Adrian Peterson

My number one hero is Adrian Peterson, the running back for the Minnesota Vikings. Adrian Peterson is someone any football player can look up to who has had the challenge of coming back from an injury. He has dealt with the struggle of coming back from injuries almost his whole football career. In college he was the best running back in the country and then his senior season he broke his collarbone and had to rehab bigger and stronger than he was before to be able to play in the NFL. Once he was in the NFL he broke various records and dominated the league even in his rookie year. Then bad luck struck again with him tearing his ACL, the worst possible injury a player could get. Not only did he come back from his injury but also was bigger faster and stronger which no one thought was possible. He came back after his injury 3 months before everyone thought was possible and dominated the league once again. This means so much to me because i had a very simple knee injury with a Meniscus tear and i thought i would never be able to be the same athlete i was because the doctors had to take all the meniscus out of my knee which they said would most likely give me arthritis in my low 20s but once i saw Adrian Peterson come back from the injury that had taken many athletes careers away from them i knew that i would be able to rehab and become even faster and stronger. He has inspired me in my training and dedication and now i have come back from last year's injury and now i am starting running back for my football team and I am looking forward to dominating this season like Adrian Peterson dominated his season and continue to work and become a better football player.

In college Adrian Peterson had everything going for him. He set rushing records as a true freshman, ran for 100 yards in 11 consecutive games and finished 2nd in the Heisman voting the highest for a true freshman ever. All the glory didn't last long before he was tested though. In his sophomore season he was having another breakout season until he suffered a high ankle sprain and had limited playing time that 2005 season because of it. Despite his injury he fought through and still rushed for 1,208 yards and 14 touchdowns on 220 carries, finishing second in Big 12 rushing yardage. Also at the end of the season he was named a member of the All-Big 12 Conference Team. Feeling like he had conquered his injury and was back on top of the world at the beginning of his junior season his father was released from prison and able to see his son play football for the first time. However tragedy struck Peterson again on the final drive of the game for the Sooners Peterson broke his collarbone while diving in the endzone for a touchdown on a 53 yard run. Even with missing multiple games due to injury he finished the season with 1,112 yards rushing only 73 yards short of breaking the school's all time rushing record.

Adrian Peterson didn't let the critics who questioned his durability get him down and he continued to work and get stronger and prove people wrong, when he was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings and was signed to a $40.5 million contract over 6 years with $17 million guaranteed. Peterson put all the critics to rest by breaking the rushing yards in a game record with 296 yards in a single game. But even with Peterson breaking records he couldn't seem to stay healthy with just a week later injuring his lateral collateral ligament in his right knee against the Green Bay Packers. Even that wouldn't stop Peterson or get into his head because a month after the injury he returned back to play and rushed for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Detroit Lions. He continued to prove critics wrong who thought that he wouldn't be able to come back from all these injuries by winning the Pro Bowl MVP his rookie year by rushing for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns with the 129 yards being the 2nd most yards in Pro Bowl history. On top of all this he also won Rookie of the Year to cap it all off. Peterson continued to impress until the 2011 season when he tore his ACL and MCL, the worst injury an athlete could ever suffer from. Even the most dreaded injury in sports couldn't hold him down. He rehabbed and trained to be back for the 2012 season where he proved the critics wrong one more time by winning the National Football League MVP award and proved that no matter what life throws at you you can always get back up and keep fighting. Adrian Peterson not only came back from every one of his injuries but also came back bigger faster and stronger when no one thought it was possible. Adrian Peterson is a hero to anyone who ever had to fight for something they wanted or had to prove someone wrong.