Donald Williams "Jiggs"[1] Peterson (April 26, 1928 – July 20, 2010) was an American college football player He played football for the University of Michigan from 1948 to 1951 and was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the 1951 Michigan Wolverines football team
| Michigan Wolverines | |
.jpg) Peterson from the 1952 Michiganensian | |
| Nickname(s) | Jiggs |
|---|---|
| Born: | April 26, 1928 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died: | July 20, 2010 (aged 82) |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Fullback, Halfback |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| College | University of Michigan |
| High school | St. Catherine's High School (Racine, Wisconsin) |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1948–1951 | Michigan |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Awards | Most Valuable Player, 1951 Michigan Wolverines football team |
Biography
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Born in 1928 in St. Louis, Peterson was the son of Lyda and Russell Peterson. In his youth, his family moved to Racine, Wisconsin. He attended St. Catherine's High School and played football for the Angels' undefeated championship football team in 1945.[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. After returning, he accepted a scholarship to play football for the University of Michigan, and played football for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1948 to 1951.[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.[7] At the end of the 1951 season, he was selected as the Most Valuable Player on the 1951 Michigan Wolverines football team and selected to play in the 1951 Blue/Grey All-Star Classic .[6] After graduating with honors with a major in zoology, he went on to graduate from the University of Michigan, School of Dentistry. His older brother, Tom Peterson, played fullback for Michigan between 1944 and 1949.[6][8] Don was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 17th round (196th overall pick) of the 1952 NFL draft.[9]
Peterson practiced dentistry in Ann Arbor, Michigan for more than three decades. He died on July 20, 2010.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b "Knights of Columbus Honor Angel Athletes at Banquet". Racine Journal Times. December 7, 1953.
- ^ "1948 Michigan football roster". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010.
- ^ "1949 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.
- ^ "1950 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.
- ^ "1951 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.
- ^ a b c "Don Peterson Named Most Valuable at U-M". Ironwood Daily Globe (AP story). November 29, 1959.
- ^ "Michigan Stops Ohio State and Janowicz". The Sunday Star. November 25, 1951.
- ^ "1948 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library.
- ^ "1952 NFL Player Draft". databasefootball.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
- ^ "Donald William Peterson". Muehlig Funeral Chapel. Retrieved July 27, 2019.