Snow chooses former coach and alum to head football program
Robert Stevens
Managing editor
1-26-2017
EPHRAIM—Snow College has named Paul Peterson, an alum and former Snow coach as the head coach of the Badger football team.
Snow College Athletics Director Rob Nielson announced the appointment Monday. Later in the day, Peterson met with the team.
Peterson will begin working for Snow immediately. He replaces Britt Maughan, who resigned to pursue other coaching positions.
“We are excited to welcome Paul back to Snow College,” Nielson said. “He returns with a wealth of playing and coaching experience at the collegiate level, as well as the passion to lead our football program.
“During the interview process, it was evident that Paul has a great passion for Snow College, for coaching, and for helping our student-athletes be successful both on the field and off.”
“My wife and I are excited to return to Snow College,” Peterson said. “We owe a lot to Snow. This is such a great opportunity for us to give back to such a wonderful place.
“It was the perfect place for me right out of high school. As a launching pad, Snow gave this undersized quarterback from Bingham High School an opportunity to grow and develop as a player, and as a person. Snow prepared me for the next step in my career. This is also where I met my wife, Meagan. It is awesome that we have now gone full circle.”
During the past five years, Peterson has been offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Sacramento State University. He also has experience coaching at Southern Utah, North Carolina State, BYU and Snow College, where he was quarterback coach in 2005.
Peterson says he and the Badger football team are committed to becoming champions in all that they do.
“We will be champions on the field by playing tough, hard-nosed football,” he said. “We will be champions in the classroom and on campus by being good examples, by sitting in front of the class, by participating and being active in campus events.
Peterson says he intends to see that the Badgers are champions in the community by being good citizens and by connecting with the community to show their appreciation for all the support they receive.
During his stint as at Sacramento State, Peterson contributed towards some of the best numbers in school history. The 2014 team set or tied nine single-season records, including total points (458), points per game (38.2), touchdowns (60) and total yards (5,780).
Sacramento State quarterback Garrett Safron (2011-14) rewrote the school record book during his three years under Peterson. Safron amassed 9,713 passing yards with 86 career touchdown—36 more than the previous record.
Under Peterson’s watchful eye, Safron was able to combine his natural running ability with his passing and finished his career with 11,619 yards of total offense. His 2014 average of 353.4 total offense yards per game led the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
In four years at Southern Utah, Peterson coached the Thunderbird quarterbacks and wide receivers and was also the passing-game coordinator. During his tenure, he coached three of the most decorated QBs in Southern Utah history.
During college, Peterson played quarterback at Boston College where he led the Eagles to a pair of bowl victories and was named MVP in 2004. He was a two-time Big East Conference Player of the Week and was the MVP of the Continental Tire Bowl.
Off the field, he was a recipient of the Boston College Senior Leadership Award and was named the 2005 Boston College Person of the Year.
Before attending Boston College, Peterson was a JC Gridwire All-American and honorable mention Academic All-American as quarterback at Snow College. As a sophomore, he led the nation in passing yards and touchdowns.
After playing college ball, Peterson played for the Ottawa Renegades of the Canadian Football League.
His coaching career began at his alma mater, where he spent 2005 as Badger quarterback coach. That season, he helped guide the Badgers to a 9-2 overall record, a No. 8 national ranking and a bowl victory.
In 2006, he transferred to BYU to work as an offensive graduate assistant. That season, the Cougars were 11-2 and finished the season ranked 15th nationally after winning the Mountain West Conference and the Las Vegas Bowl.
Peterson spent one season (2007) at North Carolina State as a defensive graduate assistant under Tom O’Brien, his head coach at Boston College.
Peterson graduated from Boston College with a degree in management and added a master’s in coaching/athletic administration from Concordia University through an on-line program.
He is married to the former Meagan Davies, who is also a Snow College alum. The Petersons are the parents of five sons, Owen, Mack, Cal, Emmett and Levi.
