John Peterson (wrestler)

John Peterson
Personal information
BornOctober 22, 1948 (1948-10-22) (age 76)
Cumberland, Wisconsin, U.S.
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1976 Montreal 82 kg
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich 82 kg
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1979 San Diego 82 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1978 Mexico City 82 kg

John Allan Peterson (born October 22, 1948) is an American former wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling.[1]

Wrestling career

Peterson grew up in Comstock, Wisconsin, attending nearby Cumberland High School before graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 1971.[2][3]

He would place fifth at the 1971 NAIA Men's Wrestling Championships as a collegiate wrestler, before jumping levels the following year to make the 1972 USA freestyle wrestling team, where he earned a silver medal in the 82 kg weight class.[4] At the following 1976 Summer Olympics, he won the gold medal at 82 kg.[5] Peterson's younger brother, Ben Peterson, also competed in both the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics as a freestyle wrestler, winning a gold medal in 1972 and silver medal in 1976.

In 1986, Peterson was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[6]

References

  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "John Peterson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on August 2, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  2. ^ Bill Stokes "Comstock Salutes Its Heroes" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel September 14, 1972.
  3. ^ "1978 Inductees. UW-Stout Athletic Hall of Fame". University of Wisconsin – Stout.
  4. ^ "1972 Summer Olympics – München, Germany – Wrestling". databaseOlympics.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
  5. ^ "1976 Summer Olympics – Montreal, Canada – Wrestling". databaseOlympics.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
  6. ^ John Peterson. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 18, 2022.