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PETE MARAVICH

 

         

 

Pete Maravich, a 6'5" shooting guard, was born on June 22, 1947 in Pennsylvania. In 1959 he played Varsity basketball at Daniels High in Clemson, South Carolina.  Pete was only in 8th grade that year.  It was that year he got the nickname of  “Pistol” Pete Maravich.  He also went to Needham-Broughton High school in North Carolina.  In high school some of his numbers were: Daniels High Most points scored, 483, Needham-Broughton Most points single season    735, Needham-Broughton    Best average    32, North Carolina All-star game    Most points scored 47.

 

He went to college at LSU and played for his father, Press Maravich.  He was not allowed to play Varsity as a freshman, so people would fill the stands to watch the freshman game and leave before the Varsity game.   In three years at LSU he scored 3,667 points. In 1968, he scored1,138 points, in 1969 he scored

1,148 points, and in 1970 he scored 1,381 points.   He was the NCAA leading scoring all three years.  Averaged 44.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in his college career.   He was named the College player of the year in 1970.  Maravich holds nearly every major NCAA scoring record, including most career points (3,667), highest career scoring average (44.2 ppg), most field goals made (1,387) and attempted (3,166), and most career 50-point games (28). And he accomplished all this without the benefit of the three-point basket, which wasn't introduced into the college game until the 1986-87 season.

 

            In the Pros he was 1st in scoring in 76-77, 2nd in scoring    73-74, 3rd in scoring    75-76, 5th in scoring    72-73, 8th in scoring    70-71, 5th in free throw percentage    77-78, and 5th in assists    74-75.  He is in Top 25 career scorers with 15948.  He was on the NBA All-Rookie Team    70-71.   He was a NBA All-Star Team starter    73, 74, 77, 78*, 79    (*in 78 Pete was voted in as starter, but did not play do to injury).  His uniform number was retired by the Jazz in 1985. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987, and was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996.

 

On January 5, 1988 the Pistol died.  Pete Maravich died of a heart attack at the tender age of 40.  He died just as he  had lived, on the basketball court.  He was plying a 3 on 3 game in a California gym.  Pete left behind two sons, Jaeson and Josh.  Josh walked on to LSU and Jaeson walked on to McNeese State after a short stint at Alabama.

(this is taken from another page http://www.smcis.org/maravich.htm

 It happened so suddenly. One minute he was enjoying playing basketball, telling a friend he felt great. The next, he was sprawled on the floor, his body con vulsing in a seizure. An ambulance whisked him to the hospital where doctors tried for fifty minutes to revive him. It was all in vain; Peter Press Maravich, known to the world as "Pistol Pete," slipped into eternity at 9:42 a.m. on January 5, 1988 at the age of 40. Pete was beloved by many, yet understood by few. He was a legend in his own time, one of the greatest basketball players who ever lived, and probably the most colorful. The news of his sudden death sent shock waves from coast to coast and brought back an avalanche of memories to his many admirers, of whom I was chief. Few, if any, ever inspired me as he did. Pete left a deep and lasting impression on me because of his commitment to excellence, his incredible intensity, and his perseverance in the face of constant criticism and nagging problems