Shaun Alexander

1977–

Professional football player

Soon after Shaun Alexander started playing peewee football in his childhood home of Florence, Kentucky, he realized that he loved the thrill of making touchdowns. Exuberant, fast, and sharply observant, Alexander went on to become a football star in high school, college, and professional sports. However, though his skill as a running back brought him both fame and wealth, Alexander has remained firmly rooted in the love of his family and his religious faith. His kindness and approachable nature have made him popular with fans, while his modesty with the press has been the subject of much good-natured joking.

From the beginning, Alexander's accomplishments only made him more determined to contribute to his community, especially to young men like himself who often must struggle to develop a positive identity with few successful male role models in their lives. After playing in the 2000 Orange Bowl, he established the Shaun Alexander Foundation to mentor young men who need support.

Shaun Alexander was born on August 30, 1977, in Florence, the largest city in the northern Kentucky county of Boone. He and his older brother Durran grew up with their mother, Carol, in a small apartment in a government housing project. Though the family had little extra money, Carol Alexander was a devoted single mother, determined to teach her sons respect for others and the importance of a good education. She expected them to work hard and do well in school and to behave courteously.

Learned to Make Touchdowns

Growing up close to Cincinnati, Ohio, the Alexander family were naturally fans of that city's professional football team, the Bengals. While still in elementary school, Shaun Alexander began playing peewee football. He began playing defensive positions, but soon learned that it was both fun and rewarding to make touchdowns, since his father, Curtis Alexander, would buy him ice cream and candy when he scored. When his brother told him that running backs made the most touchdowns, Alexander chose that position and would remain a running back, or tailback, for the rest of his career.

Boone County, Kentucky takes football very seriously, and it was not uncommon for 10,000 spectators to attend games at Boone County High School, where Shaun Alexander studied and played football. Before the end of his high school football career, Alexander had earned the nicknames "Mr. Touchdown" and "Alexander the Great." He set records for most yards rushed (3,166) and most touchdowns (54), and was named Player of the Year, as well as All-American by Parade Magazine and USA Today during his senior year. That year, he also thrilled fans by scoring seven touchdowns in a single game.

While playing high school football, Alexander began a practice which would improve his game throughout his career. He carefully watched the other players, studying the tactics of those he most admired to learn and imitate their tricks and strategies. Using this method, his on-field performance soon became a combination of the best moves of the best players.

Alexander's high school football success guaranteed him a sports scholarship, and as graduation approached, he began to look for the right college. He considered Notre Dame, where his brother was already enrolled, and the University of Michigan, but finally chose the University of Alabama, becoming a member of that school's famous Crimson Tide football team. He began breaking records in 1996, his first year at Alabama, when he rushed 291 yards in a single game.

Earned a Marketing Degree at Alabama

Though confronted by several challenges, including a new head coach, a new athletic director, and several injuries, Alexander had an extremely successful college football career. Nicknamed "The Icon" by fans and teammates, he continued to learn from his favorite college and professional footballer players, and became a powerful blocker as well as a determined runner and a top scorer. He set many university and conference records, including a University of Alabama record for rushing 3,565 yards in four seasons, which has remained unbroken as of 2006. Many thought he was an excellent candidate for the prestigious Heisman Memorial Trophy, awarded to the outstanding college football player in the United States. However, a late-season injury prevented his consideration by the Heisman Committee.

Even without the Heisman, Alexander's college football performance was good enough that he could have entered professional sports after his junior year at Alabama. However, he remembered his mother's emphasis on education and decided to remain at the university, graduating in 2000 with a degree in marketing. Since professional sports are generally played by the young, Alexander thought that a business education would help him develop a new career after he could no longer play football. During his senior year his scholastic achievement earned him the title Academic All-Southeastern Conference.

Established Charitable Foundation

Alexander had been raised in the Christian faith and had become deeply religious at a young age. He remained active in the church throughout his college career as a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, becoming president of that organization during his junior year. One of the important ways Alexander demonstrated his faith was by reaching out to help other people. He had been inspired by other athletes who had devoted their time and money to help others, such as Alabama football coach Gene Stallings, who founded the RISE program to help children with Down's syndrome, and Bethel University football star John Croyle, who had organized the Boys and Girls Big Oak Ranch, which offered support and shelter to children who had been abused and abandoned.

