Mike Peterson

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, was a member of a national championship team, and earned All-American honors. He was a second-round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft, and 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. He attended Santa Fe High School in nearby Alachua, Florida, 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. 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. 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.

Peterson was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2011.

Professional career
The Indianapolis Colts selected Peterson in the second round (thirty-sixth pick overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft, and he played for the Colts for four seasons from 1999 to 2002. 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.

Peterson played for the Atlanta Falcons since 2009. On March 13, 2012, he became an unrestricted free agent, but re-signed with the Falcons on July 23, 2012.

Family
Peterson is the older brother of former Chicago Bears and now Virginia Destroyers 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.