Mike Peterson

See also: Mike Petersen

Mike Peterson

Peterson with the Atlanta Falcons in 2009.
No. 53     Atlanta Falcons
Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: June 17, 1976 (1976-06-17) (age 35)
Place of birth: Gainesville, Florida
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	Weight: 238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
College: Florida
NFL Draft: 1999 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36
Debuted in 1999 for the Indianapolis Colts
Career history
Indianapolis Colts (1999–2002) Jacksonville Jaguars (2003–2008) Atlanta Falcons (2009–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
SEC Championship (1995, 1996) Bowl Alliance National Championship (1996) First-team All-SEC (1998) First-team All-American (1998) University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame Second-team All-Pro (2005)
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Porter Michael "Mike" Peterson (born June 17, 1976) is an American professional football player who has been a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons. Peterson played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.

Early years

Peterson was born in Gainesville, Florida in 1976.^[1] He attended Santa Fe High School in nearby Alachua, Florida,^[2] where he played for the Santa Fe Raiders high school football team.

College career

Peterson received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1995 to 1998.^[3] He was a member of the 1996 Gators team that finished 12–1 and won the Bowl Alliance national championship by defeating the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles 52–20 in the Sugar Bowl. Peterson started twenty-four of forty-two games in which he played, posted 249 tackles, three forced fumbles, thirteen tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks.^[3] As a senior team captain in 1998, he was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection and a first-team All-American, and was selected as the Gators' most valuable player by his teammates.^[3]

Peterson was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2011.^[4][5]

Professional career

The Indianapolis Colts selected Peterson in the second round (thirty-sixth pick overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft,^[6] and he played for the Colts for four seasons from 1999 to 2002.^[7] Peterson also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars for the six seasons from 2003 to 2008 when he and coach Jack del Rio had a verbal altercation during a team meeting, and has played for the Atlanta Falcons since 2009.^[7]

Family

Peterson is the older brother of former Chicago Bears running back Adrian Peterson and cousin of former NFL wide receiver Freddie Solomon. He currently resides in Tampa, Florida with his wife Chantal and his son Mike, Jr.

See also

	American football portal
	Biography portal
	College football portal

• 1998 College Football All-America Team
• Florida Gators
• Florida Gators football, 1990–1999
• History of the Atlanta Falcons
• History of the Indianapolis Colts
• History of the Jacksonville Jaguars
• List of Florida Gators football players

References

1. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Mike Peterson. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
2. ^ databaseFootball.com, Players, Mike Peterson. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
3. ^ ^{a b c} 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 89, 94, 97, 98, 99, 103, 125, 149, 153, 185 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011.
4. ^ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
5. ^ "Eight Gators To Be Inducted Into UF Athletic Hall of Fame Friday Night," GatorZone.com (April 8, 2011). Retrieved May 23, 2011.
6. ^ National Football League, Draft History, 1999. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
7. ^ ^{a b} National Football League, Current Players, Mike Peterson. Retrieved May 22, 2010.

Bibliography

• Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0794822983.
• Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
• Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
• McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
• Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196x.

External links

• Atlanta Falcons bio
• Jacksonville Jaguars bio