Ben Peterson

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 2nd in the state wrestling tournament.[1]

Peterson continued his wrestling career at Iowa State University where he competed in the 190 pound weight class and studied architecture.[2] Peterson continued his success capturing 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]

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 '73 World Championships in Tehran[8] and Gold at the Mexico City hosted '75 Pan American Games.[9] At the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Peterson would once again return to the podium with Silver in the 90 kg weight class.[10] 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, WI. 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]

Ben was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002.[13]

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]