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.
Shaun 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 October 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 29 September 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.
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, 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, Shaun 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). A feat that 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 11th, 2005, in Seattle's NFC West-clinching victory over the San Francisco
49ers, Alexander ran for 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 the Walter Payton. On December 18th, 2005, visiting the Tennessee
Titans, gaining 1,600 yards for the 2nd consecutive season, Alexander ran for a Seahawks
franchise record 10th 100 yard rushing game, also scoring his 24th rushing touchdown of
the year, and 86th rushing TD of his career, tying him with Priest Holmes at 12th on the
all-time rushing touchdown leader list. [1] Perhaps even more substantial is this: 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. Shaun 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 record for
touchdowns in a season, 28, and tied Priest Holmes's record of 27 rushing touchdowns in
a season. Shaun also won his first NFL rushing title with 1,880 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 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 Shaun picked up 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 to the popular
Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Sweet Home Alabama."
Alexander on the cover of Madden NFL 2007Shaun Alexander and the Seahawks lost to the
Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL on February 5th, 2006. Alexander was the leading
rusher of the game with 95 yards in the loss. 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.
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 a bone in his left foot in Week 3 of the season, keeping the so-called Madden
curse alive. 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.
Alexanders final regular season statistics for 2006 were 896 yards rushing on 252
attempts, a 3.6 yard per carry with seven touchdowns, all rushing, in 10 games.
some of shaun alexander stats