re: Yesterday, January 5, was the anniversary of Pistol Pete's death

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Legend.

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He really was.

My Pistol Pete story is the first time I ever saw him I was at the Baton Rouge State Fair and I saw a former high-school basketball team mate who was on the LSU freshman basketball team (freshmen couldn't play on the "varsity" team then) who was with a bunch of tall college-age guys gathered around one of the game booths.

If someone could sink two consecutive free throws he would win a giant stuffed animal the size of a child. This was about 2 weeks before the LSU basketball season started and I'd never heard of Pete Maravich, although I knew the new LSU basketball coach was named Maravich.

My friend called me over and said, "Watch this! This guy is the son of the new LSU basketball coach and he doesn't miss."

Sure enough, Pete would shoot two shots, make both of them, and then pick out a stuffed animal to give to one of his team mates. I saw him win about 8 or 9 prizes and then the carny guy running the booth threw his hands up and said, "That's it! I'm out of prizes! I'm closed!."

He turned the lights out that illuminated the basketball hoop and pulled down a curtain on the booth.