Joseph Todd Peterson (born February 4, 1970) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

. He was selected by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

from the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

with the ninth pick of the seventh round (177th overall) in the

1993 NFL draft The 1993 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25–26, 1993, at the Marriot M ...

. Peterson last played with the Atlanta Falcons in 2005. His contract with the Falcons expired on March 11, 2006 and he retired after that season. He and his wife, Susan, are co-owners of Cabell's Designs LLC, with Cabell Sweeney. Cabell's is a design and licensing group focusing on collegiately licensed products in the giftware industry.

College career

Peterson spent two years at the U.S. Naval Academy before transferring to the University of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

where during Peterson's senior year, he led the SEC in

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...

percentage, and was named the University's first GTE Academic

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n in more than a decade since Terry Hoage. Peterson was also inducted into the University of Georgia's highest order, Sphinx in 1993.

Professional career

Peterson was selected with the ninth pick in the seventh round of the

, but didn't debut until 1994 with the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

, where he only appeared in two games that season, before going to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

. Peterson went through his prime years as a Seahawk, from 1995-1999 until he got picked up by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, where he spent two years, when he then became a member of the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

for the 2002 season. He then went to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the 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 ...

, where he spent two years. After the 2004 season, the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

picked up Peterson, where he spent one season before his contract expired and he subsequently retired. Peterson was honored as the NFL Man of the Year, 1996, in Seattle and served three terms totaling six years on the NFLPA's Board during his career.

NFL career statistics

References

Sources

TheGoal.com ~ Todd PetersonYahoo! Sports ~ Todd PetersonSI.com ~ Todd Peterson

External links

Todd Peterson at CBS.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Todd 1970 births Living people Players of American football from Valdosta, Georgia American football placekickers Georgia Bulldogs football players New York Giants players Arizona Cardinals players Seattle Seahawks players Kansas City Chiefs players Pittsburgh Steelers players San Francisco 49ers players Atlanta Falcons players Sigma Alpha Epsilon members