Team

GAMES/STARTS (regular season, playoffs) 2007 (14/9), 2008 (16/15, 1/1). Totals - 30/24, 1/1.

• Named 2007 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Year started in the Pro Bowl and was the MVP of the game.
• Set NFL single-game rushing record with 296 yards vs. San Diego in 2007, the 8th game of his career.
• Enjoyed one of the best rookie performances in recent NFL history, setting several team and league records.

OFF THE FIELD Hosted Special Olympics of Minnesota Punt, Pass and Kick event at Winter Park in spring 2008 and hosted Adrian Peterson Celebrity Classic golf tournament in June 2008 to benefit Special Olympics and Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities...Earned $10,000 for the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital for twice earning FedEx Ground Player of the Week award…Comes from an athletic family as mother, Bonita Jackson, was a track and field star and father, Nelson Peterson, was a collegiate basketball player at Idaho State...His uncle, Ivory Lee Brown, was an NFL player and suited up for the Vikings in 1993...Endured the tragic loss of his brother as a youth and his stepbrother the night before the NFL Scouting Combine...Majored in sociology...Hosted football camp in Norman, OK during June 2008...Took part in an ESPN SportsCenter commercial during 2008 offseason..Has a daughter, Adeja.

HONORS 2008 Associated Press All-Pro 1st Team…2008 Bert Bell Player of the Year Award by Maxwell Club…2008 FedEx Ground Player of the Year…2007, 2008 Pro Bowl starter...Pro Bowl MVP as rookie…2007 Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year...2007 Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year…2007 Associated Press All-Pro 2nd Team…2007 Vikings Offensive MVP as voted by teammates…2007 Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie Team...NFL Rookie of the Month in September 2007 and October 2007...NFC Offensive Player of the Week at Chicago (10/14/07), vs. San Diego (11/4/07)...FedEx Ground Player of the Week at Chicago (10/14/07), vs. San Diego (11/4/07).

PRO Set Vikings single-season rushing record with 1,760 yards in 2008, now holding the 1st and 3rd-best single-season totals in team history in only 2 seasons…Became the 1st Viking to lead the NFL in rushing in 2008…Tabbed by the Maxwell Club as the Bert Bell Award winner as the Player of the Year...Ranks 4th in NFL history for most rushing yards in a players opening 2 seasons with 3,101 yards…Re-wrote the Vikings rookie record book with one of the biggest debut seasons in NFL history en route to the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Year awards...Set new NFL single-game rushing mark with 296 yards vs. San Diego (11/4/07)...Came to the Vikings as the 10th RB selected by the team in the 1st round...The only Vikings RBs selected as high or higher than Peterson were Tommy Mason (#1, 1961), Clinton Jones (#2, 1967) and Darrin Nelson (#7, 1982)...The lone OU Sooner drafted by the Vikings in the 1st round.

2008 Led NFL in rushing and set new Vikings single-season record with 1,760 yards, becoming the 1st Vikings RB to lead the League in rushing yards…Recognized by Maxwell Club with the Bert Bell Player of the Year award, 1st-Team Associated Press All-Pro honoree, Pro Bowl starter and voted by teammates as Vikings Offensive MVP…Set new Vikings record with 10 games over the 100-yard mark…Set team record for rushing attempts with 363, breaking the old record held by Chester Taylor in 2006 by 60 carries…Set new Vikings record for yards rushing per game at 110.0…Ran for 192 yards vs. Green Bay (11/9), the 4th-best single-game rushing total in team history, giving him the 1st, 2nd and 4th-most rushing yards in a game in Vikings history, a feat accomplished in only 30 career games…Named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance vs. Green Bay (11/9) along with Fed Ex Ground Player of the Week…Earned Fed Ex Ground honors for games vs. Houston (11/2) and at Arizona (12/14).

2007 Burst onto the NFL scene with a record-breaking rookie season…Earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors from Associated Press and Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Year…Named a starter in the Pro Bowl and earned MVP of the game...Led the NFC with 1,341 rushing yards, ranked 2nd in the NFL and had the 2nd-best single season in Vikings history…Set an NFL single-game record with 296 rushing yards vs. San Diego (11/4), breaking the old record of 295 by Jamal Lewis…Set the #1 and #2 single-game rushing totals in Vikings history with the 296 vs. San Diego (11/4) and 224 at Chicago (10/14)…Ranked 1 behind the Vikings single-season record with 12 rushing TDs…Teamed with Chester Taylor to set a new Vikings record for combined rushing yards with 2,185…Set new Vikings team rushing record with 2,634 yards and helped team rank #1 in the NFL in rushing offense…Led the NFL in rushing yards per game with 95.8…Set Vikings record with an average of 5.6 yards per carry…Set Vikings record with 4 rushes of 50+ yards during the season and tied a Vikings record with 7 plays of 50+ yards (4 runs, 1 reception, 2 kickoff returns).

COLLEGE A 3-time All-Big 12 1st-Team honoree...2004 Associated Press 1st-Team All-America, the 1st OU true freshman to earn the honor and the 1st true freshman on the team since 1996 (Dre Bly)...Left OU ranked among the top Sooner RBs in school history despite playing only 31 games over 3 seasons...Set the school record with 1,925 yards as a freshman in 2004, breaking Billy Sims’ record of 1,896 in 1978...Broke Ron Dayne’s NCAA freshman rushing record he set at Wisconsin when coached by Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress...Tied NCAA freshman record for fewest games to reach 1,000 yards with 7, matching Emmitt Smith and Marshall Faulk...Ranks 3rd in OU history with 4,045 yards and 4th with 41 rushing TDs...Finished as 2004 Heisman Trophy runner-up...The only OU rushers with more career yardage are Billy Sims (4,118) and Joe Washington (4,071)...Broke the 100-yard mark in 22 career games of his 31 contests, 1 shy of the school record...Ran for 200+ yards in 6 career games.

PREP Was the consensus national player of the year as a senior at Palestine (TX) High...Rated the best player in the country by College Football News and Rivals.com...Broke the 2,000-yard mark as a junior and senior...Had 32 TDs as a senior...Competed in basketball and track.