Julian Thomas Peterson (born July 28, 1978) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

who played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for eleven seasons. He was drafted by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

in the first round of the

2000 NFL Draft The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15– 16, 2000, at the Thea ...

. He played college football for Michigan State University. Peterson also played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions.

Early years

Peterson attended Crossland High School in

Temple Hills, Maryland Temple Hills is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Temple Hills borders the communities of Hillcrest Heights, Marlow Heights, Camp Springs and Oxon Hill. Per the 2020 ce ...

. He was the 1996 Chesapeake Classic MVP.

College career

Peterson attended

Valley Forge Military Academy and College Valley Forge Military Academy and College (VFMAC) is a private boarding school (grades 7–12) and military junior college in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It follows in the traditional military school format with army traditions. Though military in t ...

for two years before attending

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

. In two seasons at Valley Forge, he recorded 39.5 sacks and was first-team

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

and Seaboard Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore. Peterson played college football at Michigan State University for his junior and senior year. As a junior, he was the honorable mention All-Big Ten pick by the media. As a senior, he was an All-American selection by ''Football News'' and the '' Sporting News'' after recording 15 sacks. In his two years at Michigan State he recorded 140

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

and 25 sacks in only 23 games.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Peterson was drafted by the

16th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. The 16th overall pick was acquired by San Francisco in a trade with the New York Jets. The Jets were originally given the pick by the New England Patriots, as a result of the controversy of

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...

leaving the Jets’ head coaching position a few months prior to take the same role with the Patriots. As a rookie he started seven of 13 games recording 47 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions. In 2002 Peterson was elected to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

for the first time after posting 94 tackles. In six seasons in San Francisco he recorded 394 tackles, 21.5 sacks, and five interceptions in 79 games and was elected to two Pro Bowls.

Seattle Seahawks

Peterson signed with the Seattle Seahawks before the 2006 season. In his first season in Seattle, he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third time after recording 89 tackles and a career-high 10 sacks. In his second season with the Seahawks he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year after posting 74 tackles and 9.5 sacks. During the 2008 NFL Training Camp, Peterson switched jersey numbers from #59 to #98, the number he wore during his previous tenure at San Francisco. In his third season with the team, Peterson made 86 tackles and five sacks, and was selected to his third consecutive Pro Bowl. In three seasons in Seattle, he recorded 249 tackles, 24.5 sacks, and three interceptions in 48 games and was elected to three Pro Bowls.

Detroit Lions

The Seattle Seahawks traded Peterson to the Detroit Lions for defensive tackle

Cory Redding Cory Bartholomew Redding (born November 15, 1980) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft and played college football at Texas. Redding also played for the ...

and a 2009 fifth-round pick on March 14, 2009. On January 5, 2011, Peterson was given his release by the Lions.

NFL statistics

Key * GP: games played * COMB: combined tackles * TOTAL: total tackles * AST: assisted tackles * SACK: sacks * FF: forced fumbles * FR: fumble recoveries * FR YDS: fumble return yards * INT: interceptions * IR YDS: interception return yards * AVG IR: average interception return * LNG: longest interception return * TD: interceptions returned for touchdown * PD: passes defensed

Personal life

Peterson is married to his wife Aimee and has four sons, Jayson, Jadden, Josiah, and Julian Jr. Julian and Aimee's wedding was featured on WE tv's "Platinum Weddings."https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1362941/?ref_=ttep_ep11

References

External links

Detroit Lions bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Julian 1978 births Living people People from Prince George's County, Maryland Players of American football from Maryland American football outside linebackers Michigan State Spartans football players San Francisco 49ers players Seattle Seahawks players Detroit Lions players National Conference Pro Bowl players Valley Forge Military Academy and College alumni Valley Forge Military Academy Trojans football players