Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma - Tiger Rant - LSU Sports Forum

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tigerskin LSU Fan Member since Nov 2004 3709 posts	Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 9:24 a.m.) newspaper. 1968 All-College: 4 days with ‘Pistol’ Pete The legendary Pete Maravich visited OKC in the winter of 1968 and left everyone amazed By Berry Tramel Published: December 19, 2008 Abe Lemons was angry that December night 40 years ago. His Oklahoma City University Chiefs, playing in their own city, in the venerable All-College Tournament, were not the people’s choice. LSU’s Pete Maravich, part myth, part moppy-haired man, was in town, and OKC buzzed with wonder at the hardwood theatrics of Pistol Pete. His droopy socks and floppy locks in that frenetic year of ’68 made Maravich an anti-hero. His basketball skills made him a legend. For three games spread over four days in December, Maravich put on a show the likes of which we hadn’t seen before and haven’t seen since. The city of Bryce Drew’s shot and Al McGuire’s team, of Tulsa’s upsets and OCU’s sharpshooters, of Chris Paul and Kevin Durant, of Bucknell and Valparaiso, of Price family records and Bertha Frank Teague titles, rippled with wonder from Dec. 27-30, 1968. In three games, Maravich scored 138 points and played basketball like no one in Oklahoma, or anyone else not blessed to have encountered the Louisiana State carnival, had ever seen. Behind-the-back dribbles. Miraculous passes. Scoring from all spots on the floor. "We thought he had come from another planet,” said Skip Bayless, now an ESPN commentator but then a high school junior at Northwest Classen who went to all three Maravich games at State Fair Arena 40 years ago. Maravich was the most amazing college basketball player ever. More amazing than Wilt Chamberlain. Or Oscar Robertson. Or Bill Walton. Or Patrick Ewing. Or Christian Laettner. In three seasons at LSU, Pistol Pete averaged 43.8, 44.2 and 44.5 points a game. You did not misread that. In the days before the shot clock and the 3-point shot, Maravich set NCAA records that still stand, including career points (3,667), career scoring average (44.2) and most 50-point games (28). Those were also the pre-media explosion days. Few LSU games were televised. The Maravich legend, sprouted from a football school in Baton Rouge, La., entered a mythical realm. Pistol Pete was almost more hyped because he wasn’t on television. Said now-retired Oklahoman writer Frank Boggs, who covered that All-College, "The fact that he was coming, kinda like the circus coming to town.” Game One: Dec. 27, 1968. LSU 84, Wyoming 78 Oklahoma City turned icy that day. The roads were almost impassable. "Bruce Scott and I said, ‘We are going,’ ” Bayless said. "My mom didn’t like it. I said, ‘I’ll take it easy.’” So they slid down the May Avenue rollercoaster and made it to the fairgrounds, along with 5,500 other hearty fans. They weren’t disappointed. "I can only speak for Northwest Classen High School,” Bayless said. "We were beyond awed.” WWLS sportstalk host Craig Humphreys, another Northwest grad of that era, recalls a halfcourt pass, thrown behind Maravich’s back, that hit a teammate in stride for a layup. Bayless seasons that story, making it a three-quarters-of-the-court pass, all in one motion off the opening tip. "We just said, ‘That’s it, that was worth the danger we put ourselves in,’ ” Bayless said. Then he admitted, "Maybe I’m telling a fish story.” But that’s the Paul Bunyan point. Legends demand legendary tales. "Pete Maravich was the best basketball player we had ever seen,” Humphreys said. "He put on a show. We’d never seen anything like that.” Maravich scored 29 points in the first half and finished with 45. He made 14 of 34 shots and 17 of 24 free throws. Game Two: Dec. 28, 1968. LSU 101, OCU 85 A near-capacity crowd of 8,055 cheered on Maravich against the hometown Chiefs. "It was a tremendous pleasure to watch him play,” Boggs said. "But Abe didn’t think so. Abe was really, really upset that night. He (Maravich) was just as popular that night as if he’d been playing Tulane.” Oklahoma City led 38-37 at halftime, but Maravich scored on a fast-break layup off the second-half tip, and the burst was on. He scored 17 points the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second half, making eight of nine shots. Maravich finished with 40 points on 19 of 36 shooting. "That was when the Big House was the Big House,” said Jeff Cloud, then a 7-year-old sports nut and now a state corporation commissioner. "Seemed like it was packed. Everybody was intrigued by LSU.” Maravich was a one-man show but not a one-man team. His father, Press, was the LSU coach, and Pete was given a green light for any shot or any pass. But he wasn’t a carnival act. Maravich’s playmaking set up teammates galore. LSU’s other starting backcourt players, Jeff Tribett and Rich Hickman, scored 25 and 24 points against OCU. Game Three: Dec. 30, 