Shaun Alexander

Shaun Alexander (born August 30, 1977 in Florence, Kentucky) is an American football player in the National Football League. He currently is the starting running back for the Seattle Seahawks.

His early successes

After a standout career at Boone County High School in Kentucky, Alexander won player of the year honors for the state of Kentucky. He set records of 3,166 rushing yards and 54 touchdowns for his high school team, and accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Alabama. Drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2000, he played in all 16 games his rookie season but saw limited action behind starter Ricky Watters.

His rise to fame

Alexander rose in fame the following year. In a game played on October 11, 2001, he rushed for a franchise record 266 yards on 35 carries. In 2001, he led the NFL in touchdowns with 14. In 2002, he started all 16 games enroute to an NFC leading (and franchise record) 16 rushing touchdowns, 4 of which came in the first half of Seattle's 09/29/2002 game against Minnesota 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 1984. 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.

He scored 20 touchdowns, and was selected to the Pro Bowl for a second straight year.