Pete "Pistol Pete" Maravich

The all-time leading scorer in men's NCAA Division 1 college basketball is "Pistol" Pete Maravich who totaled 3,667 points in three varsity seasons while playing at Louisiana State University (LSU) from 1968-1970. His points-per-game average of 44.2 is also the Division 1 record as is his senior season (1969-70) single season mark of 44.5 points per game.

Maravich, who stood 6'4, was born June 22, 1947 in Alquippa, Pa. His father, Press Maravich, Was a former player and later coach, began teaching and training Pete basketball skills almost as the youngster could walk. Renowned for his uncanny dribbling and ball-handling abilities, Pete later credited his father's tireless devotion for his abilities, especially his dribbling skills which were honed during countless hours of specialized drills. One unique technique involved young Pete dribbling the basketball outside the window of the family car while his father drove, gradually increasing the car's speed.

In the early 1960s, Press Maravich served as head coach at Clemson University when Pete's abilities earned him a starting
spot on his high school's varsity squad even though he was an eighth-grader. Prior to the 1963-64 school year, Press Maravich took a coaching position at N.C. State where Pete attended Raleigh Broughton High School before transferring to a military prep school for his senior season. The following season, the elder Maravich was named head coach at LSU where Pete enrolled for the 1966-67 season. Freshmen athletes weren'teligible for varsity competition then, but Pete starred for the LSU freshman team, averaging 43.6 ppg.

In Pete's sophomore season, playing for his father, Pete averaged an NCAA-leading 43.8 ppg, an honor he would repeat for each of his three varsity seasons at LSU. In addition, he earned All-American honors for all three seasons, and although his teams never reached the NCAA Tournament, LSU drew sell-out crowds both at home and on the road.

Following his record-setting college career, Pete was selected by the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, averaging 23.2 ppg and earning All-Rookie honors. Maravich played four seasons in Atlanta, scoring 27.7 ppg in 1973-74 before being traded to the New Orleans expansion team. The new team struggled, but Maravich became a bona-fide star, leading the NBA in scoring (31.1) in 1976-77 as well as earning consecutive NBA First-team honors.

Knee injuries during the 1977-78 season curtailed the remainder of his career, his final season coming in 1979-80 which was split between Utah and Boston.

On January 5, 1988, at the age of 40, Pistol Pete Maravich collapsed during a pick-up basketball game and died. An autopsy revealed he had a rare congenital heart defect.