Adrian Lewis Peterson (né Brown; born March 21, 1985) is an American former professional football running back. Peterson played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, setting the freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards in 2004. Named a unanimous All-American that year, he became the first freshman to finish as a runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Peterson finished his college career as the Sooners' third-all-time leading rusher.

He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings seventh overall in the 2007 NFL draft. As a rookie, he set an NFL record for the most rushing yards in a single game (296) and was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was then named the MVP for his performance in the Pro Bowl, and became only the fifth player in NFL history to gain more than 3,000 yards through his first two seasons. In 2010, he became the fifth-soonest player to run for 5,000 yards, doing so in his 51st game.

Peterson tore both his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in a game in late 2011. Despite that, he returned by the start of the 2012 season, and ended it with 2,097 rushing yards, just nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season record. For his efforts, he received the NFL MVP Award, the most recent nonquarterback to win the award. In 2013, Peterson became the third-soonest player to reach 10,000 rushing yards in NFL history.

In 2014, Peterson was indicted by a grand jury in Texas on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child that occurred earlier that year, and was suspended for the rest of the season. A free agent coming into the 2017 season, Peterson signed a two-year contract with the New Orleans Saints, but was traded to the Arizona Cardinals midseason before being released following the season's end. Following that, Peterson played for the Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, and Seattle Seahawks.

Peterson was born in Palestine, Texas, to Bonita Brown and Nelson Peterson, who were star athletes in college. His father was a shooting guard for Idaho State, but his dream of a National Basketball Association career was derailed when a gun that his brother was cleaning discharged into his leg. His mother, a three-time Texas state champion at Westwood High School, attended the University of Houston on an athletic scholarship as a sprinter and long jumper. Peterson's best friend was his older brother, Brian. Peterson's father nicknamed him "All Day", because his father said he could go all day.

At age seven, Peterson saw his nine-year-old brother Brian killed by a drunk driver as he rode his bicycle. Around this time, Peterson began to deal with his pain through sports and became interested in football.

His father Nelson participated as an assistant coach. Peterson played in the popular Anderson County Youth Football Program in East Texas. When Peterson was 13, his father was arrested for money laundering in a crack cocaine ring.

Peterson was a three-sport standout in football, basketball, and track at Palestine High School. Peterson was most notable in football, which he played during his junior and senior years. During his sophomore year, he was not eligible to play for the Palestine High School Wildcats varsity football team. Peterson's junior season ended with 2,051 yards on 246 carries, an average of 8.3 yards per carry, and 22 touchdowns. During his junior year, he began to attract the attention of Division I recruiters, and realized he would likely have his pick of colleges after his senior year.