Adrian Peterson

NFL Player

Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American former professional football running back. Peterson played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. 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.

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 gain more than 3,000 yards through his first two seasons. In 2010, he became the fifth-soonest player to run for 5,000 yards, doing so in his 51st game.

Peterson tore both his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in a game in late 2011.  Peterson played for Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks.

Source: Wikipedia

The ACL injury

On Christmas Eve, 2011, the NFL landscape shifted in a fraction of a second. Adrian Peterson, the explosive running back for the Minnesota Vikings, took a low hit during a game against the Washington Redskins. With his foot planted firmly in the turf, his knee buckled in a way that made the entire sports world shudder.

The Diagnosis: A complete tear of both the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) and the MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) in his left knee. ⁠

The “Impossible” Comeback to MVP

For most athletes, a combined ACL/MCL tear means a minimum of 12 months of recovery, with a high probability of never regaining their original speed. For a running back—a position entirely dependent on explosive bursts and violent “cuts”, this injury is often a career-ender.

Peterson underwent surgery on December 30, 2011, performed by the world-renowned Dr. James Andrews. The mountain he had to climb seemed insurmountable, especially with his public goal of returning for the September 2012 season opener. Peterson approached his physical therapy with an intensity that his trainers had never witnessed. What followed is recorded as one of the greatest individual feats in sports history.

Peterson didn’t just return; he was better than before his injury.

Adrian Peterson returned by the start of the 2012 season, and ended 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, the most recent nonquarterback to win the award. In 2013, Peterson became the third-soonest player to reach 10,000 rushing yards in NFL history.

During the 2012 season:

  • He rushed for 2,097 yards, falling just 9 yards short of the all-time single-season record.
  • He was crowned the NFL MVP, a rare honor for a non-quarterback.
  • He proved that modern medicine, combined with an unparalleled work ethic, could redefine the limits of human recovery.

Highlights & Awards

NFL

  • NFL Most Valuable Player (2012)
  • NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2012)
  • PFWA NFL MVP (2012)
  • 2× Bert Bell Award (2008, 2012)
  • NFL Alumni Running Back of the Year (2008)
  • NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2007)
  • PFWA All-Rookie Team (2007)
  • 4× First-team All-Pro (2008, 2009, 2012, 2015)
  • 3× Second-team All-Pro (2007, 2010, 2013)
  • 7× Pro Bowl (2007–2010, 2012, 2013, 2015)
  • 3× NFL rushing yards leader (2008, 2012, 2015)
  • 2× NFL rushing touchdowns leader (2009, 2015)
  • Art Rooney Award (2019)
  • 3× FedEx Ground Player of the Year (2008, 2012, 2015)
  • Minnesota Vikings All-Mall of America Field Team
  • NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
  • 50 Greatest Vikings
  • 9 × NFC Offensive Player of the Week[297]
  • 2 × NFC Offensive Player of the Month[298]

College

  • Jim Brown Trophy (2004)
  • Unanimous first-team All-American (2004)
  • Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (2004)
  • Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year (2004)
  • 3× First-team All-Big 12 (2004–2006)

Records and other accomplishments

  • Most rushing yards in a single game (296; vs. San Diego Chargers, November 4, 2007)[299]
  • Most rushing yards in any eight-game period (1,322)[300]
  • Most 60+ yard touchdown runs in a career (13)[301]
  • Tied-most 50+ yard runs in a single season (7, with Barry Sanders)[302]
  • NFL MVP (2012)[303]
  • 3-time NFL rushing yards leader (2008, 2012, 2015)[304]
  • First player in NFL history to score a rushing touchdown with six different teams[293]

Vikings franchise records

  • Most career rushing touchdowns (97)[305]
  • Most rushing yards in a single season: 2,097 (2012)[305]
  • Most rushing touchdowns in a single season: 18 (2009)[305]
  • Most career rushing yards (11,747)[305]
  • Most career carries (2,418)[305]

Redskins franchise records

  • Longest rushing touchdown (90)[306]

Pro Bowl records

  • Most career rushing touchdowns (4)[307]

Read the other ACL experience stories here