University of Minnesota Athletics
Jim Peterson - M Club Hall of Fame
Jim Peterson
Gymnastics, 1943, '47-49
HOF Class of 2018
He was the first Gopher to ever win a national championship on the vault and even today, 70 years removed from that 1948 title, Peterson remains Minnesota's only men's vault national champion. In an odd twist, Peterson never won the Big Ten vault title despite winning eight individual golds during his Gopher career (still rings, two tumbling titles, two horizontal bar titles and three all-around championships). At the NCAA meet, Peterson was a five-time All-American, including a pair of runner-up finishes to go with his national title. In addition to his personal accolades, Peterson was a key piece during a dominant stretch for Minnesota, one in which the team claimed three straight Big Ten championships.