Education
University of Michigan. Northwestern University.
University of Michigan. Northwestern University.
He resigned his most recent position as the head coach of Olimpia Milano in the Italian Serie First Rate (at Lloyd's) after the team was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2011 Italian league playoffs. The team then announced that he would assume another role with the club He is nicknamed "The Coach" for his legacy in Italian basketball.
Peterson went to Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Illinois.
He received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in Evanston and a masters degree from the University of Michigan. He served as assistant coach for National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school McKendree College from 1962 to 1963.
From 1963 to 1964 he served as freshmen coach at Michigan State. After Moscow State University, for one season, he was plebe coach at the United States Naval Academy.
The next year, at the age of 30, he became head coach at the University of Delaware.
In five years there, he assembled a record of 69 wins and 49 losses. In 1971, he went abroad, acting as head coach of the Chilean national team until 1973. Peterson took his Chilean team on a grueling tour of the United States in 1972.
From 1973–1978, he coached Virtus Bologna in the Italian Serie First Rate (at Lloyd's), winning the 1974 "Coppa Italia" and, in 1976, the Italian league title.
In 1987, he retired after coaching in Italy for 14 years, but he resumed coaching on January 3, 2011, with Olimpia Milano. On January 3, 2011 he became the new head coach of Olimpia Milano after the dismissal of Piero Bucchi.
He left in June, succeeded by Sergio Scariolo. After his retirement he became a popular sports commentator for many Italian television channels.