Inspirational American Athletes: Pete Maravich and Caitlin Clark?
What can we learn from Pete Maravich and Caitlin Clark?
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Near Easter, it is good to remember that nothing stops God's plans and ultimate victory.
Each year, March Madness captures the attention of America. Two record-breaking American basketball players continue to enter everyday conversations in recent days: Caitlin Clark and Pete Maravich. (As Iowans, we've been excited about Caitlin Clark playing for our state.) These basketball players exemplify tenacity paired with talent.
For the past several months, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa women’s basketball team especially dominated the headlines. In fact, Caitlin has broken record after record in NCAA basketball. As a result, “Pistol" Pete Maravich has regained national headlines even though he passed away a long time ago. Basketball fans and sports commentators keep comparing/contrasting Caitlin Clark to Pete Maravich who was one of the greatest American basketball players of all time. Both outstanding players should be celebrated for their basketball talents and achievements.
Recently, we have enjoyed learning more about Pistol Pete's basketball career and his life. Pistol Pete was an exceptional record-breaking basketball player in the NCAA and NBA. He had tremendous fame and wealth. To the world he had it all. But that was far from the truth. Instead, Pete struggled with alcohol, he felt empty inside despite his success, and he even contemplated suicide. In fact, if Christians told Pete they were praying for him Pete would ignore it. Even though it appeared discouraging, many Christians kept praying for Pete. They didn’t give up.
Behind the scenes, the Lord was at work. And, ultimately, Pete became a Christian and that changed Pete’s life forever. When Pete came to Christ it happened “unexpectedly”. After he repented and trusted in Jesus Christ, Pete grew in the Lord and he shared about knowing Jesus Christ every chance he could.
Pete's life story reminded us that good change and complete turnarounds can come quickly. This message is what Americans need as our country continues to endure hard times and spiritual depravity.
We encourage you to read this month’s edition of Unite the USA to learn more about Pete’s life and testimony. We hope it encourages you to feel hopeful about the future because God is in control even when we can't see all that He is doing yet. He can work quickly and unexpectedly. Pete Maravich’s life transformation is an excellent example of that. We need to keep praying and doing all we can to trust in Jesus and share about Him. He is the true answer that will help restore America.
In God we still trust,Carrie and Stacie
Each year, March Madness captures the attention of America. Two record-breaking American basketball players continue to enter everyday conversations in recent days: Caitlin Clark and Pete Maravich. (As Iowans, we've been excited about Caitlin Clark playing for our state.) These basketball players exemplify tenacity paired with talent.
For the past several months, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa women’s basketball team especially dominated the headlines. In fact, Caitlin has broken record after record in NCAA basketball. As a result, “Pistol" Pete Maravich has regained national headlines even though he passed away a long time ago. Basketball fans and sports commentators keep comparing/contrasting Caitlin Clark to Pete Maravich who was one of the greatest American basketball players of all time. Both outstanding players should be celebrated for their basketball talents and achievements.
Recently, we have enjoyed learning more about Pistol Pete's basketball career and his life. Pistol Pete was an exceptional record-breaking basketball player in the NCAA and NBA. He had tremendous fame and wealth. To the world he had it all. But that was far from the truth. Instead, Pete struggled with alcohol, he felt empty inside despite his success, and he even contemplated suicide. In fact, if Christians told Pete they were praying for him Pete would ignore it. Even though it appeared discouraging, many Christians kept praying for Pete. They didn’t give up.
Behind the scenes, the Lord was at work. And, ultimately, Pete became a Christian and that changed Pete’s life forever. When Pete came to Christ it happened “unexpectedly”. After he repented and trusted in Jesus Christ, Pete grew in the Lord and he shared about knowing Jesus Christ every chance he could.
Pete's life story reminded us that good change and complete turnarounds can come quickly. This message is what Americans need as our country continues to endure hard times and spiritual depravity.
We encourage you to read this month’s edition of Unite the USA to learn more about Pete’s life and testimony. We hope it encourages you to feel hopeful about the future because God is in control even when we can't see all that He is doing yet. He can work quickly and unexpectedly. Pete Maravich’s life transformation is an excellent example of that. We need to keep praying and doing all we can to trust in Jesus and share about Him. He is the true answer that will help restore America.
In God we still trust,Carrie and Stacie
Featured Quote
"Money will buy you a fine dog but only love will make it wag its tail." -"Pistol Pete" Maravich
In Depth: Pete Maravich's Extended Testimony
Here is an extended presentation where Pete Maravich shares in greater detail how he came to be saved by Jesus Christ. It's powerful and hopeful to hear in his own words how the Lord saved and transformed his life. Here was a man who, to the world, "had everything" yet was lost. Thankfully, God worked on his heart and Pistol Pete was transformed through the power of Jesus Christ. Enjoy listening to Pete share and take time to let his message touch your heart, too.
