Friends of Basketball

Iner Peterson

Year Inducted: 1985

Category: Friends of Basketball

Schools / Organizations: Varna  High School
(Varna) Mid-County High School
Bradley University
The University of Illinois

Biography: Iner Peterson was a fan of high school and college basketball for over 70 years. His first Illinois High School State Tournament attended was in 1934 when Quincy High School upset the tournament favorite, (Harvey) Thornton High School, in the championship game. Besides being an avid high school fan, Iner was a staunch supporter of the Fighting Illini and the Bradley Braves. He had Bradley men’s basketball season tickets for every year from 1949 when Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse was erected, through its final season of men’s basketball in 1982. Once a great backer of the Varna Dragons, Iner continued to follow the Mid-County Bulldogs, after Varna and Lacon consolidated back in the early 1950’s. Iner saw many great moments in sports, although he considered the last second shot by Hinkley-Big Rock in the 1984 IHSA Sectional finals that defeated his beloved Bulldogs to be the greatest. Iner Peterson died on April 29, 2006 at the age of 101.