Building a Legend: From High School to the NFL

When coaches, writers and teammates describe Adrian Peterson, the general response revolves around words like; specimen, physically gifted, and freakish. Peterson's unequivocal explosion, acceleration and speed have won him the Rookie of the Year honor in his first NFL season. He was second in rushing only to reigning MVP LaDainian Tomlinson with 1,341 yards, this after missing two games due to injury. Peterson also set the NFL single-game rushing record by amassing 296 yards against San Diego in early November. His presence in the NFL is already reaching legendary status, but Peterson stays humble, partly because it is nothing new to him. Adrian Peterson grew up in Palestine, TX with dreams and aspirations of playing for the Palestine High School Wildcats. As a freshman, Peterson got that opportunity. He started and made a name for himself as a sophomore, and quickly became the National High School Player of the Year after unbelievable junior and senior seasons. "Football in Texas is life," said Peterson. "Ever since I started playing Pop Warner, I always dreamed of playing for the (Palestine) Wildcats. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity and I took it." Nicknamed "A.D." (All Day) in high school, Peterson's long runs and monstrous statistics quickly became that of legend. The Wildcats were beaten in the 4A State Playoffs by University in 2002, and were upset by Hallsville in 2003, Peterson's senior year in which he gained over 2,900 yards and accounted for 32 touchdowns (11.7 yards per carry). "I still have dreams of winning the state championship in Texas," Peterson stated clearly. "But I got a chance to go to OU and play for Bob Stoops. The years I played in high school and college, I have no regrets about at all." Peterson then shocked the University of Texas nation after committing to play for the Oklahoma Sooners. In 2004, his first in Norman, he rushed for a freshman record 1,925 yards and became the first freshman to finish runner-up in the Heisman voting. "There was a difference to the speed of the game from high school to college," said Peterson. "But I was able to quickly adapt and contribute." Peterson continued to impress his sophomore and junior year but was unable to reach the same level of play as his freshman year due to injuries. Those injuries are what may have cost him draft positions and had many wondering if he would be durable in the NFL. "You can't listen to the critics that doubt you," he said. "The injuries I suffered in college were almost freak-like. They were unconventional and I was able to recover from them very quickly." Minnesota drafted Peterson in the first round (7th overall). Coupled with fellow running back Chester Taylor, the Vikings led the league in rushing with 2,634 yards. The Vikings nearly made the playoffs and 2007 and have an extremely young and talented team coming back in '08. After the 2007 season, there weren't many who were shocked at the numbers Peterson put up. His drive and determination have never waivered since his high school days in East Texas. "Palestine is where I learned to play the game," he said. "Nothing beats those cool, October Friday nights in East Texas." Now that Peterson has been out of high school for a handful of years, he has had a chance to reflect on the growth and exposure of high school sports across the country. "I think it is a good thing, he said. "It seems like there are more regional and national high school football games on TV. The same with your magazine (High School Sports The Magazine). That is how far high school sports have come." After living in Minnesota this year, Peterson was impressed with the level of play of Minnesota high school football. "They played some of the Minnesota state title games in the Metro Dome and I was pretty impressed with that," said Peterson. "This is Big Ten Country. They play very tough and physical football here." "You always here about the high schools in Midwest. Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. No wonder why the Big Ten Conference is so tough every year." Peterson gives props, but sticks to his roots when asked to compare high school football across the nation. "Nothing compares to Texas," he said. "I may be little partial, but the amount of good football teams and the level of competition you have to play every week is tough in Texas." We finally asked Peterson to give some words of encouragement to the high school athletes that are featured in HSSTM. "You should just work extremely hard. Don't listen to those who say you can't, and find ways to improve everyday. And don't forget to cherish every moment of playing high school sports."