1968. LSU 94, Duquesne 91 Duquesne then was a big-time basketball school, ranked 15th nationally at the time of the All-College. LSU trailed 87-82 with 2:49 left in front of a frenzied crowd of 8,336. Maravich scored 10 points in those final 169 seconds. He finished with 53 points (32 in the second half) on 18 of 36 shooting. Oklahoma City had just hosted the greatest college basketball player of all time. "I knew Pete Maravich was supposed to be special, and when you went to see him, it was much better than you anticipated,” Humphries said. "Much better. When we saw him the first night, we would never have missed him the second night or the third night.” Maravich was a player for his time. The long hair. The floppy uniform. The style that was a world away from robotic and fundamental. "Sort of came along during the hippy generation,” Boggs said. "He was hippier than the rest. "He was a hell of a player is what he was.” Bayless recalls that his old-school Northwest Classen coach Don Van Pool "despised” Maravich. "Any reference we had to Pete Maravich, he just despised it.” But that only fueled the anti-establishment devotion to Maravich. Kids all over Oklahoma City, and America, tried to mimic Pistol Pete’s style, though no one ever came close. Boggs wrote then that "Pete puts on more moves and fancy exhibitions than some graduates of Harlem Globetrotter University.” Bayless says now that he saw the Globetrotters several times as a kid, and Maravich "was beyond Meadowlark Lemon.” OKC never forgot. On Dec. 30, 1987, Maravich returned to the city and was inducted into the All-College Hall of Fame. Six days later, he was dead of a heart attack at the age of 40. Maravich biographer Darrel Campbell attended that 1987 All-College with Maravich and says that Pistol Pete had fond memories of Oklahoma City. Maybe that’s just good PR at work. But Cloud says that as a kid, he bought a Maravich book out of Weekly Reader, and in that book, Maravich lists the All-College as the highlight of his junior season at LSU. "He liked to win,” Campbell said. "To him, putting on a show was just playing his game.” It was a show Oklahoma City never will forget. "Every time he got the ball, it was exciting,” Boggs said. "Just different than everybody else. Best basketball player anybody had ever seen.” Berry Tramel: 405-760-8080. Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. This post was edited on 12/20 at 9:43 a.m.
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tigeramongpigs LSU Fan Fort Smith, Arkansas Member since Dec 2007 1495 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 9:33 a.m. to tigerskin) Great read! Thanks. He was all that and, as hard as it is to believe, more. Saw him in person several times, and he would take your breath away..... Without a doubt, the greatest college basketball player ever!
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fremaux LSU Fan Houma Member since Feb 2006 8305 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 9:40 a.m. to tigerskin) quote: Pistol Pele
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ksayetiger Wisconsin Fan Centenary Gents Member since Jul 2007 29331 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 9:41 a.m. to tigerskin) NICE
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Klaus USA Fan Del Boca Vista Member since Sep 2008 4498 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 9:42 a.m. to tigeramongpigs) Love The Pistol.
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tigerskin LSU Fan Member since Nov 2004 3709 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 9:43 a.m. to fremaux) Sorry about that. Fixed it. I heard he was good at soccer too.
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FlyFishin Tiger LSU Fan fayetteville arkansas Member since Oct 2005 298 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 9:44 a.m. to tigeramongpigs) I was 8 at the time of the OK City tourney. I wore my socks just like Pistol. Parents wouldn't let me grow my hair floppy. Later, in 7th grade basketball I made a behind the back pass on a fast break ( an appropriate pass to get around and fool the defender just like the Pistol ( in my mind) ). My coach pulled me off the floor and told me that " no player of his would do that Maravich stuff". I went to the bench " Triumphant".
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rbdallas LSU Fan Dallas, TX Member since Nov 2007 3308 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 9:49 a.m. to FlyFishin Tiger) I remember seeing him in person.... TV and Videos do not do him justice. He was the most incredible college player....period. He would make you ask yourself ... Did he just do what I think I saw him do?
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tigerskin LSU Fan Member since Nov 2004 3709 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 9:53 a.m. to rbdallas) My son loves watching his videos on youtube. He is going to drive his coaches crazy trying to copy some of that.
