GM of the Philadelphia Stars 

Peterson with owner Myles Tanenbaum, photo courtesy of Stars 1983 Yearbook

Carl Peterson started working for the Stars in July of 1982. By then, ownership was already in discussions with George Perles, the defensive coordinator from the Steelers, to be the head coach of the Stars.

Peterson agreed to hire Perles, but trouble was brewing. Perles was still commuting from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia as the team was being assembled. Then, one December morning Peterson got a call from Perles from his hotel outside of Philadelphia. Perles was very upset and Carl rushed over to see what was wrong. Little did Peterson know he would be looking for a new coach a month before the draft and three months before the start of the season. “He [Perles] said, ‘Carl I would never do this to you, but the one other job I wanted my whole life, at my alma mater, Michigan State, has called me,’” says Peterson in precise detail of the conversation between himself and Perles.