In His Own Words: Pete Maravich's Testimony
This video was recorded just eight months before Pete Maravich's untimely death. Thankfully Pete was ready to meet His Lord and Savior. It was his mission to tell everybody he could about how to know Jesus.
How To Know Jesus
Question: How do Stacie and Carrie know they'll go to Heaven?Answer: It's not because of what they've done or who they are. It's because Jesus lives in them.
Anything good in them is because of Jesus in them. They know God and His love in a personal way. They've followed what God said in His book: the Bible. They invited Jesus to be their Savior and Lord. You, too, can know God. Yes, He really does love you!
Take His Word for it:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. -John 3:16 (NKJV) For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.-Rom. 3:23 (NLV) For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us... -Rom. 3:25 (NLV) That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. -Rom. 10:9 (NKJV)
Understand that God loves you with infinite love! God is good, holy and righteous and we fall short of His perfection. So we need a Mediator, Jesus, who lovingly took our punishment for all our mistakes.
Believe that Jesus is God's Son that took your punishment. He took your punishment for all your sins (anti-God ways) and that He rose from the dead for you, __________.
Repent (turn away from) your sins (anti-God ways) and submit yourself to Him as your Lord.
Receive Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord. Talk to God and give your life to Jesus.
Pray from your heart. If it helps, pray something like this:
God,
I understand now...You sent Jesus to share Your love and make it possible for me to be Yours. Please forgive me for all my sins. Jesus, I believe you took my punishment on the cross and that you rose from the dead for me personally. I turn away from doing things "my way" and ask that You rule my life, Jesus. I receive You as my Savior and Lord. I put my trust in You not in the things I do. I love You.
In Jesus' Name,Amen.
Welcome into God's family! You are now His! Get connected with a loving, Bible-based church, enjoy the supreme joy of being baptized, and savor the Savior's love forever! Read the Bible. (If you don't have one, start reading the Gospel of John by clicking here.)
He'll never divorce you. He'll never die. He'll never change. He loves you! Enjoy loving and obeying Jesus and experiencing His love forever and ever! If you'd like prayer or more information, e-mail us anytime.
Anything good in them is because of Jesus in them. They know God and His love in a personal way. They've followed what God said in His book: the Bible. They invited Jesus to be their Savior and Lord. You, too, can know God. Yes, He really does love you!
Take His Word for it:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. -John 3:16 (NKJV) For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.-Rom. 3:23 (NLV) For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us... -Rom. 3:25 (NLV) That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. -Rom. 10:9 (NKJV)
Understand that God loves you with infinite love! God is good, holy and righteous and we fall short of His perfection. So we need a Mediator, Jesus, who lovingly took our punishment for all our mistakes.
Believe that Jesus is God's Son that took your punishment. He took your punishment for all your sins (anti-God ways) and that He rose from the dead for you, __________.
Repent (turn away from) your sins (anti-God ways) and submit yourself to Him as your Lord.
Receive Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord. Talk to God and give your life to Jesus.
Pray from your heart. If it helps, pray something like this:
God,
I understand now...You sent Jesus to share Your love and make it possible for me to be Yours. Please forgive me for all my sins. Jesus, I believe you took my punishment on the cross and that you rose from the dead for me personally. I turn away from doing things "my way" and ask that You rule my life, Jesus. I receive You as my Savior and Lord. I put my trust in You not in the things I do. I love You.
In Jesus' Name,Amen.
Welcome into God's family! You are now His! Get connected with a loving, Bible-based church, enjoy the supreme joy of being baptized, and savor the Savior's love forever! Read the Bible. (If you don't have one, start reading the Gospel of John by clicking here.)
He'll never divorce you. He'll never die. He'll never change. He loves you! Enjoy loving and obeying Jesus and experiencing His love forever and ever! If you'd like prayer or more information, e-mail us anytime.
Featured Bible Verse
Unite the USA's
Featured Veteran of the Month: Arthur Jackson
Arthur Jackson, Medal of Honor, WWII
'Pistol' Pete Maravich: The Man, the Mystery, & the Miracle
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By Ron F. Hale
Looking back, his remark is eerie – part premonition, a pinch of predestination, and a pint of paradox.
In 1973, Andy Nuzzo, a reporter for the Beaver County (PA) Times, asked 25-year-old Pete Maravich a question. Pete said, “I don’t want to play 10 years in the NBA and die of a heart attack at 40.”
