Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson attends an NFL football game against the...
Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson attends an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Minneapolis, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)
MINNEAPOLIS (KLTV) - Former Palestine Wildcat Adrian Peterson was inducted into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor on Monday night during halftime of the Vikings’ game against the Buffalo Bills.
Peterson was selected seventh overall by the Vikings in the 2007 NFL draft out of the University of Oklahoma.
Peterson played in 14 games as a rookie, rushing for 1,341 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Peterson set the NFL record for rushing yards in a game when he ran for 296 yards against the Chargers. Following his rookie season, Peterson was named to his first Pro Bowl, where he rushed for 129 yards, earning Pro Bowl MVP honors.
In his first four seasons, Peterson rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 10-plus touchdowns in each season, including rushing for a career-high 18 touchdowns in 2009. In 2011, Peterson suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 16. He returned for Week 1 of the 2012 season, rushing for 2,097 yards, which was nine yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s single-season record. He earned NFL MVP honors following the 2012 campaign.
Peterson finished his Vikings career with 11,747 yards rushing and 97 touchdowns, while adding 1,945 yards receiving and 5 touchdowns. He was named to seven Pro Bowls and was a seven-time All-Pro. In 2009 and 2015, he led the NFL in rushing touchdowns. Peterson also played for New Orleans, Arizona, Washington, Detroit, Tennessee and Seattle. He is fifth in NFL history with 14,918 yards rushing and 120 touchdowns.
In three seasons at Oklahoma, Peterson rushed for 4,045 yards and 41 touchdowns. At Palestine, he rushed for more than 5,000 yards and 50-plus touchdowns.