| Wins against Kentucky - 1 | Losses against Kentucky - 1 |
Alma Mater: Utah [1920]
Hometown: Huntsville, UT
Date Born: May 2, 1892
Date Died: September 1, 1976
Overall Record: 386-223 [26 Seasons]
| Date | Matchup | UK Result | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/24/1947 | Kentucky vs. Utah | L | 45 - 49 | NIT Championship (at New York, NY) |
| 3/20/1944 | Kentucky vs. Utah | W | 46 - 38 | NIT (at New York, NY) |
Obituary - Provo (UT) Daily Herald (September 2, 1976)
Old Coach For Utes Dies at 84
SALT LAKE CITY (UPI) - Vadal Peterson, the first basketball coach ever to win both the NCAA and NIT titles, died Wednesday of a heart attack. He was 84.
Peterson was head coach at the University of Utah from 1928 to 1953. His Ute teams won the NCAA crown in 1944 and the NIT title in 1947 and won or shared various conference crowns four times. He was named to the Helms Hall of Fame and the Basketball Hall of Fame.
In 26 years at Utah, Peterson amassed a 384-224 record for a .631 winning percentage.
In 1950, Peterson was elected president of the National Basketball Coaches Association and in 1949 he was named to coach the West All-Stars in New York Herald Tribune's East-West game in Madison Square Garden.
Peterson coached all-Americans Arnie Ferrin, who went on to play in the National Basketball Association for the old Minneapolis Lakers, and Vern Gardner.
Before arriving at Utah, Peterson coached for seven years at the old LDS High School in Salt Lake City where he won a state championship.
He was born in Huntsville, Utah and won a letter at Utah State University and three at Utah in football, basketball and baseball.
He married Elvira Wood in 1914 in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She died in 1951. He was remarried in 1961 to Charlotte Huff.
