Hall of Fame
Chad Peterson could easily be described as a “walking bucket.” Possessing a real knack for finding the basket, and the Marshall, Wisconsin, native, put that on full display during his remarkable two years playing basketball at Madison College.
Coming off a three-sport high school career that saw him set several WIAA State Basketball Tournament scoring and shooting records, some of which still stand more than 30 years later, Chad arrived on campus ready to make an impact. Part of a trio that made up the “Marshall Connection”, he began filling up the stat sheet during his freshman season in helping the Trojans to a 14-13 record. Chad led the team in total points with 422 and was second in points per game at 16.2, though poured in better than 20 a game during the second semester. He also led the team with nearly 3.0 assists per contest and was second in steals. As expected, his biggest contribution came from behind the arc, where he made 55 three-pointers, accounting for a third of his made field goals. Chad was named to the Marshfield Classic All-Tournament Team and was a Second Team All-Wisconsin Technical College Conference honoree.
Chad shouldered even more of the load as a sophomore in 1994-95, during which he served as a team captain. He continued to torch nets throughout the state and region, draining 3’s at a 40% clip en route to a 23.3 points per game average. The game of the year that season was a 110-108 triple overtime victory over Gogebic Community College that saw Chad drop a school-record 52 points, including the game-winner on a short jumper in the paint with four seconds to go. In the end, his 629 points rank as the sixth-best single-season mark in school history. He was second on the team with 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals. When the season ended, he was voted Team Most Valuable Player, while also earning All-WTCC and All-WJCAA accolades.
One of five men’s basketball players to reach 1,000 points in his career, Chad’s 1,051 career point total sits third in school history behind two other Madison College Athletic Hall of Famers. In all, his name appears seven times in the college’s record books, including three times for single-game scoring totals, three-pointers made in a game, and three-point percentage.
His former coach Matt Young was quoted in the 1994-95 yearbook as saying, “We are sorry to see Chad and teammate Matt Krueger move on. They gave us some exciting moments.” When asked about his time at Madison College, Chad said, “I had a blast playing basketball and getting to know everyone in athletics.”
Since leaving Madison College, Chad has been self-employed for 30 years, and currently lives in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, with his wife, Gina. They have raised three children, Briana, Braylon, and Rylan. He enjoys bow hunting, golfing, and working with his sons in their athletic endeavors.
