Adrian Nicholas Peterson (born July 1, 1979) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League and United Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, playing eight seasons for Chicago. Then he played for the Virginia Destroyers in the UFL. 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.