Charles Fred Alexander Jr. (born July 28, 1957) is a former professional American football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football for Louisiana State University (LSU) and twice received consensus All-America honors, and he was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a first-round pick in the 1979 NFL draft by the Bengals. Early years Alexander was born in Galveston, Texas. He played football at Ball High School, where his role as a player was primarily as a blocking back. As a result, opportunities to show his ability were limited; he did not manage 1,000 yards in his entire prep career and was only recruited by a handful of colleges. College career Alexander was recruited to LSU by running backs coach Jerry Stovall. He later recalled that Stovall offered him trust and a real chance to be a big-time running back. "As soon as I got here, I knew it was the place for me." Alexander joined Hall of Fame coach Charles McClendon's LSU Tigers football team as a freshman in 1975. He played his first two seasons backing up All-SEC running back Terry Robiskie. He rushed for 1,177 yards total in those two seasons, including 876 yards in his sophomore year. Alexander became the Tigers' starting running back in his junior season in 1977. Against Oregon, he scored four touchdowns and set a school record by rushing for 237 yards. For his performance he was named United Press International Back of the Week. His 1,686 rushing yards that season helped carry LSU to an 8–3 regular season record and a trip to the Sun Bowl. In that game, Alexander set two Sun Bowl rushing records, carrying 31 times for 197 yards as he received Offensive Player of the Game honors. Despite Alexander's efforts—for which he was named to the 75th Anniversary All-Sun Bowl Team—LSU fell to Stanford 24–14. Alexander's workload dropped in his senior season in 1978, as the Tigers' offense became more balanced with fellow future LSU Athletic Hall of Famer David Woodley at quarterback. He and Woodley led the team to another 8–3 record. Toward the end of the season, Alexander was drawing comparisons to NFL running back Earl Campbell due to his "unique, slashing running style." He played his last game as a Tiger in the