Beyond his trials with syntax, Peterson is best remembered for bringing the Seminoles to the forefront of college football, using pro-style offenses and a much feared passing game.

He recounted those feelings in his book, Building from the Start: Visions of playing and someday coaching football would walk through my mind.

Peterson's work at LSU resulted in his being named the head football coach at Florida State in December 1959.

While at FSU, Peterson would be recognized for his offensive innovations as well as a number of significant firsts for that fledgling football program.

Peterson became the first Seminole coach to beat the University of Florida, a 16–7 win at Doak Campbell Stadium.

His wide-open passing offense was the antithesis of what most southern teams did, and his forward-thinking schemes were frequently copied by NFL coaches.

He recruited from the talent-rich areas of Pennsylvania (Fred Biletnikoff) and Ohio (Steve Tensi) as Florida, unlike today, had a smaller population and a limited high school talent base.

He brought in three-platoon football mimicking the famous "Chinese Bandits" teams he used as an assistant at LSU and gave them the designations of the "Chiefs", "Renegades", and "War Party".

He came up with the concept of the "hot receiver", never before seen, to counter blitzes, and FSU became known as an Independent primed to upset any team at any time.

[2] In 1972, Peterson joined a select group who have been head coaches in high school, at the major college level and in the National Football League (NFL).