Chiefs’ CEO to deliver commencement address

peterson med

Carl Peterson

Spring commencement ceremonies at Northwest Missouri State University will take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, May 3, in Bearcat Arena. This year’s commencement speaker is Carl Peterson, president, general manager and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs professional football team.

Students from the Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth College of Business and Professional Studies and candidates for advanced degrees from the Graduate School will receive their diplomas during the morning ceremony. The afternoon exercises are for students graduating from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education and Human Services.

Doors to the arena open one hour prior to each ceremony. Degree candidates can pick up their caps and gowns between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 28, through Friday, May 2, at the Student Services Center on the first floor of the Administration Building. Tickets are not required for admission.

Complete details about spring commencement at Northwest are posted on the Senior Spot Web site at www.nwmissouri.edu/seniorspot.

Hired by team founder Lamar Hunt in December 1988, Peterson will soon mark 20 years as the Chiefs’ top executive. The driving force behind one of the National Football League’s truly historic franchises, he has transformed the Chiefs into a model NFL organization and one of professional sports’ most respected organizations.

Under his guidance, the Chiefs have built a fan base virtually unrivaled by any sport in any city. Regarded as having one of the best game-day atmospheres in the NFL, the Chiefs consistently fill the league’s third-largest stadium (capacity 79,451) while operating in the league’s sixth-smallest market.

Despite his many accomplishments in steering the overall franchise, Peterson’s heart remains with the game itself. During the 1990s, few teams could match the level of success exhibited by the Chiefs on the playing field. From 1990-’99, Kansas City posted a stellar 102-58 (.638) record, making it one of just seven teams in NFL history to record 100 or more wins over the course of a single decade. Even more impressive was the fact that Hunt and Peterson became only the fourth owner/general manager tandem to preside over a team for all ten years of a 100-win decade.

One of Peterson’s most significant achievements has been the re-establishment of unparalleled fan support, which has led to one of the NFL’s most distinct home-field advantages. Dating back to 1990, only Denver can top Kansas City’s 104-40 (.722) regular season mark at Arrowhead Stadium. Since 1989, the Chiefs have produced a league-best 16 winning seasons at home, boasting perfect 8-0 marks at Arrowhead during 13-3 campaigns under Peterson in 1995, 1997 and 2003.

Peterson has also excelled in bringing big-time talent to Kansas City and signed off on the trades that landed Hall-of-Fame quarterback Joe Montana in 1993, two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Trent Green in 2001 and 11-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Willie Roaf in 2002. He is responsible for two of the best unrestricted free agent signings in league history, inking Hall-of-Fame running back Marcus Allen in 1993 and running back Priest Holmes in 2001. Notable draft picks during the Peterson era included the late Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Thomas, tight end Tony Gonzalez, running back Larry Johnson and defensive end Jared Allen.

Peterson began his career as a high school coach, moving to the college ranks at California State-Sonoma in 1969, where he was named head coach the following year. He returned to his alma mater, UCLA, in 1972, serving as the Bruins’ receivers coach under Pepper Rodgers and remaining as an assistant under Dick Vermeil, whom he followed to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976.

Inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, Peterson grew up in Long Beach, Calif., and attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and UCLA, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in kinesiology and a doctorate in administration in higher education.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone: 660.562.1704
Fax: 660.562.1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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