Adrian Peterson ( American football , born 1979 ) Adrian Nicholas Peterson ( born July 1 , 1979 ) is an American football running back for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League . He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft , playing eight seasons for Chicago . He is an alumnus of Georgia Southern University , where he set numerous school , conference , and NCAA Division I - AA records , as well winning two 1 - AA National Championships and receiving the Walter Payton Award for most outstanding player in 1 - AA football . Peterson has also been a member of the Seattle Seahawks . Early years . 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 . College career . From 1998 - 2001 , Peterson played for Georgia Southern , the most successful NCAA Division I - AA football programs in the country . He finished his career , not including the playoffs , with 6 , 559 rushing yards , a Division I football record , and won the Walter Payton Award in 1999 . He was the first sophomore to win the award for most outstanding player in I - AA football . Peterson finished among the top three vote - getters for the Walter Payton Award in all four of his college football seasons . In 57 career games including the playoffs , he carried 1378 times for 9145 yards ( 6 . 6 avg ) , 111 touchdowns and an average of 160 . 44 yards per game . On September 29th , 2012 Peterson was inducted into the Georgia Southern hall of fame in a ceremony held during halftime at Paulson Stadium . 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 . Since then , he has seen a rather limited role . The team has primarily relied on Peterson as a specialist . In 2004 , he led the Bears ' special teams unit with 28 tackles . Peterson saw more action as a running back during the 2005 Chicago Bears season , after the Bears ' top two running backs , Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson , suffered injuries . On November 13 , in the first game that both were injured , a game against the San Francisco 49ers , Peterson eclipsed the 100 yard mark in a game for the first time in his career . He rushed for 120 yards on 24 attempts and scored a touchdown . 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 . During the 2006 Chicago Bears season , Peterson returned to his role as a specialist and third string running back . He received occasional playtime as running back , but played a versatile role on the Bears ' special teams . During the team ' s season finale , Peterson caught a 37 - yard pass from Brad Maynard on a fake punt . 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 during the 2010 offseason . Peterson signed with the Seattle Seahawks on August 12 , 2010 , but was released 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 . Personal . He is the younger brother of 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 in his spare time , and hosts an annual free youth football camp . Additionally , Peterson , who has a speech impediment , volunteers his spare time to help children who also face the same challenge . Peterson , through Imprint Publishing , is releasing his autobiography , " Don ' t Dis My Abilities " Sept . 28th . http : / / www . GSEagles . com