Maravich Statue to be Placed on LSU Campus

BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee on Monday unanimously approved a proposal that a statue honoring basketball legend Pete Maravich be installed on campus.

Details about the design and construction of the Pete Maravich statue will be announced in the coming months.

“We are extremely pleased that the Hall of Fame Committee has chosen to honor one of the most influential players in basketball history with a statue on our campus,” said LSU Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva. “The committee acknowledged that Pete was a very gifted, unique individual whose impact transcended the game and continues to inspire those who love our university.”

Maravich, who passed away on January 5, 1988, is the all-time scoring leader in college basketball history with 3,667 points, an average of 44.2 points per game over three seasons (1967-68, 1968-69 and 1969-70). The LSU Assembly Center was re-named the Pete Maravich Assembly Center by the Louisiana Legislature shortly after his death.

Remarkably, Maravich set the scoring record in only three seasons – freshmen were ineligible for varsity competition at the time – when there was no three-point line and no shot clock.

A three-time first-team All-American, Maravich was the 1970 Naismith Award winner and The Sporting News National Player of the Year.

After leaving LSU, he went on to become a five-time NBA All-Star, and he is a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, along with two other former LSU players – Bob Pettit and Shaquille O’Neal.

A statue of Pettit is scheduled to be unveiled on February 27, prior to LSU’s game at the Maravich Center versus Florida. A statue of O’Neal was installed on the North side of the Maravich Center in September 2011.

“It’s truly remarkable that three of the 50 greatest players in NBA history were LSU Tigers,” Alleva said. “Now, Pete Maravich will rightfully join fellow legends Shaquille O’Neal and Bob Pettit in receiving the highest honor we can bestow upon a student-athlete -- the installation of a statue that will be admired for generations.”