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tigger1 Member since Mar 2005 1476 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 9:54 a.m. to rbdallas) He left out the part of the player that said Pete had never played against a real defensive player and he would hold him down, that I think was in the first game.
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Tiger in Texas Southeastern Fan Houston, Texas Member since Sep 2004 6759 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 10:05 a.m. to FlyFishin Tiger) Nice to see a good article on Pete. It is amazing today where a lot of sportwriters almost try to discredit Pete. When they talk about the greatest college player of all time, Pete is usually not in the top 5 which is crimminal. I saw him many times, he had no equal. Simply put, he was the GREATEST college player of all time. No one can compare to him today or yesteryear. He did not have the media coverage of today, and besides, the media wants to build up current stars, which is a tragedy.
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eddieray LSU Fan Lafayette Member since Mar 2006 3453 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 10:21 a.m. to tigerskin) Thanks for posting that. I was a big Maravich fan too. I think I saw just about every game he ever played on TV college or pro. Unfortunately, it wasn't that many His last year as a pro was the first year of the 3 pt line. Hurt most of the year, Pistol went 10-15 from 3 pt land. Not quite enough for a representative sample but .667 nonetheless and a glimpse of what might have been had he played in the 3 pt era.
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Tigerik LSU Fan Franklin, TN Member since Mar 2007 574 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 10:21 a.m. to tigerskin) Thanks so much for the article. I was young when Pete played, but remembered listening to him on the radio, and I remember an Ole Miss Game at Oxford when he held the ball for the final few minutes of the game single handedly and then swooshed a hook shot from almost half court and the Ole Miss fas gave him an ovation after the game according to the announcer. Nobody else has ever been that good, nor will they ever be. He was way ahead of his time, and would have been hailed had he played in the era of Magic.
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756 LSU Fan Louisiana Member since Sep 2004 4112 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 10:25 a.m. to Tiger in Texas) I grew up in BTR and saw Pete in person- the aspect most miss is how blazing fast Pete was- sure there is Michael Jordans, Magic, Iverson, Kobe, -make your list-- What made him so great is not all the scoring but the moves that he made to get an open shot- when players thought they had him boxed in , a self created move freed him for the shot on a fast break he was elusive- he was 6-5, lean and fast- The first year players played with him they got hit in the face , the chest --everywhere until they learned the ball could be coming at any moment-- His scoring was surpassed by his creativity, passing and ball handling skills-
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eddieray LSU Fan Lafayette Member since Mar 2006 3453 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 10:30 a.m. to 756) He was beautiful on the fast break.
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tigger1 Member since Mar 2005 1476 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 10:34 a.m. to 756) It was nice to read about Pete again, my Uncle who lived next door to the girl that Pete married just dead this last week. I saw Pete over at her house all the time when I was growing up and Pete played many a pick up game with my older cousins, father and Uncles. I still remember Pete sitting out front of her house with his basketball dribbing the ball all the time talking with her.
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Tiger Ugly LSU Fan Baton Rouge Member since Jul 2008 1540 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 10:41 a.m. to tigger1) We never saw the likes of Pete before nor will we ever see it again. His legacy was enhanced by a perfect storm of events in which he played for his Dad who allowed him unprecedented freedom to do pretty much whatever he wanted to on the court. While such a thing would be branded as selfish by almost any standard the entertainment value that it provided was a delight for all who had the opportunity to see it. I don't know that I would call Pete the greatest player...but most entertaining...without a doubt.
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baytiger LSU Fan Slidell Member since Dec 2007 26645 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 10:43 a.m. to tigerskin) quote: The city of Bryce Drew’s shot and Al McGuire’s team, of Tulsa’s upsets and OCU’s sharpshooters, of Chris Paul and Kevin Durant, of Bucknell and Valparaiso, of Price family records and Bertha Frank Teague titles, rippled with wonder from Dec. 27-30, 1968.
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geauxjudge LSU Fan espn game day crew Member since Nov 2005 2190 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 11:33 a.m. to tigeramongpigs) As a kid growing up during that time, I will never forget my dad saying...come go with me to watch LSU play basketball. I didn't know about Pistol until that night. OMG simply the best and he was a freshman. We all left after the freshman game. I got to see him in person several college games and as a NO Jazz. I try to tell the kids today no body better and they just don't have a clue. Closest would be that stuff they do on the And1 tour..but that isn't during a game.
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asylvi1 LSU Fan Member since Aug 2008 748 posts	re: Pistol Pete article in Oklahoma (Posted on 12/20/08 at 6:12 p.m. to ksayetiger) He's the man, but that was way too long to read.
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