for Alexander and the team. He had 415 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The team only won four games.

The 1998 season was much better. Alabama improved to a 7–5 record. Alexander scored 18 touchdowns (14 rushing, 4 receiving) and gained 1,178 yards. He earned All-Southeast Conference honors.

After his junior year, Alexander decided to stay for his senior season. He could have left early for the NFL. In the 1999 season, he helped Alabama win the SEC Championship. They beat #3 Florida 34–7. In a game against Auburn, Alexander led a comeback. He scored three rushing touchdowns in a 28–17 win. He left Alabama holding 15 school records, including 3,565 career rushing yards.

College Statistics Overview

Professional NFL Career

Time with the Seattle Seahawks

Alexander was chosen by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. He was the 19th player picked overall.

Early Seasons (2000–2004)

In his first year, Alexander played a small role. He ran for 313 yards and two touchdowns. In his second season, Alexander became the Seahawks' main running back. He ran for 1,318 yards and 14 touchdowns. On November 11, 2001, he set a team record. He ran for 266 yards against the Oakland Raiders. This included an 88-yard touchdown run.

In 2002, Alexander started all 16 games. He led the NFC with 16 rushing touchdowns. In one game, he scored five touchdowns in the first half. This set an NFL record. He became known for playing very well in big, nationally televised games.

2003 was another strong year. Alexander ran for 1,435 yards and scored 16 touchdowns. Seattle also made the playoffs for the first time since 2000. Alexander earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl.

In 2004, Alexander was still a key player. He finished second in the NFL in rushing yards with 1,696. He was only one yard behind Curtis Martin.

MVP Season (2005)

Alexander had an amazing 2005 season. He had two games where he scored four touchdowns. He led the NFL in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and points.

During 2005, Alexander broke the Seahawks' record for most rushing yards. On November 13, 2005, he became the first running back in NFL history to score 15 or more touchdowns in five years in a row. On November 20, 2005, he became the first NFL player to score 19 rushing or receiving touchdowns in just 10 games. He ended up breaking Priest Holmes' record of 27 total touchdowns from 2003. His 27 rushing touchdowns also tied Holmes' record for a single season.

On December 11, 2005, Alexander had his ninth 100-yard rushing game of the year. This broke a team record. He also set an NFL record by running for 100 yards against division opponents in nine straight games. On December 18, 2005, he passed 1,600 rushing yards for the second year in a row. He also scored his 24th rushing touchdown of the year. Alexander became the first Seahawks player to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

On January 1, 2006, Alexander set the single-season touchdown record at 28. He also tied Priest Holmes' record of 27 rushing touchdowns in a season. Alexander won his first NFL rushing title with 1,880 rushing yards. He led the NFC in rushing for the second year in a row. In 2005, he joined a small group of running backs to have 20 or more touchdowns in two straight seasons.

Four days later, on January 5, he won the 2005 NFL MVP Award. He was the first Seahawk to win this award. He also won the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year. At the ESPY Awards, Alexander won Best Record Breaking Performance and Best NFL Player.

In the playoffs, Alexander got a concussion in the first game. But in the NFC Championship Game, he ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns. This was his best playoff game.

The Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006. Alexander was the leading rusher in that game with 95 yards. After the season, he was chosen to be on the cover of Madden NFL 2007. He was the first player to be on both Madden NFL and NCAA Football covers.

Later Seasons (2006–2007)

In March 2006, Alexander signed a big contract to stay with the Seahawks. He became the highest-paid running back in NFL history at that time. However, the team's offensive line became weaker when Steve Hutchinson left.

Alexander broke his left foot in Week 3 of the 2006 season. In the same game, he set a team record by scoring his 102nd career touchdown. He returned to play on November 19. On November 27, he ran the ball a team-record 40 times for 201 yards in a snowy game. Alexander finished the 2006 season with 896 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in ten games. In the playoffs, he had 108 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Chicago Bears.

In Week 1 of the 2007 season, Alexander hurt his left wrist. He kept playing, but his performance got worse. His lead blocker, Mack Strong, also got hurt and retired. This left Alexander more open to injuries. He sprained his knee and ankle in Week 9. Even with injuries, Alexander became the eighth player in NFL history to score 100 rushing touchdowns in the final game of the season.

Alexander finished the 2007 season with 716 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 10 games. After a playoff loss in January 2008, the Seahawks decided to release Alexander from the team.

Short Time with the Washington Redskins

After leaving the Seahawks, Alexander visited several teams. On October 14, 2008, the Washington Redskins signed him. He was brought in because another running back was injured. However, the Redskins released Alexander on November 25, 2008. He had only 11 carries in four games.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season Games

Shaun Alexander's Legacy

Alexander with U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt in 2017

Shaun Alexander is one of only 25 players in NFL history with 100 career touchdowns. He ranks 17th all-time as of 2024. He is also one of just ten players with 100 rushing touchdowns. However, he has not yet been chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Two of his teammates who blocked for him, Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson, are already in the Hall of Fame.

In 2016, Alexander was inducted into The Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

Shaun Alexander married Valerie Boyd in April 2002. They have 12 living children together. They also had another child who sadly passed away at two months old. Shaun's older brother, Durran, is the executive director of the Shaun Alexander Foundation.

See also

In Spanish: Shaun Alexander para niños

• List of NCAA major college football yearly scoring leaders