Craig Peterson joined the RPI coaching staff in the spring of 2023. A native of Burnt Hills, N.Y., Peterson is a kicker and punter, who most recently helped the Bay Area Panthers to the 2023 Indoor Football League (IFL) Championship. His lengthy professional career has seen him play for the Arizona Rattlers of the IFL following stints with four other teams in the same league during the 2022 season. Among them was with the Northern Arizona Wranglers, who he helped win the IFL Championship. Peterson led the league in field goal percentage, including two game-winning kicks with one coming against the Rattlers in the Western Conference Championship.
He was a key contributor on the Albany Empire in 2021 when they won the title. Peterson was named to the All-National Arena League (NAL) First Team, the NAL Special Teams Player of the Year, and the Special Teams Player of the Game in the final. He was the Special Teams Player of the Week three times on his way to leading the league in five categories.
Peterson earned All-NAL First Team and Special Teams Player of the Year in 2018 while with the Carolina Cobras, who won the title that season. He has also seen action in the Arena Football League (AFL) and earned camp opportunities with four different teams in the Canadian Football League (CFL) since turning professional in 2014. He also worked out for the Atlanta Falcons in 2019.
A former junior college All-America in the decathlon, Peterson holds an associates degree in business administration from Herkimer County Community College and bachelor of science degrees in business economics and human resources management from SUNY Cortland.
