Jim Peterson
Jim Peterson grew up near Milaca and his family owned a cabin on Lake Mille Lacs for many years. Jim came to the Twin Cities in the late 1930s to play football for the University of Minnesota where he attended journalism school. He was an All-American tackle for the Gophers in 1941. “A lot of people didn’t know this about Jim, but he was a state champ football player in high school, and he went on to become a big-time tackle at the U,” said Steve Peterson, Jim’s nephew, of Spicer. Thanks to bad knees from playing football and a case of asthma, Peterson didn’t fight in World War II like his brothers. Instead, he covered some of the war effort through his reporting at the Star Tribune. When editors realized Peterson’s passion for football, he went to work in the sports department.
After graduating from the university in 1943, Peterson worked as a reporter with the Star Tribune where he covered sports. Following a lengthy career in the sports writing department at the Star Tribune, Peterson left the paper and started the regional outdoors sports paper “Outdoor News” in 1968. He served as editor and publisher of the newspaper until selling it to current Publisher Glenn Meyer in 1987. “Jim was one of a kind. He touched a lot of people through his writing over the years,” Meyer said this week upon hearing of Peterson’s passing. “All sportsmen and women in this state owe him a debt of gratitude for the time, and frankly, the life he dedicated to Minnesota’s outdoors scene.”
Following the sale of Outdoor News, Peterson retired and lived a fairly reclusive lifestyle, at least compared to the very public persona readers had seen every week. Though he frequently attended the Fur, Fin and Feather Club meetings in Crystal and Golden Valley, of which he was a lifelong member, Peterson mostly was content to spend his late years fishing. He had perpetually bad knees, and poor health ultimately confined him to a nursing care facility in June, 2002. Those who knew the frail Jim Peterson later in life probably didn’t realize that Jim was a big man in his younger days. “He was tall and weighed more than 300 pounds for most of his life,” Steve Peterson said. “My dad and others from his generation tell me Jim was a real big boy in high school.” In 2000, the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame recognized Peterson’s work on the state fishing scene by inducting him into its inaugural class. “I’ve been able to make a good living and been able to enjoy every minute of the outdoors,” Peterson said at his induction. “I got to travel all over the North American continent fishing and got paid for it.”
James Theodore Peterson passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, Jan. 17. He was 83. He is survived by several siblings, a granddaughter, and several nieces and nephews. Steve Peterson said Jim would always remain most proud of his newspaper work and his founding of Outdoor News. “Jim lived an interesting life, and you never knew when he might show up at your door,” Steve Peterson said. “After he retired, he’d travel to fishing tournaments or you’d see him at sport shows occasionally.”
JIM PETERSON 1920-2004.
By Rob Drieslein Editor - Outdoors Weekly
Seated at my desk in late May, 1997, contemplating what exactly I’d gotten myself into with this Outdoor News gig, I noticed an elderly gentleman shuffle past my window. A few minutes later, he entered my office, plopped down in a chair, and introduced himself as Jim Peterson, the founder of Outdoor News. He was in good spirits, having just returned from his annual bass opener excursion to the Alexandria area, and he wanted to submit a report about his fishing party’s success. I’ve been thinking about Jim Peterson since finding out Monday morning that he passed away late Saturday night at the age of 83. In poor health for many years, Jim finally succumbed to a recent outbreak of cancer. The staff at Outdoor News visited him several times at the nursing care facility in Maple Plain where he spent the last couple years of his life. He was extremely frail, but he appreciated the visits and hearing about how the business he had created was growing and expanding into other states. Those of us who visited with him are glad he’s found peace and relief from his pain. Peterson sold the newspaper to Glenn Meyer back in 1987, but up until a couple years ago, he stopped at the office occasionally to talk about the old days and shake his head in disbelief at the new-fangled computers that had completely replaced the newspapering equipment of his day. Jim told me about leaving the Star Tribune back in 1968 to start Outdoor News. We’d chat about classic outdoor journalism debates — like “muskie” vs. “musky,” and he’d rail about “harpooners.” He told me about his drinking days with Les Kouba and some of the other old Minnesota sporting legends. (In case you’re interested, the recipe for one of their drinks of choice, “orangutang” required just two ingredients — straight vodka and Tang.) A couple years ago, we interviewed Jim when the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame inducted him into its ranks. That meant a lot to Jim, and Joe Fellegy was on hand for the ceremony, helping Peterson out during the festivities. Up until a couple years ago, Jim still attended the Fur, Fin, and Feathers club meetings in Golden Valley. Every week, FF&F members obliged Jim with a hearty laugh when he’d raise his walking stick during introductions and declared, “Jim Peterson here, still raising ‘cane’!” The group even held an appreciation day for Jim a few years back when it appeared he may not be healthy enough to continue attending meetings. When someone stuck a microphone in my hand and asked me to say a few words, I stood and simply promised Jim that Outdoor News would be around long after he’d left this world to continue “raising cane.” He liked that. Peterson loved this newspaper, its independence from the big media, and giving the DNR hell when it deserved it. This state is a better place for his perseverance. I’m told he’ll be buried wearing an Outdoor News cap, a vest bearing the logo, and a copy of last week’s paper. The dedication he held for this business is the reason it lands in your mailbox every week. Take a moment this week to appreciate that fact.