Gator Great Mike Peterson Returns as OLBs Coach / Alumni Liaison

Peterson was a team captain and member of the 1996 National Championship team.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gator Great Mike Peterson returned as an assistant coach, coaching the outside linebackers and serving as an alumni liaison, head coach Billy Napier announced Thursday.
Peterson spent the last six seasons (2016-21) at South Carolina as an outside linebackers / defensive ends coach. In 2020, he coached Kingsley Enagbare to a first-team All-SEC selection and the conference leader in sacks and forced fumbles. Peterson worked with three NFL draft picks in T.J. Brunson (New York Giants), Ernest Jones (Los Angeles Rams) and D.J. Wonnum (Minnesota Vikings).
A member of the 1996 National Championship team, he played linebacker for Steve Spurrier from 1995-98. His senior year, he served as a team captain and earned First-Team All-SEC and All-America honors. Peterson was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
He was selected in the second-round (36th pick overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Peterson earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2005 and finished his career with 883 tackles, 21.5 sacks and 19 interceptions in 196 career games. A graduate of Santa Fe High School, he played 14 years in the NFL with the Colts (1999-02), Jacksonville Jaguars (2003-08) and Atlanta Falcons (2009-12).
After retiring from the NFL, he returned to Florida in 2013 where he finished his degree while working as undergraduate assistant coach on the strength and conditioning staff. Upon graduation, he was named to a full-time position as a strength and condition coordinator.
Peterson and his wife established the Mike Peterson Foundation in 2004. The foundation was constituted in an attempt to support and benefit under-served youth and socio-economically challenged families in Peterson’s hometown of Alachua and his NFL cities of Jacksonville and Atlanta. Since its inception, the Mike Peterson Foundation has already served over 50,000 youth and families through several community events and programs, most notably the Top Dog Readers Club literacy program at the Grove Park Elementary School in Atlanta.