Shaun Alexander
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| Free Agent — No. 37 | |
| Running back | |
| Date of birth: August 30, 1977 | |
| Place of birth: Florence, Kentucky | |
| Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | Weight: 225 lb (102 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
|---|---|
| 2000 for the Seattle Seahawks | |
| Career history | |
| College: Alabama | |
| NFL Draft: 2000 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19 | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season) |
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| Rushing yards | 9,429 |
| Rushing average | 4.3 |
| Rushing TDs | 100 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Shaun Edward Alexander (born August 30, 1977 in Florence, Kentucky) is an American football running back in the National Football League who is currently a free agent. From 2001 until 2007, he was the featured running back for the Seattle Seahawks. He set several records and was named the league's most valuable player during his team's 2005 Super Bowl season. However, since then injuries have limited his productivity.
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[edit] Early years
After a standout career at Boone County High School in his hometown, Alexander won the Kentucky "Mr. Football" Award, an honor given to the top high school player in the state. He set records of 3,166 rushing yards and 54 touchdowns for his high school team. He also attended R.A. Jones Middle School.
[edit] College career
Alexander accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Alabama. Alexander wasted little time in showing his prowess on the football field at the collegiate level. As a freshman in 1996, he ran for 291 yards, an Alabama single-game rushing record, and four touchdowns against LSU in Tiger Stadium. After deciding against declaring for the NFL Draft after his junior year in 1998, Alexander returned to Tuscaloosa and had a banner season. He was initially given Heisman consideration, but a sprained ankle in a game against Tennessee ended his chances of that. Nevertheless, Alexander still played a key role in leading the Tide to the SEC Championship in 1999, with his game-winning 25-yard touchdown run against third-ranked Florida in Gainesville, and also his dominating fourth quarter performance against in-state foe Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Alexander still holds the Alabama rushing record with 3565 yards in four seasons.
[edit] NFL career
Alexander was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the 19th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft. The Seahawks acquired this pick by trading Joey Galloway to the Dallas Cowboys. Alexander played in all 16 games his rookie year but saw limited action behind starter Ricky Watters. His fame rose the following year. In a game played on November 11, 2001 against the Oakland Raiders, he rushed for a franchise record 266 yards on 35 carries. In 2001, he led the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 14 and was tied for second with Terrell Owens with 16 total touchdowns.
In 2002, he 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 where he also caught a touchdown pass. 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. Alexander's success in the 2003 season earned him his first trip to Honolulu for the annual Pro Bowl.
In 2004, Alexander remained one of the key components of Seattle's offense. He finished second in the NFL in rushing yards (with 1,696) to the New York Jets' Curtis Martin by a single yard. After being passed over for a late game rushing attempt during his team's victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Alexander accused his coach Mike Holmgren of "stabbing him in the back" by denying Alexander an opportunity to win the rushing title. Alexander retracted his comments the following day, and expressed support for his coach.
[edit] 2005 season
Alexander had a great deal of success in the 2005 season. In the first game, he rushed for 73 yards. Other highlights include an 88-yard touchdown run against the Arizona Cardinals on November 6, 2005, and rushing for 165 yards against the St. Louis Rams on November 13, 2005. Also, he had two 4 touchdown games, against Arizona on September 25, 2005, and against the Houston Texans on October 16, 2005. He led the NFL in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, Pro Bowl votes, and points.
During the 2005 season he 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 TDs in only 10 games (Steve Van Buren had 18 in 1945). This feat eventually led to him breaking Priest Holmes record of 27 total touchdowns set in 2002, and his 27 rushing touchdowns also tied Holmes for the most in a single season.
On December 11, 2005, in Seattle's NFC West-clinching victory over the San Francisco 49ers, Alexander had his 9th 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 18th, 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).[1] 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[2], having already bumped Priest Holmes (94 TDs) into 21st. Alexander also became the first Seahawk player to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
On January 1, 2006, in a game versus 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. 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 with the 2005 NFL MVP Award, becoming the first Seahawk to win the MVP award in franchise history. 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 sportwriters and broadcasters. He was also named the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Year. At the ESPY Awards Alexander received two awards, Best Record Breaking Performance and Best NFL Player.
In the 2006 Divisional playoff game against the Washington Redskins Alexander suffered a concussion early on and had to watch the rest of the game, a Seahawks win, from the sidelines. However, in the NFC Championship Game against the Carolina Panthers he had 34 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns, which was easily the best playoff performance of his career.
