Even though Adrian Peterson made a trip to his old stomping grounds this past weekend to coach children in the fundamentals of football, he said that coming to Norman brought back memories of his days as a Sooner.

Peterson, who hosted the three-day “Old Spice Adrian Peterson Football Camp” for children, said he left a lot of things on the table that he wished he would have been able to accomplish in the crimson and cream.

“When I look back, I had an outstanding career,” Peterson said. “A national championship, didn’t accomplish that; fell short. My freshman year we had an opportunity to, but I don’t really want to talk about that. I definitely wanted to win a Heisman Trophy, that didn’t work out.”

Despite the lack of the hardware and accolades, Peterson was able to put up workhorse-type numbers during his three years in Norman. In 31 games, he ran for 4,057 yards on 747 attempts – 130.87 yards per game and 5.43 yards per attempt – while crossing the goal line 42 times.

In 2004, Peterson was runner-up to Matt Leinart in the Heisman Trophy race during a season where he ran for 1,925 yards with 15 touchdowns, and the Sooners fell one game short of winning their eighth national championship in the program’s history. OU was subjected to a USC 55-19 rout in the 2005 Orange Bowl, and was later criticized for being chosen by the Bowl Championship Series Committee over Auburn.

Peterson remembers a time where he was hanging out with New Orleans running back Reggie Bush, Leinart’s former teammate, and saw his Heisman Trophy statue.

“I found myself walking up Bush’s steps and I looked down, and right there the big Heisman Trophy was sitting in a real nice case,” Peterson said. “I was like ‘Awww.’ I wanted to ask where Matt Leinart was so I could take mine from him. But, it’s all good. It is what it is.”

But, as Peterson said, the past is the past.

Now, he is looking at his future and how he can become one of the elite running backs in NFL history.

Since trading the crimson and cream for the purple and gold in 2007, Peterson has made quite a name for himself as an NFL superstar. The 2007 Offensive Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler has rushed for 3,101 total yards in his career so far, and led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,760 in 2008.

“[My goal this year] first and foremost is to win the NFC North, and then just being a complete player,” Peterson said. “As far as yards, it’s going to stay the same. God willing I’m going to have a long career.”