1983 BYU Hall of Fame
During his BYU career, he was affectionately known as "Fleet Pete Van Valkenburg" and fleet was definitely a good word to describe one of BYU's greatest running backs.
"Fleet Pete" was a powerful runner with the ability to accelerate quickly, break tackles and elude members of the defensive secondary. He could get the short yardage but could also break the long run, which kept BYU's opponents guessing. In fact, he left many a defender guessing as he led the Cougars by winning the NCAA rushing title in 1972 with an average of 138.6 yards per game.
It was in the 1972 season that "Fleet Pete" was also named an All-American. Following this, Pete went on to play in three postseason games - the Senior Bowl, the Blue-Gray game and the All-American game. "Fleet Pete" was successful in season and after, leading his team in the Senior Bowl by being named the most valuable player on offense.
Van Valkenburg was drafted in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and would play that season with the Buffalo Bills. He split time during the 1974 season between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears before finishing his professional career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 1975.