Shaun Alexander Shaun Edward Alexander ( born August 30 , 1977 ) is a former American football running back who played for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was drafted by the Seahawks 19th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft . He played college football for the University of Alabama . 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 . 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 in a government housing project . He attended Florence Elementary 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 and baseball . In his sophomore season , he 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 fourteen touchdowns . During his junior season in 1994 , 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 . In 1995 , in his senior season , 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 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 redshirt ed . 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 . 1997 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 following year 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 - ranked 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 . Professional career . Seattle Seahawks . 2000 – 2004 . Alexander was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2000 NFL Draft as the nineteenth 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 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 eventual retirement of Watters . Alexander rushed for 1 , 318 yards and fourteen touchdowns , only behind Marshall Faulk for total touchdowns . The offensive line was led by Pro Bowl er Walter Jones and rookie Steve Hutchinson . 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 thirty - five carries , including an 88 - yard run to the endzone . He was named the AFC Player of the week after his performance against the Raiders . 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 , 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 in only the second regular - season game ever at Seahawks Stadium ( subsequently renamed Qwest Field and than renamed a 2nd time to CenturyLink Field ) in Seattle . He also caught an 80 - yard touchdown pass in the first half . 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 . 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 him an opportunity to win the rushing title . Alexander retracted his comments the following day and expressed support for his coach . 2005 season . Alexander had a great deal of success in the 2005 season . In the first game against the Jacksonville Jaguars , 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 2003 , and his 27 rushing touchdowns also tied Holmes for the most in a single season ( the record was again broken a year later by LaDanian Tomlinson ) . 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 18 , 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 ) . 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 , having already bumped Priest Holmes ( 94 TDs ) into 21st . Alexander also became the first Seahawks player to appear on the cover of " Sports Illustrated " . In the 2005 season , Alexander broke out by setting several records and was named the NFL ' s Most Valuable Player en route to a Super Bowl XL appearance with the Seahawks . 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 , which also meant he had led the NFC for the second consecutive year . 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 . Combined with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck , Alexander aided the Seahawks in producing the league ' s top ranked offense , and the season ' s scoring title . 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 . Shaun Alexander and the Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL on February 5 , 2006 . Alexander was , however , the leading rusher of the game with 95 yards . At the end of the season , he was selected to be the cover athlete of " Madden NFL 2007 " . Alexander was the first player to be featured on both the covers of " Madden NFL " and " NCAA Football " . He was also the only one with this accomplishment up until Larry Fitzgerald was selected to appear on " Madden NFL 10 " . Alexander ' s MVP season was celebrated musically by Dustin Blatnik and the 12th Man Band in the song " Sweet Shaun Alexander " , a parody of Lynyrd Skynrd ' s " Sweet Home Alabama " . Sweet Shaun was widely aired in the Seattle area in the weeks leading up to Super Bowl XL , plus national play on ESPN Radio and other outlets . The song was decried in Sports Illustrated magazine , calling this parody " the sacrilege with cheese " . 2006 season . In March 2006 , Alexander signed an eight - year , $ 62 million contract ( $ 15 . 1 million of which was guaranteed and $ 15 million to be paid in the first year of the contract ) to remain with the Seattle Seahawks organization , becoming the highest paid running back in NFL history at the time . However , the Seahawks All - Pro offensive guard Steve Hutchinson left to go to the Minnesota Vikings several weeks later due to free agency , weakening an offensive line that had been a large part of Alexander ' s 2005 productivity . Alexander ' s success in the previous 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 — previously appearing on " NCAA Football 2001 " . Alexander broke his left foot in week 3 of the season , effectively continuing the Madden Curse . However , in the same game , Alexander set a team record while scoring his 102nd touchdown of his career , breaking Steve Largent ' s record . He returned to action on November 19 against the San Francisco 49ers , rushing 17 times for 37 yards . In a November 27 game on ESPN ' s Monday Night Football against the Packers , Alexander carried the ball a team record 40 times for 201 yards in a game that featured snow for the first time at Qwest Field . It was a return to MVP form and yet another prime - time showcase for Alexander , who was still playing with the broken foot . In a December 10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals , Alexander broke Barry Sanders ' s record for most consecutive games with a run of 10 or more yards . Alexander finished the 2006 season with 252 rushing attempts for 896 yards and seven touchdowns in ten games . 2007 season . During Week 1 ' s game against Tampa Bay , Alexander sustained a fractured left wrist . He indicated that the injury was not major and that he would continue to play , but his performance took 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 . This left Alexander even more exposed and as a result , injuries continued to plague him . In week 9 , he sprained both his knee and ankle . Even so , in the final game of the regular season , Alexander was able to become 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 . After a January 12 , 2008 playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers in which Alexander recorded only 20 yards on 9 carries and scored just one touchdown , the Seahawks opted to cut Alexander from the team on April 22 , 2008 . Washington Redskins . 2008 season . After his release , Alexander visited several teams including the Cincinnati Bengals , New Orleans Saints , and Detroit Lions but was not able to come to terms on a contract until he visited the Washington Redskins . On October 14 , 2008 , the team signed Alexander to fill the void left when back - up running back Ladell Betts went down with a knee injury . However , the Redskins released Alexander on November 25 , 2008 after he logged only 11 carries in 4 games and only 2 . 2 Yards Per Carry . Current status . Alexander remained unsigned for the rest of the 2008 season . In August 2009 , Alexander expressed an interest in returning to the NFL , stating that four teams had called , but none had offered contracts : " My training has gone up to a level where I ' m as strong and explosive as I ' ve ever been right now , " he said . " I feel with the right team and right situation I could really help somebody . One thing I ' ve done since I was a little kid was score touchdowns . So if somebody needs somebody to get in the red zone and do some work , I could probably do that again . " Personal . Alexander married Valerie Alexander ( née Boyd ) in April 2002 after a two - year courtship . Together , the couple have three daughters and a son : Heaven ( b . September 21 , 2003 ) , Trinity ( b . July 28 , 2005 ) , Eden , and Joseph . His older brother by one year Durran serves as executive director of the Shaun Alexander Foundation . A born - again Christian , Alexander and his wife are very outspoken about their faith and are regular attendees at Federal Way ' s Christian Faith Center . Firm supporters of abstinence and sexual purity , Shaun and Valerie both were virgins when they married . Alexander has discussed the issue publicly on many occasions , including in his book " Touchdown Alexander " . Alexander has graced the cover of Madden 2007 and NCAA Football 2001 . This makes him the first of three people ( along with Larry Fitzgerald and Barry Sanders ) in the history of the EA Sports American Football games to appear on two different covers .