NFL · Biography
Adrian Peterson
Running back · No club · retired · OU 2004-2006
'All Day': the Sooner who became one of the greatest runners ever
Adrian Peterson grew up in Palestine, Texas, where he was a track star as well as a football phenom. He ran a 10.26 in the 100 meters at a 2002 district meet.
At Oklahoma (2004–2006), Peterson burst onto the national scene immediately. As a true freshman in 2004 he set the NCAA freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards, led the nation with 339 carries, helped the Sooners to a perfect regular season and a national championship game appearance, and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting. He was a unanimous All-American.
The Minnesota Vikings drafted him seventh overall in 2007. As a rookie he set the NFL single-game rushing record with 296 yards and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year. In 2012, less than a year after a major knee injury, he ran for 2,097 yards, just nine shy of Eric Dickerson's single-season record, and won NFL MVP. He remains the most recent non-quarterback to win the award.
After 10 seasons in Minnesota, he played for the Saints, Cardinals, Washington, Lions, Titans and Seahawks. Peterson is now retired, finishing with 14,918 career rushing yards, one of the highest totals in NFL history.