'''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.
Early years
After a standout career at Boone County High School in his hometown, 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. 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 the 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 3,565 yards in four seasons.
NFL career
Alexander was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the 19th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft. He 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
