Faith & Family in Football

Outspoken Christian and Former NFL MVP Gives Stunning Family Update

Former NFL MVP Shaun Alexander has never shied away from sharing what matters most in his life: his faith, his family and his calling to help the next generation. Now he and his wife Valerie have even more reason to celebrate.

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During an appearance on the Up & Adams show, the Seattle Seahawks legend revealed that their 14th child is on the way. “We’re just now starting to tell people, but No. 14 is in the belly,” Alexander said. The couple, who married in 2002, already have 10 girls and three boys. Their children include Heaven, Trinity, Eden, Joseph, Justus, Temple, Honor, Jedidiah, Torah, Eternity, Hosanna, Hope and Judea. Sadly, their ninth child Torah passed away 70 days after birth in 2017.

For Alexander, family is at the core of his values. He credits his mother Carol, a strong believer who raised him and his brothers after his parents divorced, as the one who shaped his walk with God. “You’d walk in and you’d see her on the balcony just reading the Bible,” he told Chad Bonham of Youth Worker. “My mom almost made us feel like we weren’t missing that male influence because she took on both roles so powerfully even though there had to have been times of loneliness.”

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Even at the height of his career when a $62 million contract made him the highest-paid running back in the league, Alexander said money would never define him. “Christians can’t be greedy,” he explained to Youth Worker. Instead he poured resources into the Shaun Alexander Foundation and Club 37, a mentoring program to raise up young leaders. “People need to understand that God plans even for the financial things,” he added. “Make your first choice Jesus Christ and then let God do the rest.”

That same faith guided him through challenges on and off the field. After breaking his foot in 2006, he responded not with bitterness but with patience. “I just try to wait for God’s timing,” he said. “God’s good though. His timing is flawless.”

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Alexander’s story is not only about rushing yards and touchdowns though he earned plenty of those, including a record-setting MVP season in 2005. It is also about living a life where faith informs every decision. Even being called MVP carried spiritual weight for him. “It really humbles me to say, ‘OK God, I want to make sure that I’m Your MVP first,’” he reflected.

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Now as he and Valerie prepare to welcome their 14th child, Alexander’s journey takes on even more of the character of Scripture itself. His large and growing family, his faith in God’s provision and his commitment to building up others echo the biblical call to be fruitful and multiply.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.




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