Peterson (born May 26, 1943) grew up in Long Beach, California, and is an alumnus of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned a bachelor's, master's and doctorate of education.
He is best known as the former president, general manager, and chief executive officer of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL).
Peterson served in those roles from 1989 to 2009 and hired four head coaches for the Chiefs during his tenure: Marty Schottenheimer, Gunther Cunningham, Dick Vermeil, and Herman Edwards.
Peterson is a consultant with Miami Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross of FanVision, an in-stadium fan technology device serving 12 NFL teams and two Division I universities.
FanVision does all 38 NASCAR races, US Open (tennis), plus a number of major PGA Tournaments.
Three BCS Bowl Games also employed FanVision's in-stadium technology in January 2011.
Peterson is also a principle and partner with Dick Vermeil Wines, located in Calistoga, California.