Pistol Pete

[20-20]

Just biked up to my Post office...as previously stated in earlier thread, I live by the ocean, and so I only go to pick up the mail every couple of days or so, it's not as though my draft notice is expected to be arriving, and a recent edition of SI was in the mail. Lead article profiling "Pistol Pete". I had to come down to the computer room in order to get away from "Mrs 20-20", she insists upon reading out loud almost every sentence. She is forgiven...for any of you B-Ball freaks out there, you will understand. "Pistol Pete", never before, never since. MAGIC.

[Amyloves...]

We LOVED him here when he was with the New Orleans Jazz! They used to announce his name all the time....PIS-toooooooooooooollllllll PETE!

[20-20]

I get joy just thinking about it, AmyLoves.

[PaulC]

for any of you B-Ball freaks out there, you will understand. "Pistol Pete", never before, never since. MAGIC.

I tried in vain to immitate those incredible moves of his,.. but I got those socks down pretty good....

[20-20]

Got My Socks Also.

[ibjamn]

Oh my gosh! Pistol Pete Maravich was a hero at LSU & with the (OUR) Jazz!!! (and so cute!) I'll be getting my first copy of SI! :)
He was taken from us much too soon.

[rosetree]

It was a nice article.
As Magic told one of Pete's sons,his dad was "Showtime" before there was a "Showtime". No higher praise is needed. Pistol was twenty years ahead of his time.

[breambob]

Y'all talkin' Pete? Pistol Pete:

...established numerous collegiate records when he played at Louisiana State University, 1966-1970...played for the "National Basketball Association's" (NBA) Atlanta Hawks (1970-71 thru 1973-74), New Orleans/Utah Jazz (1974-75 thru 1979-80), and Boston Celtics (1979-1980 season)...at the age of 39 was the youngest person ever inducted into the "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame"...NBA All-Rookie Team (1971). All-NBA First Team (1976, 1977). All-NBA Second Team (1973, 1978), five-time NBA All-Star (1973, 1974, 1977-1979), shares NBA single-game record for most free throws made in one quarter (14) on Nov. 28, 1973 against Buffalo and most free throws attempted in one quarter (16) on Jan. 2, 1973 against Chicago. NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)...three-year letter winner (1967-70). The Sporting News College Player of the Year (1970). Naismith Award Winner (1970). The Sporting News All-America First Team (1968, 1969, 1970). three-time AP and UPI First-Team All-America (1968, 1969, 1970), holds NCAA career record for most points (3,667, 44.2 ppg, three-year career) in 83 games, holds NCAA career record for highest points per game average (44.2 ppg). Holds NCAA record for most field goals made (1,387) and attempted (3,166). Holds NCAA record for most free throws made (893) and attempted (1,152). Holds NCAA record for most games scoring at least 50 points (28), holds NCAA single-season record for most points (1,381) and highest per game average (44.5 ppg) in 1970. Holds NCAA single-season record for most field goals made (522) and attempted (1,668) in 1970, holds NCAA single-season record for most games scoring at least 50 points (10) in 1970, holds NCAA single-game record for most free throws made (30 of 31) against Oregon State on Dec. 22, 1969...died of a congenital heart defect in a hospital at 9:42 a.m. after playing a pick-up 3-on-3 game and collapsing in a gym in Pasadena, California...the autopsy later revealed that he had played all those wonderful years of basketball without his left coronary artery...it has been reportedly, that his last words before collapsing were "I feel great!"

Gotta mention this, my cousin's son played the role of Pistol Pete in his early years in "Pistol: The Birth of a Legend"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102674/

A great movie, up there with "Hoosiers" I think. I was at LSU when they opened the Assembly Center, The House That Pete Built. Saw him a few times in action, what a magnificent talent.

[jonnygospeltent]

Back when I had hair I always used The Dry Look by Gillette just cause Pistol Pete touted it in his commercials.

[NOLA]

Great article in SI. I'm paraphrasing here, because I don't remember the exact quote, but it was something to the effect that, of all the players named to the "Best 50 NBA Players of All Time" list, he is the only one who would have fared even better in today's game as compared to the game as it was played when he was a player. (Well, that is obviously not a quote because it is such a crappy sentence!)

Definitely a man ahead of his time.

[20-20]

So, BreamBob. to cut to the chase....Have you ever heard of this guy?!?!!!!

[breambob]

So, BreamBob. to cut to the chase....Have you ever heard of this guy?!?!!!!

He was a hero for the state. Bob Pettit was before him and Pete was before Karl Malone and Robert Parrish. Every once in a while we see old films of him in action, he was truly amazing.

[PaulC]

After reading some of the stats posted by breambob I was struck by one thing I never realized and it is repeated in the following:

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. (and don't forget,.. that way back then college freshman weren't alowed to play varsity,.. so he oput up all those stats in three years...)

but back to what caught my eye... 1,397 fg... 3,166 fga..... His shooting percentage was,.. as Borat says,.. "nooot so good"....

More interesting stuff found here about his time in the pros,..

http://www.nba.com/history/players/maravich_bio.html

But pros schmos,.. it was his mad bomber college days that I will always remember,.. even if I did forget about that shabby field goal % of his.....

[20-20]

Style or Elan or whatever, most of us never have it, but the fortunate among us that recognize it in others have the pleasure in some small way of sharing the magic. This isn't a 'fest thread, so I don't want to drag it on, and I also don't want to put the youngsters to sleep with reams of "old-school" memories....but.....if anyone had the pleasure of seeing The good Doctor himself, Dr. J on one of those nights and one of those moments when he took off from the foul line and elevated higher and longer than any human previously ever had....what a thrill. I get that same sense of wonder and awe on those special 2nd Sundays as the sun is setting over the fairgrounds and "The Rads" are closing out, the emotions and weekends of memories are so amazingly strong, the postive vibes from tens of thousands, everyone riding that same cosmic joyride.....
There, see I tied B-Ball into the Fest.