Dan Peterson, Olimpia Milano retires the 36 shirt in his honour: “I’m a lucky man”

L’Olympia Milan will pick up the shirt number 36 in honour of Dan Peterson, the year of birth of the American coach and of the 29-time Italian champion club. The coach of the 1987 Grand Slam, who won 8 titles with Milan, will be honored at halftime of the match against Reyer Venezia on 2 April. “For me it was a bolt from the blue – explains Peterson -, totally unexpected. So, not only beautiful and appreciated, but also exciting. I want to thank everyone. First, my champions: without them I would never have received this great honor Second, the club. Then, our fans: it was an honor to be the coach of my champions and it was a pleasure to be the ‘Coach’ of Olimpia fans. Finally, Giorgio Armani – who wanted me back in 2010/11, the best gift I could receive – also for everything he does, for Italian sport, for Italian basketball and for what he is doing for our Olimpia, which he has brought back to the top of the Italian and European basketball. I also thank the current Olimpia, the president Dell’Orco and coach Messina. Once again, I feel like the luckiest man alive.”

Dan Peterson, life and works of a basketball legend

Born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1936, Dan Peterson arrived in Milan in 1978: he came from Bologna, where he had won a Scudetto (the only one, together with Ettore Messina, to have won a championship with Virtus and Olimpia) and established himself as a coach. Before moving to Italy he had been an assistant at Michigan State, head coach with good results at Delaware and then had achieved the best results in the history of the Chilean national team. After winning a Scudetto in Bologna, he signed a golden era for the club in Milan: he reached (but lost) the final in 1979 with the so-called ‘Beagle Boys’reported theOlympia to the title in 1982. In all, Olimpia played six consecutive Scudetto finals under Dan Peterson, winning in 1985, 1986 and 1987 (lost in 1983 to Roma and in 1984 to Bologna). In 1986 and 1987 Olimpia also won two Italian Cups with him. Peterson was great on the bench but also off, establishing himself as a television personality, advertising testimonial, successful journalist. At Olimpia, he made the 1-3-1 zone and the L game famous D’Antoni Meneghin or catchphrases like “spitting blood.” And he rebuilt the club’s international mentality: he led Olimpia to two European Cup finals, lost by one to Cantù in Grenoble in 1983 but won against Maccabi in 1987, scored the ’87 ‘Grand Slam’ and also won the Korac Cup in 1986. Retired aged 51 in 1987, returning to the bench briefly in 2011, aged 75, in time to pitch Nicolò Melli.