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[[Image:Pistol Pete .jpg|thumb|200px|right]]'''Peter ("Pistol Pete") Maravich''' (1947 - 1988) was a phenomenal college [[basketball]] player. Pat Riley, long-time head coach of the [[Miami Heat]] who observed nearly every [[NBA]] star, said: "Pete was the original. He was the best ball handler I ever saw. Ever."

[[Image:Pistol Pete .jpg|thumb|200px|right]]'''Peter ("Pistol Pete") Maravich''' (1947 - 1988) was a phenomenal college [[basketball]] player. Pat Riley, long-time head coach of the [[Miami Heat]] who observed nearly every [[NBA]] star, said: "Pete was the original. He was the best ball handler I ever saw. Ever."

His college record of an average of 44.2 points per game is considered one of the unbreakable records in all of sports, which was even more remarkable because he achieved it prior to the 3-point line and the shot clock.  While in his 30s he became as passionate a [[Christian]] and expert on the [[Bible]] as he had been about basketball,<ref>https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/pistol-petes-faith-gets-new-spotlight/</ref> and his statements on a radio show converted [[Mickey Mantle]] as he listened. Maravich tragically died of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect while warming up for pickup game one morning in a church gym.

'''''His college record of an average of 44.2 points per game is considered one of the unbreakable records in all of sports''''', which was even more remarkable because he achieved it prior to the 3-point line and the shot clock.  While in his 30s he became as passionate a [[Christian]] and expert on the [[Bible]] as he had been about basketball,<ref>https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/pistol-petes-faith-gets-new-spotlight/</ref> and his statements on a radio show converted [[Mickey Mantle]] as he listened. Maravich tragically died of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect while warming up for pickup game one morning in a church gym.

His NCAA 3,667 career points (over only three years) is a record that has stood since 1970, and was only recently challenged in 2023 by a player who competed for five years.<ref>https://www.yahoo.com/sports/pete-maravichs-seemingly-unbreakable-ncaa-career-scoring-record-in-jeopardy-of-being-broken-142102378.html</ref> In 2024, Caitlin Clark broke Pete's college career total points record on the women's side (but not Pete's average points-per-game).

His NCAA 3,667 career points (over only three years) is a record that has stood since 1970, and was only recently challenged in 2023 by a player who competed for five years.<ref>https://www.yahoo.com/sports/pete-maravichs-seemingly-unbreakable-ncaa-career-scoring-record-in-jeopardy-of-being-broken-142102378.html</ref> In 2024, Caitlin Clark broke Pete's college career total points record on the women's side (but not Pete's average points-per-game).