Shaun Alexander spent nine productive seasons in the NFL, most of them with the Seattle Seahawks, and he has kept close track of his beloved former team, even traveling to Phoenix to watch them come up just short in Super Bowl XLIX.

But he also keeps very close tabs on his “other” team — Alabama, where he helped continue a terrific running back tradition that only has grown since he was on campus in the late 1990s.

From Mark Ingram to Trent Richardson to Eddie Lacy all being high NFL draft picks, and a tradition that will continue this year with T.J. Yeldon expected to be selected and Derrick Henry one day perhaps being picked high as well, Bama has been Running Back University in recent years.

“We call each other all the time,” Alexander said. “I remember being in my hotel room, and Johnny Musso called me. That’s what I am doing to Derrick Henry, telling him, ‘Hey, keep it going.’ He had a great Sugar Bowl, but he’s got more to do. He knows that.”

via Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports