John Peterson joined the Arizona staff in early January and will coach the interior offensive line, working with centers and guards.
Peterson, 35, comes to the UA from Miami (Ohio) University, where he was spent five years as the offensive line coach and the last three also as the Redhawks' running game coordinator.
He guided a Miami rushing attack that averaged 160 yards per game and 36 running touchdowns in 2003. Miami led the nation with 43.0 points per game and was second nationally with 501 yards in total offense per game. The Redhawks were 13-1 and defeated Louisville in the GMAC Bowl.
An offensive lineman at Ohio State from 1988-90, Peterson began his coaching career as a graduate assistant working with interior linemen at Cincinnati in 1991 after he earned his degree from OSU. After another year at Cincinnati as an assistant strength coach, he returned to his alma mater and was a graduate assistant working with the line in 1993-94.
The Buckeyes earned berths in the Citrus Bowl and Holiday Bowls those two years. Peterson helped coach eventual NFL players Rickey Dudley (Tampa Bay) and All-American Orlando Pace (St. Louis).
He took his first full-time position at Akron in 1995, where he served as offensive line coach through the 1998 season. The Zips' offensive linemen helped spearhead the nation's 11th-rated rushing offense in 1997 and allowed only 10 sacks that year. Peterson also served as the staff liaison for academic advising, strength and conditioning and athletic training.
Peterson was inducted into the Middletown, Ohio, Pigskin and Roundball Hall of Fame in 1999. A Middleton native, he was a consensus All-American at MHS and in his senior year was first-team All-Ohio and the Class AAA Lineman of the Year. He also boke a 28-year shotput record at MHS that had been held by Buckeye basketball legend Jerry Lucas.
He was inducted into the MHS Hall of Fame in 2001.
Peterson and his wife, Michelle, have two children, Austin (8) and Cole Edward (6).
Peterson File
Born: March 20, 1968, Middletown, Ohio
High School: Middleton High School
College: Ohio State, 1991
Family: Wife, Michelle; sons Austin and Cole Edward
Peterson's Coaching Chronology
1991 Cincinnati, assistant strength coach
1992 Cincinnati, graduate assistant, interior linemen
1993 Ohio State, graduate assistant, offensive line
1994 Ohio State, graduate assistant, offensive line
1995 Akron, assistant coach, offensive line
1996 Akron, assistant coach, offensive line
1997 Akron, assistant coach, offensive line
1998 Akron, assistant coach, offensive line
1999 Miami, assistant coach, offensive line
2000 Miami, assistant coach, offensive line
2001 Miami, running game coordinator, OL
2002 Miami, running game coordinator, OL
2003 Miami, running game coordinator, OL
Peterson in the Bowls
1987 Cotton Bowl, Ohio State player
1988 Hall of Fame Bowl, Ohio State player
1990 Liberty Bowl, Ohio State player
1993 Florida Citrus Bowl, Ohio State grad assistant
1994 Holiday Bowl, Ohio State grad assistant
2003 GMAC Bowl, Miami (Ohio), running game coordinator
