If you were watching football in the early 2000s, you remember the visor. You remember the smooth, almost effortless glide. And you definitely remember the touchdowns. Shaun Alexander, the former Seattle Seahawks running back, didn't just play the game; he basically owned the end zone for a five-year stretch that honestly rivals anyone in league history.
Yet, somehow, when people talk about the greatest backs of that era, his name often feels like an afterthought. It's weird. You’ve got a guy with 100 career rushing touchdowns and an MVP trophy on his shelf, but he's frequently sidelined in Hall of Fame debates. People love to point at his offensive line. They say he was a "system back."
But let’s be real. System or not, 1,880 yards and 27 rushing touchdowns in a single season doesn't just happen by accident.
The Ridiculous 2005 MVP Run
The 2005 season was peak Shaun Alexander. It was the year he finally grabbed the MVP, the first Seahawk to ever do it. He didn't just lead the league; he dominated it. He was scoring at a pace that felt like a video game.
Actually, it was like a video game. He was the first athlete to ever be on the cover of both NCAA Football and Madden NFL.
During that '05 campaign, Alexander averaged 5.1 yards per carry. Think about that for a second. Every time he touched the ball, he was basically halfway to a first down. He finished with 28 total touchdowns, which was an NFL record at the time. He broke the previous record held by Priest Holmes.
Of course, LaDainian Tomlinson came along a year later and broke Shaun’s record, which is probably why people forget how insane that 2005 season actually was. It’s like Alexander’s historic peak got swallowed up by the even crazier seasons happening around him.
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Breaking Down the "Big O-Line" Myth
You can't talk about Shaun Alexander without talking about Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson. They were Hall of Fame-level anchors on that left side. It’s the most common "yeah, but" in sports history.
"Yeah, but he ran behind Big Walt."
Look, having the best left tackle in history helps. Obviously. But Alexander’s vision was what made that line work. He had this specific "one-cut" style. He’d wait, let the block develop, and then—boom—he was gone. He wasn't the guy who was going to truck a linebacker and run over your face, but he rarely got caught in the backfield. He knew exactly where the hole was going to be before it even opened.
From Alabama to the Great Northwest
Before he was "Alexander the Great" in Seattle, he was a legend at Alabama. Honestly, his college stats are just as bonkers. He left Tuscaloosa with 15 school records.
- 3,565 career rushing yards (a record that stood for 16 years).
- 50 total touchdowns.
- 291 rushing yards in a single game against LSU (as a freshman!).
He was the definition of a workhorse. By the time the Seahawks took him 19th overall in the 2000 draft, he was already seasoned. He didn't even start right away. He sat behind Ricky Watters for a year, learning the ropes. When he finally got the keys to the car in 2001, he immediately put up 1,318 yards and 14 scores. He never looked back.
The Sudden Cliff and the Hall of Fame Debate
Football is a brutal business. For running backs, the decline doesn't usually happen gradually; it’s like walking off a cliff. For Alexander, that cliff was the 2006 season.
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He signed a massive $62 million contract after his MVP year. Then, the wheels fell off. Steve Hutchinson left for Minnesota in a controversial "poison pill" free-agency move. Alexander broke a bone in his foot. Between the injuries and the weakened line, the production plummeted.
He went from 1,880 yards in 2005 to just 896 in 2002. By 2008, he was playing a handful of games for the Washington Redskins before retiring.
This short peak is the main argument against his Hall of Fame candidacy. Critics say he didn't have the longevity of an Emmitt Smith or a Frank Gore. But if you look at the "peak" guys like Terrell Davis, Alexander’s numbers actually stack up pretty well.
| Metric | Shaun Alexander |
|---|---|
| Career Rushing TDs | 100 |
| Career Rushing Yards | 9,453 |
| Seasons with 15+ TDs | 5 consecutive |
| NFL MVP Awards | 1 (2005) |
He’s tied for 9th all-time in rushing touchdowns. Everyone else in the top 10 is either in the Hall of Fame or will be (like Adrian Peterson). Alexander is the outlier.
What He's Doing Now (2026)
Life after the NFL has been... busy. Very busy. Shaun and his wife, Valerie, recently made headlines because they are expecting their 14th child. Yes, you read that right. Fourteen.
He’s heavily involved in the Shaun Alexander Foundation and the SA Leadership Academy. He’s basically turned his focus toward mentoring the next generation, focusing on what he calls the "5 F's": Fame, Family, Friends, Finances, and Future.
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He’s also the namesake for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award in college football. It’s cool to see him still connected to the game, even if he’s trade-marked his visor for a life of homeschooling and public speaking.
Why His Legacy Matters
If you're a younger fan who only knows the "Legion of Boom" era of the Seahawks, you missed out on the most explosive offensive era in franchise history. Shaun Alexander was the engine. He was the reason Matt Hasselbeck had so much room to throw. He was the reason Seattle made its first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
Maybe he ran behind a great line. Maybe his career ended sooner than we wanted. But you can't erase 100 touchdowns. That’s a lot of trips to the end zone.
The Takeaway: How to Value the "Peak" Player
When evaluating a career like Shaun Alexander's, it's easy to get caught up in how it ended. Instead, look at the dominance.
- Acknowledge the Context: Great players usually play with other great players. Don't punish a back for having a good offensive line; look at what they did with the opportunity.
- Peak vs. Longevity: Recognize that a player who is the best in the world for five years is just as valuable as a player who is "pretty good" for twelve.
- The TD Metric: Touchdowns are the hardest thing to do in football. Scoring 100 of them is a historic achievement that deserves more respect in Hall of Fame conversations.
If you want to understand the modern NFL running back, you have to look at the guys like Alexander who proved that a heavy-workload back could carry a team to the doorstep of a championship.
Next Steps for NFL Fans:
Compare Alexander's five-year peak (2001-2005) to other Hall of Fame backs. You'll find that few, if any, have ever been as productive over a half-decade stretch. If you're looking for more Seahawks history, check out the team's Ring of Honor, where Alexander was rightfully inducted in 2022.