Concordia University, St. Paul Athletics

Joe Peters was a force on the Golden Bear defensive line, helping the program capture its first NSIC Championship in 2003 to earn a trip to the first postseason game in school history at the Mineral Water Bowl.
 
In that 2003 season, Peters was an All-America honorable mention selection by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette while also earning All-Region First Team honors by D2Football.com. He was a two-time All-Region performer and competed in the 2003 Cactus Bowl, an individual all-star game. He was a three-time All-NSIC First Team performer, earning the honor in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
 
By the time his career came to a close following the 2003 season, Peters had compiled 29.0 career sacks which was second in Division II history. Currently, Peters stands as the 24th ranked player in career sacks in Division II history while his 0.85 sacks per game (34 games) ranks 19th in DII history and was third all-time following the 2003 season.  In his final season in 2003, he tackled the ball carrier 25.0 times behind the line of scrimmage which was the seventh-most in a season at the time and still ranks 23rd today. In his three years, he registered 61.0 tackles for loss which is 12th in NCAA DII history and was third at the end of the 2003 season. His 1.79 career tackles for loss per game is still the 10th most in DII history, as well.
 
In Concordia’s record book, Peters holds the career record for tackles for loss (61.0), has the second-most for a season (25.0) and is third in career sacks (29.0). He also had 161 total tackles, recovered five fumbles and forced four.
 
In his three seasons, Concordia had a 25-9 overall and 20-6 NSIC record including the 2003 NSIC Championship. The team also had its second 9-win season in 2002 with a 9-2 finish including being ranked #40 in the final Don Hansen’s Football Gazette national poll.
 
Following his playing career, Peters finished his degree in the spring of 2004, graduating with honors with a degree in finance. He played in the Arena Football League (AFL) professionally from 2004 to 2010 with stops in Peoria (2004), Green Bay (2005) and Chicago (2006-10). He helped Chicago win the Arena Bowl in 2006, and in 2008 was awarded the Walter Payton Community Service Award and an Inspiration to Youth Award. In 2010, he earned the Al Lucas Award for community service off the field while being named the team defensive MVP for his performance on the field. He was named a team captain on each of his three professional stops.
 
He is an independent construction consultant currently working with Merit Drywall on large scale multi-unit apartment buildings in the Twin Cities. With his football career behind him, Peters is now active in competitive fishing, with 2015 his first as a captain on the Minnesota Tournament Trail (MTT). He’s placed in the top-15 twice, top-10 last season as well as an eighth place finish in the championship event on Lake of the Woods.
 
Joe and his wife Amber have a seven year old daughter, Lauren.