Adrian Peterson

Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American former football running back who played fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history.

He recorded a wind-legal time of 10.26 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the 2002 District 15-4A Championships, where he took first by a large margin.

As a senior in 2003, he rushed for 2,960 yards on 252 attempts, an average of 11.7 yards per carry, and 32 touchdowns.

After a game, players from the other team asked for his autograph.

He also posted a wind-assisted time of 10.33 seconds in the 100 meters at the 2003 UIL State Track Meet, where he earned a second-place finish behind Ivory Williams, who won the 2004 World Junior Championship over the same distance.

He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, setting the freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards in 2004.

Named a unanimous All-American that year, he became the first freshman to finish as a runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

Peterson finished his college career as the Sooners' third all-time leading rusher.

Following Maurice Clarett's unsuccessful attempt to sue the NFL over its age limit in 2004, there was considerable debate over whether any high school football player might be able to make the leap from the preps to the pro game.

The player most frequently mentioned was Peterson.

Peterson followed in his mother's footsteps to excel in track & field at Woodward, where he won several medals in events such as the 100 meters, 200 meters, triple jump, and long jump.

Peterson's coach has stated that he believes that, had he not chosen a career in football, Peterson could have become an Olympic sprinter instead.

At the 2004 District 14-4A Championships, Peterson ran the second leg on the Palestine 4 × 100 m relay squad, helping lead them to victory with a time of 41.50 seconds.

He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings seventh overall in the 2007 NFL Draft.

As a rookie, he set an NFL record for the most rushing yards in a single game (296) and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

He was then named the MVP for his performance in the Pro Bowl and became only the fifth player in NFL history to have more than 3,000 yards through his first two seasons.

In 2010, he became the fifth-fastest player to run for 5,000 yards, doing so in his 51st game.

Peterson tore both his ACL and MCL in a game in late 2011.

Despite that, he would return by the start of the 2012 season and end it with 2,097 rushing yards, just nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season record.

For his efforts, he received the NFL MVP Award, among others.

In 2013, Peterson became the third-fastest player to reach 10,000 rushing yards in NFL history.

In 2014, Peterson was indicted by a grand jury in Texas on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child that occurred earlier that year, and was suspended for the rest of the season.

A free agent coming into the 2017 season, Peterson signed a two-year contract with the New Orleans Saints but was traded to the Arizona Cardinals mid-season before being released following the season's end.

Since then, Peterson has played for the Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, and Seattle Seahawks.

Peterson was born in Palestine, Texas, to Bonita Brown and Nelson Peterson, who were star athletes in college.

His father was a shooting guard for Idaho State, but his dream of a National Basketball Association career was derailed when a gun that his brother was cleaning discharged into his leg.

His mother, a three-time Texas state champion at Westwood High School, attended the University of Houston on an athletic scholarship as a sprinter and long jumper.

Peterson's best friend was his older brother, Brian.

Peterson's father nicknamed him "All Day," because his father said he could go all day.

At age 7, Peterson saw his 9-year-old brother Brian killed by a drunk driver as he rode his bicycle.

Around this time Peterson began to deal with his pain through sports and became interested in football.

His father Nelson participated as an assistant coach.

Peterson played in the popular East Texas, Anderson County Youth Football Program.

When Peterson was 13, his father was arrested for money laundering in a crack cocaine ring.

Peterson was a three-sport standout in football, basketball, and track at Palestine High School.

Peterson was most notable in football, which he played during his junior and senior years.

During his sophomore year, he was not eligible to play for the Palestine High School Wildcats varsity football team.

Peterson's junior season ended with 2,051 yards on 246 carries, an average of 8.3 yards per carry, and 22 touchdowns.

It was during his junior year that he began to attract the attention of Division I recruiters and realized he would likely have his pick of colleges after his senior year.