Ben Peterson

Last updated

Ben Peterson
Ben Peterson vs Horst Stottmeister 1976.jpg
Peterson (bottom) at the 1976 Olympics
Personal information
Full nameBenjamin Lee Peterson
Born (1950-06-27) June 27, 1950 (age 74)
Barron County, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Sport
CountryUnited States
Sport Wrestling
Event(s) Freestyle and Folkstyle
College team Iowa State
TeamUSA
Coached by Harold Nichols
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Olympic Games
Olympic rings.svg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1972 Munich 90 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1976 Montreal 90 kg
World Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1973 Tehran 90 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1975 Mexico City 90 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Iowa State Cyclones
NCAA Division I Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1971 Auburn 190 lb
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1972 College Park 190 lb

Benjamin Lee "Ben" Peterson (born June 27, 1950) is a retired American freestyle wrestler. He competed at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and won a gold and a silver medal, respectively. As a college wrestler, Peterson was a two-time NCAA champion at Iowa State. He founded the "Camp of Champs," which brought in Olympic wrestlers to train with high schoolers. Peterson also coached wrestling at Maranatha Baptist University for 28 years.

Contents

Early life

Peterson was born in Barron County, Wisconsin but grew up on a dairy farm in nearby Comstock. While attending Cumberland High School, Peterson competed in both football and wrestling. As a senior, he finished runner-up at the state wrestling tournament. [1]

College career

Peterson continued his wrestling career at Iowa State University where he competed in the 190 pound weight class and studied architecture. [2] Peterson went on to capture three Big Eight championships [3] and back-to-back NCAA titles in 1971 [4] and 1972. [5]

Peterson would later be one of the first inductees into the Iowa State Hall of Fame in 1998. [6]

Senior level career and coaching

After his prep career came to an end, Peterson continued competing at the international level with great success. At the 1972 Munich Olympics Peterson won gold in the 90 kg division. [7] He followed that up with bronze at the 1973 World Championships in Tehran [8] and gold at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City. [9] At the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Peterson would once again return to the podium, with silver in the 90 kg weight class. [10]

Peterson's older brother, John Peterson, also competed in both the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics as a freestyle wrestler, winning a silver medal in 1972 and gold medal in 1976. At the conclusion of the Montreal Olympic games, Peterson would retire from competitive wrestling to focus on coaching.

In 1972, Peterson began his coaching career as head coach at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, Wisconsin, a position he would hold for the next 28 years. [11] In 1977, Ben along with his brother John, would start the Camp of Champs Wrestling Camps. The camp is a faith-based wrestling skills camp. [12]

Peterson was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 2002. [13]

Peterson Roll

Ben is often credited with having invented a version of the Granby Roll wrestling move, popularly called the Peterson Roll, but denies having invented the move. He says that he used the move during the widely viewed Olympic Games, which is one reason the move became connected to him. [14]

Olympic game matches

Res.RecordOpponentScoreDateEventLocation
1976 Olympic Silver Medalist at 90kg
Loss11–1–1 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Levan Tediashvili 5–11July 29, 1976 1976 Olympic Games Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Montreal
Win11–0–1 Flag of East Germany.svg Horst Stottmeister 13–8
Win10–0–1 Flag of Poland.svg Paweł Kurczewski 13–4
Win9–0–1 Flag of Cuba.svg Bárbaro Morgan Fall
Win8–0–1 Flag of Japan.svg Yoshiaki Yatsu 19–2
Win7–0–1 Flag of Bulgaria.svg Shukri Akhmedov14–13
Win6–0–1 Flag of Romania.svg Stelică Morcov 7–4
1972 Olympic Gold Medalist at 90kg
Win5–0–1 Flag of Bulgaria.svg Rusi Petrov FallAugust 30, 1972 1972 Olympic Games Flag of Germany.svg Munich
Win4–0–1 Flag of Cuba.svg Bárbaro Morgan Fall
Win3–0–1 Flag of Iran.svg Reza Khorrami Won
Draw2–0–1 Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Gennady Strakhov Draw
Win2–0 Flag of Mexico.svg Raúl García Fall
Win1–0 Flag of Poland.svg Paweł Kurczewski Won
Reference: [15] [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maranatha Baptist University</span> Private Baptist university in Watertown, Wisconsin

Maranatha Baptist University is a private Baptist university in Watertown, Wisconsin.

Cael Norman Sanderson is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State's wrestling team. As a wrestler, he won an Olympic gold medal and was undefeated in four years of college wrestling at Iowa State (159–0), becoming a four-time NCAA Division I champion (1999–2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Gable</span> American wrestler and coach (born 1948)

Danny Mack Gable is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a world gold medalist, and an Olympic gold medalist. Gable was only the third wrestler to be inducted into the United World Wrestling's Hall of Fame in the Legend category. In 2014, Gable was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.

Nate Carr is an American former collegiate and international senior level freestyle wrestler. He grew up in a family of 16 children in Erie, Pennsylvania. Five of these, including Nate, would become All-American wrestlers and two, again including Nate, would compete in the Olympic Games. In 2003, Carr was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.

