Shaun Edward Alexander (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, earning first-team All-American honors in 1999. He was selected by the Seahawks 19th overall in the 2000 NFL draft. In 2011, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
Alexander set numerous NFL and Seahawks' franchise records and was named the NFL MVP in 2005. He was also named to the NFL's 2000 All-Decade team, and is tied in ranking ninth all time in NFL history for rushing touchdowns (100). Alexander was the first athlete featured on the cover of both the NCAA Football and Madden NFL series of video games.
Alexander was born and raised in Florence, Kentucky. His father, Curtis Alexander Jr., works for Morton Salt and his mother Carol works in the truancy department of the Boone County School District. He has an older brother Durran, and four older half-sisters and three older half-brothers. His parents divorced when he was 11, and he and Durran were raised by their mother in a two-bedroom apartment off of Shenandoah Drive in Florence, Kentucky.
Alexander attended Florence Elementary School and Rector A. Jones Middle School. In 1991, he entered Boone County High School. As a freshman, he played football for the junior varsity team and was voted Class President—as he was every year in high school. As well as football, Alexander excelled in basketball, baseball, and track.
In his sophomore season, Alexander made the varsity team as the second-string running back. By mid-season, he was the team's featured running back as he rushed for 1,095 yards and 14 touchdowns. During his junior season in 1993, Alexander ran for 2,396 yards and 42 touchdowns as Boone County made it to the state semifinals. In a game versus Campbell County, Alexander rushed for seven touchdowns. He was listed in "Faces in the Crowd" section of Sports Illustrated in January 1994.
During his senior season, 1994–1995, Alexander rushed for 3,166 yards and a state record 54 touchdowns and was named Kentucky's "Mr. Football". He also was selected All-American by Parade and USA Today's 1994 All USA team, named "Old Spice Athlete of the Month" by Sports Illustrated, and was known as "Alexander the Great" and had his high school number 37 retired a few weeks before his graduation. In three varsity seasons, Alexander rushed for 6,657 yards and 110 touchdowns—both of which are Top 10 prep all-time records.
Alexander had narrowed his choices down to Michigan, Alabama, and Notre Dame (where his brother Durran played drums in the marching band). He ultimately chose the University of Alabama because of the warm weather and the overall students' enthusiasm.
In 1995, during his senior year in high school, Alexander accepted a scholarship from Gene Stallings, then-head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. Mike DuBose replaced Stallings in 1997. In his freshman season on campus, Alexander was redshirted.
In the 1996 season, as a redshirt freshman, Alexander rushed for a school-record 291 yards and four touchdowns in a 26–0 victory over rivals LSU at Tiger Stadium. He finished the year with 589 rushing yards and six touchdowns, and helped the team to a 10–3 record.
The 1997 season proved to be tough for both Alexander and the Crimson Tide, as Alexander finished with 415 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while the Tide limped to four victories.
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. He was rewarded with an All-Southeast Conference honors at the end of the season.
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 led the NCAA in scoring 144 points and co-led in rushing touchdowns with 19. He played a key role in leading the Tide to the 1999 SEC Championship Game, as Alabama trampled #3 Florida with a 34–7 victory. In the fourth quarter of the 1999 Iron Bowl versus rivals Auburn, Alexander led a comeback and scored three rushing touchdowns in the 28–17 victory, finishing the game with 199 total yards. He left the school holding 15 records, including 3,565 career rushing yards. He finished the 1999 season with 302 carries for 1,383 yards and 19 touchdowns to go with 25 receptions for 323 yards and four receiving touchdowns as the Crimson Tide improved to 10–3. He finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.
Alexander was selected by the Seattle Seahawks on April 15 in the 2000 NFL draft in the first round as the 19th overall pick. The Seahawks acquired the pick in the draft following a trade that sent wide receiver Joey Galloway to the Dallas Cowboys. In his rookie season, Alexander saw limited action behind starter Ricky Watters, rushing 64 times for just 313 yards and two touchdowns.
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. In Week 4, he had 31 carries for 176 yards and two touchdowns in the 24–15 over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 4. In the following game, he had 33 carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the 34–21 win over the Denver Broncos. On ESPN Sunday Night Football on November 11, 2001, versus AFC West rival Oakland Raiders at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Alexander rushed for a franchise-record 266 yards on 35 carries, including an 88-yard run to the endzone. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance against the Raiders. In Week 17, he had 20 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown in the 21–18 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Following the season, Fox Sports Net hired him to do a variety show called Shaun Alexander Live, aimed to poke fun at Alexander's lack of recognition despite his on-field accomplishments, but it was short-lived.
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 caught an 80-yard touchdown pass in the first half. In Week 12, against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had 23 carries for 145 yards and two touchdowns in the 39–32 win. In Week 15, in a 30–24 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons, he had 28 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with 295 carries for 1,175 yards and the 16 rushing touchdowns to go with 59 receptions for 460 yards and two touchdowns. He had six games with multiple touchdowns and seven games over 100 scrimmage yards. The five touchdowns in that half set an NFL record. This was another ESPN Sunday Night Football game, enhancing Alexander's reputation for performing phenomenally well in high-profile, prime time nationally televised games. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 4.
The 2003 season marked another productive year for Alexander. In Week 16, against the Arizona Cardinals, he had 21 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns in the 28–10 victory. He had seven games on the season rushing for at least 100 yards and scored a touchdown in 13 of the 16 games. 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. Alexander's success in the 2003 season earned him his first trip to Honolulu for the annual Pro Bowl.