Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985 in Palestine, Texas), nicknamed "A.D."(for "All Day") or "Purple Jesus", is a professional football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. Peterson was selected by the Vikings with the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma. At Oklahoma, Peterson set the NCAA freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards as a true freshman. As a First-Team All-American, he also set a freshman record by finishing as the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Peterson finished as the school's third all-time leading rusher.

Following his stellar first pro season, Peterson was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. In the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl, Peterson rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns, achieving the second highest rushing total in Pro Bowl history. Peterson was awarded the MVP award for his performance in the Pro Bowl, which led to a 42-30 victory over the AFC. Peterson is only the fifth player in NFL history to have more than 3,000 plus yards through their first two seasons.

Peterson was interested in football as a child; he began playing at the age of seven. He played football in the popular Pop Warner Football program. He continued his interest in athletics into high school where he competed in track and field, basketball, and football at Palestine High School. He was most notable in football where he played during his junior and senior years. Peterson's 2002–2003 campaign as a junior with 2,051 yards on 246 carries, an average of 8.3 yards per carry, and 22 touchdowns. As a senior in 2003–2004, he rushed for 2,960 yards on 252 attempts, an average of 11.7 yards per carry, and 32 touchdowns. Following Maurice Clarett's unsuccessful attempt to sue the NFL over their age limit in 2004 there was considerable debate over whether any high school football player might be able to make the leap from the preps to the pro game. The player most frequently mentioned was Peterson.