Kenneth Jay "Ken" Chertow is an American folkstyle and freestyle wrestler, who competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Coach Chertow conducts wrestling camps across the United States. He serves as a mentor for thousands of young wrestlers whom he coaches at his clinics and summer camps in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

The University of Iowa men's wrestling program is one of the most successful NCAA Division I athletic programs. The Hawkeyes are 37 time Big Ten Conference champions and second in NCAA history with 24 National Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Jackson</span> American wrestler and coach (born 1964)

Kevin Andre Jackson is an American retired freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, and mixed martial artist. Following his competitive career, Jackson would become a wrestling coach.

Barry Alan Davis is an Olympic silver medalist, a World bronze and silver medalist, and a Pan American Games gold medalist in freestyle wrestling. From 1994 until 2018, he served as head wrestling coach at the University of Wisconsin.

Wayne Baughman was an American wrestler, coach and ultra-endurance athlete. He competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics, the 1968 Summer Olympics, and the 1972 Summer Olympics.

William T. "Bill" Smith was an American wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling at the 1952 Olympic Games.

John Allan Peterson is an American former wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa State Cyclones wrestling</span> Wrestling team of Iowa State University

The Iowa State Cyclones wrestling team represents Iowa State University (ISU) and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I. The Cyclones are 8 time National Champions, 17 time National Runners-Up, and have 45 Trophy Finishes. The team is coached by Kevin Dresser. The Cyclones host their home meets at Hilton Coliseum on Iowa State's campus. Iowa State became the second collegiate wrestling program to reach 1,100 dual wins on January 23, 2022.

William Michael Zadick is an American amateur wrestler. He won an NCAA college wrestling championship while competing with the University of Iowa and a gold medal at the 2006 World Wrestling Championships in freestyle wrestling.

Carl Adams is an American retired wrestler, coach, and businessman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Iowa Panthers wrestling</span>

The Northern Iowa Panthers wrestling team represents the University of Northern Iowa and competes in the Big 12 Conference. The Panthers are one-time Division I National Champions and four-time National Runners-up. The team is coached by Doug Schwab.

Hugo Otopalik was an American football player, wrestler, coach, and athletic director primarily at Iowa State University. He was the architect of the first NCAA Championships in both the sport of wrestling and golf.

Spencer Richard Lee (born October 14, 1998) is an American freestyle and former folkstyle wrestler who competes at 57 kilograms. In freestyle, he earned a silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, and is a two-time US National champion and three-time age-group world champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Corso</span> American wrestler (born 1951)

Joseph Marion "Joe" Corso is an American wrestler and coach. He competed in the men's freestyle 57 kg at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and was USA Women's Wrestling's first coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Zabriskie (wrestler)</span> American wrestler (born 1986)

David Zabriskie is a retired American amateur wrestler and current wrestling coach for Elevation Fight Team in Denver. Zabriskie wrestled for the Iowa State Cyclones and is a three-time Big 12 Conference champion, three-time All-American in NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling, and won the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in the 285lb weight class in 2010.

Porter Glen "Port" Robertson was a former amateur freestyle wrestler and successful collegiate and Olympic wrestling coach. Robertson led the University of Oklahoma wrestling team to three NCAA wrestling championships in the 1950s and coached the United States freestyle wrestling team to three gold medals in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy.

References

  1. ↑ "Wisconsin Wrestling Hall of Fame :: Peterson, Ben". www.wiwrestlinghofhonorees.org. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  2. ↑ "They Went for the Gold (and Got It): Cyclone Olympians". Cardinal Tales. February 7, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Iowa State Athletics". www.cyclones.com. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  4. ↑ "41st NCAA Wrestling Tournament" (PDF). wrestlingstats.com.
  5. ↑ "42nd NCAA Wrestling Tournament" (PDF). wrestlingstats.com.
  6. ↑ "Iowa State Athletics". www.cyclones.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  7. ↑ Kirshenbaum, Jerry. "A DIFFERENT TWIST IN THIS BROTHER ACT". SI.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  8. ↑ Grasso, John (2014). Historical Dictionary of Wrestling. Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. pp. 224–225. ISBN   978-0-8108-7925-6.
  9. ↑ Newman, Bruce. "THE BROTHERS RAISED A JOYFUL RUCKUS". SI.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  10. ↑ Wilson, Kevin. "Petersons reflect on Olympic Games of the past and present". Watertown Daily Times Online. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  11. ↑ Bill Stokes "Comstock Salutes Its Heroes" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel September 14, 1972.
  12. ↑ "Camp of Champs, Inc". wrestleworx.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Ben Peterson | National Wrestling Hall of Fame". nwhof.org. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  14. ↑ "43_Where_Did_the_Peterson_Roll_Come_From.pdf" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Wrestling at the 1972 München Summer Games: Men's Light-Heavyweight, Freestyle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Wrestling at the 1976 Montréal Summer Games: Men's Light-Heavyweight, Freestyle". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.