In 2000, Alexander was drafted to play professional football for the Seattle Seahawks. That same year, soon after playing in the last football game of his college career, he set up his own charitable organization, the Shaun Alexander Foundation (SAF). SAF's Web site states that its mission is: "to empower young men through education, athletics, character programs, and leadership training; inspiring them to reach their full potential as the mentors and role models for the next generation."

At a Glance …

Born Shaun Alexander on August 30, 1977, in Florence, Kentucky; married Valerie, May 18, 2002; children: Heaven and Trinity. Education: University of Alabama, BA, marketing, 2000.

Career: Seattle Seahawks Football Team, tailback, 2000–.

Selected awards: National Football League, Most Valuable Player, 2005; Associated Press, Offensive Player of the Year, 2005; Federal Express, NFL Player of the Year, 2005.

Addresses: Office—Seattle Seahawks, 800 Occidental Avenue South, Ste. #500, Seattle, WA 98134.

Growing up in low-income housing projects, Alexander had seen the ways poverty and prejudice could limit young lives. As a successful African-American man, he felt it was his duty to provide support and assistance to boys in difficult situations. One of the foundation's projects was building a community center in Alexander's hometown in Kentucky. "I grew up watching the choices other people were making and what happened to them, and I learned a lot for my own life," Alexander said in a November 22, 2005 interview with Business Wire. "Now through my foundation I have the chance to mentor young men to make positive choices in their lives."

Became a Seahawk

Alexander began his professional football career in Seattle in the fall of 2000. During his first season, he was not in the team's starting lineup, but was backup for veteran running back Ricky Watters. When Watters was injured early in the 2001 season, Alexander started in his place, and by 2002, he had become the Seahawk's starting tailback.

Alexander proved to be as powerful a player on the professional field as he had been in college. After setting a game record by rushing 266 yards in October 2001, he rushed a total of 3296 yards and scored 34 touchdowns during the 2001–2002 season. However, though he worked hard at being a good football player, he placed great value on his family life as well. After moving to Seattle he had met and married his wife, Valerie, and in 2003, he missed the first quarter of the season's first game so that he could be present for the birth of his first daughter, Heaven. Once assured that mother and baby were well, he joined his teammates and finished the game.

Alexander's careful study of football technique made him a skilled and versatile player. Speed is necessary to a successful running back, and Alexander was very fast. But Alexander was also balanced and agile as he ran, which enabled him to avoid tackles. His ability to seem to disappear just as he was about to be hit by a tackle from the opposing team earned him the admiring nickname, "The Ghost." Along with his agility and speed, Alexander developed another skill which helped him gain yards and earn touchdowns. This skill, sometimes called "vision" by sports experts, was the ability to figure out where openings would appear on the field, spot those openings quickly, and take advantage of them.

Alexander became an important part of the Seattle team, breaking many scoring and rushing records, and earning the respect of his teammates, his opponents, and the press. In 2005, he was named Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year and Federal Express NFL Player of the Year, and in 2006 he led the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl attempt. His friendly, approachable manner made him one of the most popular players among fans.

Alexander has also continued to donate his time and money to help other people, using his fame to publicize the causes he believes in. When he became aware that his signature on footballs and other fan memorabilia greatly increased the value of those items, he began to auction signed items to raise money for his charities. In November 2005, SAF began a partnership with CHOICES, a Seattle educational support group, called "Yards for Youth," which challenged local fans and businesses to pledge charitable contributions for each yard Alexander gained in the Seahawks game with the New York Giants.

Although Alexander's skill and enthusiasm for the game could have earned him a place on many teams, he had begun to consider Seattle his home and hoped to remain there. He was pleased when the Seahawks offered to renew his contract in 2006, offering him $62 million over eight years, and allowing him to work in Seattle for the rest of his football career. He signed the contract in March 2006, becoming the highest paid running back in the history of the National Football League.

Sources

Periodicals

Business Wire, November 22, 2005.

Chicago Sun-Times, February 4, 2006.

Jet, March 27, 2006, p. 51.

Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA) February 3, 2006.

Seattle Times, January 5, 2006; March 5, 2006.

Sporting News, Dec 23, 2005.

Sports Illustrated, January 10, 2005, p. 28; December 19, 2005, p. 46.

On-line

"About Shaun," Shaun Alexander Foundation, www.shaunalexander.org/about/bio (June 23, 2006).

"Alexander's Charity a Runaway Success," NFL.com: Official Website of the National Football League, www.nfl.com/teams/story/SEA/6174120 (June 23, 2006).

"Shaun Alexander: Profile," Scout.com, http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=123&p=8&c=1&nid=1709528 (June 23, 2006).