[1] After graduating, Don enlisted in the U. S. Army and served in Japan, where he organized sports activities for U. S. troops after World War II.

[2][3][4][5] He played in the 1951 Rose Bowl game and finished the 1951 season as the fourth leading ground gamer in the Big Ten Conference.

[6] During the 1951 season, he scored two touchdowns against Iowa and rushed for a career-high 104 yards against Illinois.

In his final game for Michigan, Peterson rushed for 70 yards and scored the only touchdown in a 7–0 win over Ohio State.

[6][8] Don was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 17th round (196th overall pick) of the 1952 NFL draft.