Adrian Peterson

Adrian Nicholas Peterson (born July 1, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and United Football League (UFL). He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL draft, playing eight seasons for Chicago. Then he played for the Virginia Destroyers in the UFL. He played college football for the Georgia Southern Eagles, where he set numerous school, Southern Conference, and NCAA Division I-AA records, as well as winning two I-AA National Championships and receiving the Walter Payton Award for most outstanding player in I-AA football. He is currently serving as the director of student-athlete development for Georgia Southern.

Early life Peterson was born to Porter R. and Reatha M. Peterson; his father works at a plant that makes Energizer batteries. Adrian Peterson was a two-time all-state, all-area selection and team MVP at Santa Fe High School in Alachua, Florida where he rushed for 4,949 yards during his prep career to earn All-America honors from ESPN and Blue Chip Illustrated. Peterson ran for 1,526 yards and 17 TDs on 185 carries (8.2 avg.) to earn Florida Class 4A Player-of-the-Year honors as a senior. He also lettered four times in track and two times each in weightlifting and basketball while in high school. Peterson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

College statistics Rushing Receiving Year Team GP Att Yards Avg TDs Rec Yards TDs 1998 Georgia Southern 11 257 1,932 7.5 25 5 33 1 1999 Georgia Southern 11 248 1,807 7.2 28 9 163 1 2000 Georgia Southern 13 338 2,056 6.0 19 0 0 0 2001 Georgia Southern 14 322 1,795 5.5 21 5 4 0 Totals 49 1,165 7,590 6.5 93 19 200 2

Professional career

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears selected Peterson in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL draft. During his first season as a Bear, he rushed for 101 yards on nineteen attempts, and scored a single touchdown. He missed most of the next season after sustaining an ankle injury. The team has primarily relied on Peterson as a specialist. In 2004, he led the Bears' special teams unit with 28 tackles. On the season, Peterson rushed for 391 yards on 76 attempts, and scored two touchdowns. Peterson was the team's second leading rusher during the season, and even went on to score a touchdown during the NFC Divisional game against the Carolina Panthers. In the NFC Championship game, Peterson tackled Michael Lewis and forced a fumble.

After the Bears traded Jones prior to the 2007 season, Peterson was promoted to second string running back. However, first string running back Cedric Benson sustained a season-ending injury on November 25, against the Denver Broncos. During the same game, Peterson scored his second rushing touchdown of the season, when he powered into the endzone despite being enveloped by several Bronco defenders. With this news, Peterson moved to first string, with rookie Garrett Wolfe moved to second string. Peterson had his second 100-yard rushing game on December 23, 2007, against the Green Bay Packers. Peterson had another productive performance the next week, during the Bears' season finale against the New Orleans Saints. He rushed for 91 yards, and even threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian.

When the Bears drafted Matt Forte and brought in Kevin Jones, Peterson saw little to no action at running back. He was cut from the team after the Bears signed Chester Taylor before the 2010 season.

Seattle Seahawks Peterson signed with the Seattle Seahawks on August 12, 2010, but was released by the team just five days later.

Virginia Destroyers Peterson was drafted by the Virginia Destroyers in the third round (14th overall) of the 2011 UFL draft. He signed with the team on June 15. He played in three games for the Destroyers in 2011, rushing 33 times for 160 yards and one touchdown while also catching 6 passes for 53 yards. The Destroyers finished the regular season with a 3–1 record and won the 2011 UFL championship game.

Peterson appeared in all four games for the Destroyers during the 2012 season, recording four carries for 15 yards and 13 receptions for 100 yards.

Coaching career On February 13, 2018, Peterson returned to Georgia Southern as director of student-athlete development for the football team under Chad Lunsford. He took over for Andrew Dodge, who moved to an on-field coaching assignment toward the end of the 2016 season.

Personal life Peterson is the younger brother of former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Mike Peterson. He is also related to Freddie Solomon, who played for the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers. He performs community work and hosts an annual free youth football camp. Additionally, Peterson, who has a speech impediment, volunteers to help children who also face the same challenge.

Peterson released his autobiography Don't Dis My Abilities in 2013.

On February 17, 2015, Peterson's 7-year-old son died of brain cancer.