During the Seahawks Super Bowl run, Alexander's success was feted by "Dustin Blatnik and the 12th Man Band" in the song "Sweet Shaun Alexander," a parody of the popular Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Sweet Home Alabama."
Shaun Alexander and the Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006. Alexander was the leading rusher of the game with 95 yards. He suffered a sprained ankle towards the end of the game which kept him from playing in the Pro Bowl. At the end of the season, he was selected to be the cover athlete of Madden NFL 2007. To date, Alexander is the only player that has been featured on both the covers of Madden NFL and NCAA Football.
[edit] 2006 season
In March of 2006 Alexander signed an 8-year $62 million contract to remain a part of the Seattle Seahawks organization, becoming the highest paid running back in NFL history at the time of the signing.
Alexander's success in the 2005 season led to his being featured on the cover of Madden NFL 07 making him the first player to appear on the covers of both EA Sports football titles. Alexander previously appeared on the cover of NCAA Football 2001. Alexander fractured his toe in his left foot in Week 3 of the season, keeping the so-called Madden curse alive. That same game, he set a team record when he scored his 102nd touchdown of his career with the Seattle Seahawks which broke Steve Largent's record. He returned to action on November 19, 2006 against the San Francisco 49ers. On December 10, in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals, he broke Barry Sanders record for most consecutive games with a run of 10 or more yards.
Alexander's final regular season statistics for 2006 were 896 rushing yards on 252 attempts, (3.6 yards per carry) with seven touchdowns, all rushing TDs, in 10 games.
[edit] 2007 season
During Week 1's game against Tampa Bay , Alexander sustained a fractured left wrist. Alexander assured coaches and the press that he would still continue to play. Although Alexander decided to play despite his injury, his performance has taken 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. Injuries plagued Alexander again during Week 9, where he twisted both his knee and ankle. In the final game of the regular season, Alexander became the eighth player in NFL history to score 100 rushing touchdowns.
Alexander's final regular season statistics for 2007 were 716 yards rushing on 207 attempts, a 3.5-yard per carry with four touchdowns in 10 games. He added 14 receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown to his rushing totals.
Alexander recorded only 20 yards on 9 carries and scored a TD on a one-yard run in Seattle's playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers on January 12, 2008.
Alexander was released by the Seahawks after he passed a physical on April 22, 2008.[3]
Alexander is interested in finishing his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He will visit the Bengals in hopes of signing with them. But his agent stressed the visit is "very preliminary." [4] Adam Schefter of the NFL Network has stated that after meeting with the Bengals, Alexander will visit the New Orleans Saints. [5] The Denver Broncos have also expressed interest in Alexander.[6]
[edit] Personal
Alexander married Valerie Alexander (née Boyd) in April of 2002 after a two-year courtship. Together, the couple have three daughters: Heaven, Trinity and Eden.[7] A born-again Christian,[8] Alexander and his wife are very outspoken about their faith and are regular attendees at Federal Way's Christian Faith Center. Alexander believes strongly in Jesus Christ and also shows strong faith.[9] Firm supporters of abstinence and sexual purity, Shaun and Valerie both claimed to be virgins when they married. Alexander has discussed the issue publicly on many occasions, including in his book Touchdown.
[edit] References
- ^ ESPN - NFL All-Time Leaders - National Football League
- ^ ESPN - NFL All-Time Leaders - National Football League
- ^ Clayton, John (2008-04-22), Seahawks release former league MVP Alexander, ESPN, <http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3361271&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines>. Retrieved on 22 April 2008
- ^ Alexander to visit
- ^ After visit with Bengals, Alexanders' next stop is New Orleans
- ^ Alexander could have options beyond Cincy
- ^ Bishop, G. "Alexander rushing to judgment" Seattle Times. January 8, 2006. Accessed September 22, 2007
- ^ "Shaun Alexander Biography" Jockbio.com Accessed September 22, 2007
- ^ Ellison, J. "Alexander inspires congregation of fans" Seattle Post-Intelligencer. February 6, 2006. Accessed September 22, 2007.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Jeremy Simpson |
Kentucky Mr. Football 1994 |
Succeeded by Tim Couch |
| Preceded by Peyton Manning |
NFL Most Valuable Player 2005 season |
Succeeded by LaDainian Tomlinson |
| Preceded by Peyton Manning |
Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year 2005 |
Succeeded by LaDainian Tomlinson |
| Preceded by Donovan McNabb |
Madden NFL Cover Athlete Madden '07 |
Succeeded by Vince Young |
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