Shaun Edward Alexander (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks 19th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. In May 2011, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
Alexander set numerous NFL and Seattle Seahawks' franchise records and was named the NFL MVP in 2005. He was also named to the NFL's 2000 All-Decade team, and ranks eighth 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.
Early career
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.
College career
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 would replace Stallings in 1997. In his freshman season on campus, Alexander was redshirted.
In 1996, 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. After initially being given Heisman Trophy consideration to start the season, those hopes would fade as the season progressed and ended with a sprained ankle versus Tennessee. Alexander still played a key role in leading the Tide to the SEC Championship in 1999, 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 as he 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.