Carl Peterson Chairman of Advisory of the Board of Directors, PWLS President, General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Kansas City Chiefs Football Club
Carl Peterson is was this year's recipient of the Warner Award, an honor that is presented to an individual who has achieved excellence in athletics, scholarship and life's endeavors with integrity and humanity.
Carl Peterson enters his 14th season as the Kansas City Chiefs top executive in 2002, and unquestionably serves as the driving force of the organization and is regarded as the person most responsible for the club's return to prominence both on and off the field during the past 12 years.
When Peterson took over the Chiefs, the franchise was struggling, on the field and off, and was without any kind of national presence. Simply put, the club's reversal of fortunes under Peterson since that time have been dramatic. Under his continued guidance, the club maintains one of the most loyal national fan followings and strongest season ticket bases of any professional sports team.
Despite his many accomplishments in steering the overall fortunes of the franchise, at his essence, Peterson still remains a quintessential football man. During the decade of the '90s, few teams could match the level of success exhibited on the playing field by the Chiefs. From '90-99, Kansas City posted a stellar 102-58 (.638) record, making Kansas City just one of seven teams in NFL history to record 100 or more wins over the course of a single decade.
After his rapid success in the NFL personnel ranks, Peterson was the man selected to build the Philadelphia Stars when the United States Football League was launched in July of '82. As the franchise's President and General Manager, he proceeded to assemble the most successful team in the league's three-year existence, capturing the USFL title the final two seasons. The Stars 48-13-1 overall record during regular (41-12-1) and postseason play (7-1) was easily the finest of any USFL club. His efforts were rewarded in '83 and '84, when he was named The Sporting News' "USFL Executive of the Year."
A '66 graduate of UCLA, Peterson began his coaching career as an assistant at two Southern California high schools, Wilson High in '66 and Loyola High in '67-68. He entered the collegiate ranks at Cal-State at Sonoma in '69, then was named head coach in '70. He returned to his alma mater in '72, where he served as the Bruins receivers coach under Pepper Rodgers for two years, then remained on the staff as receivers coach and administrative assistant to Dick Vermeil when he became the school's head coach in '74.
Peterson serves on the National Boards for the Maxwell Football Club and Pop Warner Little Scholars Organization. He serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Pop Warner and is a member of the International World President's Organization. He also serves on the Board of The Third and Long Foundation, which was founded by the late Derrick Thomas. The Greater Kansas City Sports Commission presented Peterson with the '98 Special Achievement Award for Professional Athletics. Other honors Peterson have received include the '97 Pop Warner Award for Contributions to Football, the '98 Reds Bagwell Award for Outstanding Achievements in Football and the 2001 Pro Football Executive Award, presented by the All-American Football Foundation. Peterson also serves on the following NFL's Committees: College and Pro Relations, NFL Europe League Working Executives and the Youth Football Funding Board. Spearheaded by the efforts and example of Peterson and his wife, Lori, the Chiefs organization (players, coaches and front office staff) raised a team-record net of $1.94 million for local charities in 2000.
Peterson grew up in Long Beach, California, and attended both the U.S. Military Academy in West Point and UCLA. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from UCLA in '66, a Master's Degree in Kinesiology in '67 and later earned a Doctorate in Administration in Higher Education at UCLA in '70. He is married to the former Lori Larson of Kansas City, who is an interior design architect with H.O.K. Sports Architects. The Petersons make their home in the historic Country Club Plaza district of Kansas City, Missouri. Carl has one daughter Dawn Peterson Curlewis, who lives in Edinburgh with her Scottish-born husband, Graham.
Carl Peterson is was this year's recipient of the Warner Award, an honor that is presented to an individual who has achieved excellence in athletics, scholarship and life's endeavors with integrity and humanity.