Adrian Peterson was born on March 21, 1985 in Palestine, Texas . Peterson played sports from an early age and began with football at the age of seven. When he was thirteen, however, his father was sentenced to ten years in prison for money laundering in connection with illegal drugs. In high school, Peterson became a standout athlete, excelling in track and field and football. As a senior, he became one of the most heavily recruited high school athletes after he rushed for 2,960 yards and 32 touchdowns at Palestine High School. He averaged 11.7 yards per carry. He ultimately chose to attend the University of Oklahoma .

Peterson immediately made a major impact at Oklahoma. He broke numerous NCAA Freshman rushing records and finished with 1,925 yards on 339 carries. He was selected as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy Award, which recognizes the nation's top College football player. He was also the first Oklahoma freshman recognized as a First-Team Associated Press All-American. In addition, he contributed to an undefeated season for Oklahoma and participated in the 2005 BCS National Championship Game in the Fed Ex Orange Bowl, though Oklahoma lost to USC by 36 points. Injuries plagued his sophomore season, but Peterson still ran for over 1,200 yards, including an 84-yard touchdown run against Oklahoma State . In his junior year, Peterson broke his collarbone after a 55-yard touchdown run against Iowa State . The injury ended his season. Nevertheless, his 4,045 total rushing yards made him Oklahoma's second all-time leading rusher. Peterson then declared for the NFL draft (rather than stay for his senior season), even though he only needed 77 rushing yards to become the school's all-time leading rusher.

In 2007, Peterson was drafted seventh overall by the Minnesota Vikings. He was the first running back selected. He quickly made a name for himself with his breathtaking runs, elusive moves and unusual power. In his first regular season game, against the St. Louis Rams, Peterson ran 19 times for 103 yards. On October 14, 2007, Peterson broke two long runs in route to a 224 yard rushing performance against one of the league's top defenses - The Chicago Bears. On November 4, 2007, Peterson broke the NFL's single game rushing record with 296 yards against the San Diego Chargers. In the game he scored three touchdowns and became the only rookie in NFL history to rush for 200 yards in a game twice in one season. The next week, however, a severe knee injury would sideline him for a month. Nevertheless, Peterson finished the year with 1,341 yards rushing on only 238 carries. He averaged 5.6 yards per rush and scored 14 touchdowns. He was the unanimous choice for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl, where he earned MVP honors with 129 yards rushing.