Dozens of Liberty County kids ran forwards, backwards and chopped their feet to the whistle of one of Georgia Southern University’s – and college football’s – all-time great running backs.

Adrian Peterson, along with his son Aaden, put nearly 60 boys and girls through their paces at the Liberty County Recreation Department’s Long-Bell Stadium for his speed and agility camp.

The goal, Peterson said, was to “get them out of the house.”

Peterson, who played in the NFL with the Chicago Bears for eight seasons, has been doing these camps since after his rookie season in 2002.

“I’ve been doing them in Chicago, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, all over,” he said.

Peterson set the all-time rushing mark for Division I football – Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision included – with 6,559 yards. That doesn’t take into account the yardage he amassed in Georgia Southern’s playoff games.

All told, he racked up 9,145 rushing yards and 111 rushing touchdowns in 57 career regular season and postseason games.

He also overcame a speech impediment and has become a motivational speaker.

His goal Thursday evening was to help the young athletes get better and to get them on a path to healthy lifestyle.

“They want to get better, and they have a lot of energy,” Peterson said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re 5, 35 or 55, staying active is important.”