Jump to content

Jim Peckham

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jim Peckham
Personal information
Full nameJames Cameron Peckham
Born(1929-08-30)August 30, 1929
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedAugust 23, 2011(2011-08-23) (aged 81)
Braintree, Massachusetts, U.S.
Sport
SportWrestling
EventGreco-Roman

Jim Peckham (August 30, 1929 – August 23, 2011) was an American wrestler and coach.[1][2] He competed in the men's Greco-Roman middleweight at the 1956 Summer Olympics.[3][4]

Biography

[edit]

Peckham was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1929.[1] Several members of Peckham's family were also wrestlers.[1] His father was a professional in the 1930s,[1] his son wrestled during the 1970s,[1] and his daughter wrestled against Andy Kaufman on Saturday Night Live in 1979.[1] His brother, Tom, also competed at the Olympics,[5] competing in the men's freestyle 87 kg at the 1968 Summer Olympics.[6]

At the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Peckham competed in the men's Greco-Roman middleweight event,[7] where he was eliminated in round three (of five).[8] He coached the US wrestling team at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics.[2][9]

After working for an electric company, Peckham became the wrestling coach at Emerson College.[1][10] He later was the Athletic Director at the college for nearly 30 years.[1][2] In 1986, he became the wrestling coach at Harvard University.[1][11]

Peckham was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2000.[2] He died in August 2011 in Braintree, Massachusetts after suffering from Alzheimer's disease.[12]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Jim Peckham". Olympedia. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Distinguised Member James Peckham Passes". National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jim Peckham Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  4. ^ "Legacy of "father of wrestling in Massachusetts" Jim Peckham lives on". Boston Herald. June 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  5. ^ "Tom Peckham". Olympedia. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  6. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Tom Peckham Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  7. ^ "Hall of Fame legend Jim Peckham 81 passed away in Massachusetts". Team USA. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "Middleweight, Greco-Roman (≤79 kilograms), Men". Olympedia. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Walker, Monique (July 6, 2008). "A world of learning from the mat". Boston.com. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  10. ^ "Emerson Remembers Former Athletic Director James Peckham". Emerson Lions. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  11. ^ "Former Wrestling Head Coach Jim Peckham Passes Away at 81". Harvard. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  12. ^ "Longtime former athletics director Jim Peckham dies at 81". Emerson Today. August 25, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
[edit]