Shaun Alexander
Teams
Seattle Seahawks (2000-2007)
Washington Redskins (2008)
Playoffs
Appearances - 5 (2003,2004,2005,2006,2007)
Conf Champ Games - 1 (2005)
Super Bowls - 1 (2005)
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
MVP - 1 (2005)
Offensive Player of the Year - 1 (2005)
All-Pro First Team - 1 (2005)
All-Pro Second Team - 1 (2004)
Pro Bowl - 3 (2003,2004,2005)
All-Time Ranks
Rushing Touchdowns - #8
Total Touchdowns - #17
Rushing Yards per Game - #22
Rushing Yards - #37
Yards per Rush - #86
Scrimmage Yards - #87
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#1-2005, #2-2004, #6-2001, #8-2003)
Rushing Touchdowns (#1-2001,2005, #2-2002,2004, #3-2003)
Yards per Rush (#5-2004,2005)
Rushing Yards per Game (#1-2005, #4-2004, #9-2001, #10-2003)
Total Touchdowns (#1-2004,2005, #2-2001,2002, #5-2003)
Scrimmage Yards (#3-2005, #4-2004, #6-2001, #8-2003)
After leaving Alabama as the school's all-time leading rusher (he's now #3), Shaun Alexander was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the #19 overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
As a rookie, he played behind Ricky Watters, getting only 64 rush attempts on the season, but he averaged an impressive 4.9 yards per carry when he was in the game. When Watters missed most of the following season with injuries, Alexander moved into the starting role and held it for nearly 7 years.
In that second season, Alexander led the league with 14 rushing touchdowns, the first of 5 straight seasons where he would score at least that many times on the ground. He gained only 4 yards per carry in 2002, but made up for it with 16 touchdowns.
He made his first Pro Bowl in 2003, when he gained 1435 yards and scored another 14 touchdowns, then came within one yard of winning the rushing title in 2004, finishing with 1696, just behind Curtis Martin. Alexander did lead the league with 20 total touchdowns that season, and made his first All-Pro Team.
2005 was the season that defined his career. He led the league with 370 carries, 1880 rushing yards, and tied the league record with 27 rushing touchdowns, a record that would be broken the following season by LaDainian Tomlinson. He won the Offensive Player of the Year award, and also the league MVP, which is a rarity for a running back.
Not only did he have great individual achievements that year, he led the Seahawks all the way to the Super Bowl. He had 132 yards and 2 touchdowns in the NFC Title Game, then gained 95 yards in the Super Bowl, which Seattle lost 21-10 to Pittsburgh.
His career fell off immediately after that. He broke his foot early in the next season, and ended up with only 896 yards in 10 games. He opened the following season by breaking his wrist, then suffered knee and ankle injuries later in the season. After struggling through injuries for 2 straight years, he was released by Seattle after the 2007 season.
He joined the Washington Redskins for the 2008 season, but after appearing in only 4 games and gaining only 24 yards, he was released in the middle of the season, at which point he retired from football, less than 3 years removed from his amazing MVP season.
Alexander was a touchdown machine, especially in his first 5 seasons as the Seahawks' starter. He scored 100 rushing touchdowns in his career, which is #8 on the all-time list. He had one immortal season, along with a couple of other very good seasons with Seattle, but injuries prevented him from doing more. Still, he was so great, especially in 2005, that he has to be remembered as one of the best of all time.
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