Wisconsin Football Coaches Association

For the last 46 years Jim has been a fixture on the coaching staff of the Rice Lake Warrior football teams. He graduated from Morgan Park High School (Duluth, Minnesota) in 1967 as a three-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track. Jim credits his coaches in high school for being great mentors and inspiring him to be a future coach.

He went on to run track at University of Minnesota-Duluth and UW-Superior before serving in the US Army from 1969-1972, including a stint in Vietnam in 1971. Jim then re-enrolled at UW-Superior where he played halfback for the Yellow Jackets football team.

Jim started out his over 50-year coaching career in Clayton as a JV Basketball coach before moving to Barnum, MN, where he coached high school football, basketball, and track for two years. His final move was to Rice Lake where he continued to teach elementary and middle school. As Jim waited to get a position on the football coaching staff, he started girls 8th grade basketball. In 1979 a freshman football coaching position became available, and later sophomore, junior varsity and varsity assistant positions.

His players at defensive end, now outside linebackers in our current defensive scheme, were named “junk yard dogs” to bring some excitement to a less glamorous position.

In 2015 Jim received WFCA Wisconsin High School Assistant Coach of the Year Award.

In addition to football, Peterson also coached several youth sports in Rice Lake as his children Steve and Kristi grew up. He spent 34 years teaching elementary and middle school before retiring in 2009.

In 2002 Jim was voted into the Rice Lake Sports Hall of Fame. His wife Sharon was inducted in 2024.