Shaun Alexander, a former running back for the Seattle Seahawks, and his wife Valerie understand the importance of following God, no matter what.
Before he entered the NFL Draft, Alexander’s family told him he would meet his future wife in whatever city he was drafted to. He was the 19th overall pick in the 2000 draft, and several weeks later, a Seahawks teammate introduced him to Valerie.
Valerie, meanwhile, was exploring her newfound faith. She played college basketball while battling deep depression. Six months before meeting Alexander, she was “radically saved.”
“I just remember being at my home and crying out to the Lord and just going, ‘Man, if you are who they say you are, I need you now. I need you now,'” she told CBN’s Abigail Robertson and Greg Hendricks. “And that little prayer, little did I know, was going to radically change my life. It was as though God stepped into that room that day, and, I mean, I went from being so depressed in such a dark place, having no hope at the time, within a matter of a couple of days and weeks, I was hearing the voice of God.”
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“He was telling me the things I needed to walk away from. He was telling me, ‘Cut ties with this. Leave that alone.’ And I just started walking towards this God that I did not know is so personal and just comes down into your world and goes, ‘I’m going to lead you and guide you,'” she reflected.
Since their relationship began in 2002, the two have put Christ first in everything they. They share 14 children — 11 daughters and three sons. They clung to their faith when their ninth child, Torah, died at 70 days old in 2017.
“I just felt like God showed me something about His heart in loss that I had never never really understood about God as this father, knowing that there’s some children He’ll never be reunited with. I remember Him saying, ‘If you allow me to use you guys’ story so that if I can just reunite with one of my children through it, are you willing to say yes and okay to this?’ And I just I just thought, ‘God, yeah, because you’re right. I’m going to be with Torah one day,'” Valerie recalled.
The couple continues to let the Lord lead their steps and often speak about their faith on social media. In fact, Valerie hopes to start a podcast soon.
“To those asking if there is more that I am going to be sharing….there is! God has had it on my heart for a while now to do several things, including my own podcast. It is currently in the works, and we hope to launch by fall 2026!” she said in a post on Instagram.
Through both career triumphs and personal heartbreak, the Alexanders demonstrate how putting faith and trust in God can transform lives, anchor a growing family and inspire others through shared story.
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