Bama in the NFL: Should Seahawks Great Shaun Alexander be in the Hall of Fame?
He's not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Shaun Alexander's name is noticeably absent from the College Football Hall of Fame as well, but that's partly due to the logjam of Alabama Crimson Tide players who are waiting their chance as the last inductee was still from the Paul W. "Bear" Bryant years, Sylvester Croom.
Alexander, though, has been named as a modern-era nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame nine of the past 10 years, but has yet to make it to the semifinalist stage. It's frustrating, especially since he was the 2005 MVP after leading the league in rush attempts (370), rushing yards (1,880), and rushing touchdowns (27) while averaging 117.5 yards per game while helping lead the Seahawks to the Super Bowl. That came on the heels of being one yard shy of the rushing title in 2004 (1,696 yards, compared to Curtis Martin's 1,697).
He scored an NFL-record 28 touchdowns, and his 168 points were the second-most in league history behind Paul Hornung’s 176 in 1960. He's still third on the all-time list.
Alexander also holds the franchise career marks in rushing attempts (2,176), rushing yards (9,429), rushing touchdowns (100), and yards per game (79.2). Overall, he finished his career with 9,453 yards and 117 touchdowns, which are 17th all-time. He’s one of the nine players with 100 rushing touchdowns.
But longevity is often cited as the reason why Alexander hasn't been inducted, even some other running backs with shortened careers, like Earl Campbell, Terrell Davis and Gale Sayers, have been enshrined.
“I try to keep it humble, but I think the 98, 99 touchdowns total in five years, it stands on its own,” Alexander told NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, in 2021 "When I came to Seattle, we’d had three winning seasons in 25 years — three playoff seasons — and so by the time I leave, the culture’s different. We were winning. Everybody knows they’re going to come to Seattle and they might get out being beat by a lot. We just changed the culture with that. The touchdowns and the yards, they just hadn’t been done in Seattle like that.
“Gale Sayers and Earl Campbell, those would be correct players [for comparison] because even though it seems like I’m often compared to Emmitt (Smith) or Barry (Sanders), and those guys played 12, 15 more years. Really, you can almost squeeze mine down to six. But if you compare me to those greats, Gale and Earl Campbell and Terrell Davis, who I love, big brother, you know, you take my six years against theirs, then I think everybody would say we all deserve gold jackets.”
Alexander is one of just of two Alabama players to have been a first-round draft pick by the Seahawks, James Carpenter in 2011 the other, after being Alabama’s all-time rushing leader with 3,565 career yards prior to the Nick Saban era (he's since been surpassed by Najee Harris and Derrick Henry). He also set school records with 727 rushing attempts, 15 100-yard games, 41 rushing touchdowns, and 50 total touchdowns.
Overall, he left the Capstone after the 1999 season holding 15 school records and three Southeastern Conference marks. A sprained ankle against Tennessee knocked him out of contention for the Heisman Trophy during his senior year, but he did help lead the Crimson Tide to the SEC title.
“I didn’t come back to win the Heisman Trophy,” Alexander said after the 34-7 victory against Florida in the SEC Championship Game. “I came back to play in games like this. The guys on this team wanted this championship so badly.”
Running behind All-American lineman Chris Samuels, Alexander was named first-team All-SEC after rushing for 1,383 yards on 302 attempts and 19 touchdowns, voted SEC Offensive Player of the Year by coaches, and a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. He concluded his collegiate career with 161 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns versus Michigan in the Orange Bowl.
Bama in the NFL: Seattle Seahawks
The Franchise
National Football Conference
West Division Virginia
Team Colors: College Navy, Wolf Grey, Action Green
Founded: 1974, played first season in 1976
Stadium: Lumen Field (capacity 68,740)
Playing Surface: FieldTurf
Training Camp: Virginia Mason Athletic Center, Renton, Wash.
All-Time Alabama Players
Crimson Tide Players Drafted
Super Bowl Appearances
Super Bowl XL (Feb. 5, 2006)
Shaun Alexander, who led the NFL in rushing and set set a record for touchdowns, had 20 carries for 95 yards and caught two passes for Seattle, but couldn't reach the end zone. The Steelers pulled away in the second half for the 21-10 victory. Linebacker Cornelius Wortham was also on the Seahawks' roster.
Super Bowl XLIX (Feb. 1, 2015)
Defensive tackle Jesse Williams was credited with three tackles and James Carpenter started at left guard for Seattle, which saw New England steal the win on rookie Malcolm Butler's goal-line interception in the final seconds preserve the Patriot's 28-24 victory. Wide receiver Kevin Norwood was also on the Seahawks' roster.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Major Awards/Honors
In conjunction with our revamped Bama in the NFL Database, this is the 29th story in a series examining the team-by-team history of Alabama's former players in the NFL.
AFC
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Denver Broncos
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Miami Dolphins
- New England Patriots
- New York Jets
- Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC
- Arizona Cardinals
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- Chicago Bears
- Dallas Cowboys
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Minnesota Vikings
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Giants
- Philadelphia Eagles
- San Francisco 49ers
See Also:
Bama in the NFL: The Ultimate Crimson Tide Database
Bama in the NFL: Active Alabama Crimson Tide Players by Team