On January 5, 1988, the reported last words of Pete Maravich were, “I feel great!” Maravich, the greatest scorer in NCAA college basketball history and ten-year veteran of the NBA, was 40 years old when he collapsed to the gym floor. The man with a thousand moves, the Houdini of the hardwood, was dead within seconds. His haunting self-defeating prophecy feeds the mystery.
Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family had flown Maravich to Pasadena, CA to speak on his national radio show. Dobson arranged for a friendly pickup basketball game at Pasadena’s First Church of the Nazarene before the work began. Ralph Drollinger, the 7-foot-2 former UCLA center, was also invited to play.
Taking a quick break after 40 minutes of play, Dobson and Maravich were talking and walking off the court. Out of the blue Pete fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Dobson’s immediate CPR and a rushed trip to St. Luke’s Hospital could not undo the detonated time-bomb of his undiagnosed rare congenital heart defect. Like a basketball hitting nothing but net – “swish” – Pistol Pete, the basketball legend, was pronounced dead.
Football was the big ticket sports item for Louisiana State University fans until Maravich started doing things with a basketball that would dazzle a “sleight-of-hand” magician at a carnival sideshow. LSU’s machine-gun offense afforded Pete an average of 38 shots a game and resulted in a record average of 44.2 points per game.
Most experts presume Pistol Pete’s NCAA record game average of 44.2 points per game will never be broken. That’s on par with greats like Nolan Ryan’s 5,714 strikeouts or DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. Maravich racked up those points before freshmen could play varsity and the introduction of the 3-point shot. With a 3,667 point total, speculating on the woulda-coulda-shouldas only distracts from what Maravich actually did.
Maravich went on to get an unprecedented $1.9 million contract to play for the Atlanta Hawks and later for the New Orleans Jazz, finishing up with the Boston Celtics.
Why did Focus on the Family fly Maravich to Pasadena? Five years prior to his death, Jesus Christ radically changed Pete’s life. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit showed Pete the darkness of his depravity on a restless November night in the fall of 1982. With sons Jameson and Joshua tucked into bed, Pete quietly slipped into bed with wife Jackie around midnight. He struggled to fall asleep.
Anguished memories from Pete’s past gyrated through his mind: drunkenness, suicidal thoughts, close-call car wrecks, and the impact of alcohol on his mother, his brother, and himself.
Years before, Pete remembered consciously turning a deaf ear to the Gospel while enduring a long weekend at a Campus Crusade for Christ basketball clinic in Lake Arrowhead, CA. Living for God might mess up his dream of stardom, the big ring, the millions, and the fame.
The clock was ticking!
The Holy Spirit brought to his memory letters from his fans – their genuine prayers for his salvation were expressed, but he trashed them.
The clock was ticking!
Nearing dawn, Pete was soaked in sweat. Like a fever breaking, he saw his horrible sinfulness and dropped to his knees, making the foot of the bed his altar. Now he was ready to shoot straight with the Lord!
Pete’s soul sorrow gushed out, “God, I’ve punched you. I’ve kicked you. I’ve cursed you. I’ve used your name in vain. I’ve mocked you. I’ve embarrassed you. I’ve done all those things. Will you really forgive the things I’ve done?”
Four years of testimony reveal that Pete firmly believed that God spoke to him, “Be strong. Lift thine own heart,” was the message Pete heard. He immediately prayed, “I’ve got nowhere to go. If you don’t save me, I won’t last two more days.”
The weight of the world lifted from Pete’s heavy heart. He later said, “When I took God into my heart, it was the first true happiness I ever had.”
Sometime later, Dr. Nelson Price, the pastor of Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta, GA invited Pete to do a basketball clinic and shared, “The Lord gave us instant rapport. At this stage in his spiritual experience he knew nothing about the Bible … I began right then to disciple him … we talked every week by phone … we had intensive sessions during the basketball clinic.” Dr. Price not only had the joy of baptizing Pete, but he won Coach Press Maravich (Pete’s father) to the Lord and baptized him.
Known for making “buzzer beating” game-winning shots – Pete came to Christ just in time!
In 1973, Andy Nuzzo, a reporter for the Beaver County (PA) Times, asked 25-year-old Pete Maravich a question. Pete said, “I don’t want to play 10 years in the NBA and die of a heart attack at 40.”
On January 5, 1988, the reported last words of Pete Maravich were, “I feel great!” Maravich, the greatest scorer in NCAA college basketball history and ten-year veteran of the NBA, was 40 years old when he collapsed to the gym floor. The man with a thousand moves, the Houdini of the hardwood, was dead within seconds. His haunting self-defeating prophecy feeds the mystery.
Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family had flown Maravich to Pasadena, CA to speak on his national radio show. Dobson arranged for a friendly pickup basketball game at Pasadena’s First Church of the Nazarene before the work began. Ralph Drollinger, the 7-foot-2 former UCLA center, was also invited to play.
Taking a quick break after 40 minutes of play, Dobson and Maravich were talking and walking off the court. Out of the blue Pete fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Dobson’s immediate CPR and a rushed trip to St. Luke’s Hospital could not undo the detonated time-bomb of his undiagnosed rare congenital heart defect. Like a basketball hitting nothing but net – “swish” – Pistol Pete, the basketball legend, was pronounced dead.
Football was the big ticket sports item for Louisiana State University fans until Maravich started doing things with a basketball that would dazzle a “sleight-of-hand” magician at a carnival sideshow. LSU’s machine-gun offense afforded Pete an average of 38 shots a game and resulted in a record average of 44.2 points per game.
Most experts presume Pistol Pete’s NCAA record game average of 44.2 points per game will never be broken. That’s on par with greats like Nolan Ryan’s 5,714 strikeouts or DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. Maravich racked up those points before freshmen could play varsity and the introduction of the 3-point shot. With a 3,667 point total, speculating on the woulda-coulda-shouldas only distracts from what Maravich actually did.
Maravich went on to get an unprecedented $1.9 million contract to play for the Atlanta Hawks and later for the New Orleans Jazz, finishing up with the Boston Celtics.
Why did Focus on the Family fly Maravich to Pasadena? Five years prior to his death, Jesus Christ radically changed Pete’s life. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit showed Pete the darkness of his depravity on a restless November night in the fall of 1982. With sons Jameson and Joshua tucked into bed, Pete quietly slipped into bed with wife Jackie around midnight. He struggled to fall asleep.
Anguished memories from Pete’s past gyrated through his mind: drunkenness, suicidal thoughts, close-call car wrecks, and the impact of alcohol on his mother, his brother, and himself.
Years before, Pete remembered consciously turning a deaf ear to the Gospel while enduring a long weekend at a Campus Crusade for Christ basketball clinic in Lake Arrowhead, CA. Living for God might mess up his dream of stardom, the big ring, the millions, and the fame.
The clock was ticking!
The Holy Spirit brought to his memory letters from his fans – their genuine prayers for his salvation were expressed, but he trashed them.
The clock was ticking!
Nearing dawn, Pete was soaked in sweat. Like a fever breaking, he saw his horrible sinfulness and dropped to his knees, making the foot of the bed his altar. Now he was ready to shoot straight with the Lord!
Pete’s soul sorrow gushed out, “God, I’ve punched you. I’ve kicked you. I’ve cursed you. I’ve used your name in vain. I’ve mocked you. I’ve embarrassed you. I’ve done all those things. Will you really forgive the things I’ve done?”
Four years of testimony reveal that Pete firmly believed that God spoke to him, “Be strong. Lift thine own heart,” was the message Pete heard. He immediately prayed, “I’ve got nowhere to go. If you don’t save me, I won’t last two more days.”
The weight of the world lifted from Pete’s heavy heart. He later said, “When I took God into my heart, it was the first true happiness I ever had.”
Sometime later, Dr. Nelson Price, the pastor of Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta, GA invited Pete to do a basketball clinic and shared, “The Lord gave us instant rapport. At this stage in his spiritual experience he knew nothing about the Bible … I began right then to disciple him … we talked every week by phone … we had intensive sessions during the basketball clinic.” Dr. Price not only had the joy of baptizing Pete, but he won Coach Press Maravich (Pete’s father) to the Lord and baptized him.
Known for making “buzzer beating” game-winning shots – Pete came to Christ just in time!
The Official Biography of Pete Maravich
Learn more about Pistol Pete Maravich in the official biography approved by his widow Jackie Maravich. Click here to learn more about this book and read the official book description below:
"From childhood “Pistol” Pete Maravich mesmerized fans and opponents alike with his audacious ball-handling and relentless scoring. Julius Erving calls him “a basketball genius.” The mop-topped, floppy-socked prodigy became a sports legend at LSU, averaging a staggering 44.2 points per game - the highest in NCAA history. Then a brilliant pro career with the Hawks, Jazz, and Celtics led to enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame and selection as one of the top 50 players in NBA history.
But there was a price. Maravich brought a child-like exuberance to the court that often masked a tortured and confused adult. His obsessive personality - he often referred to himself as a “basketball android” - and an inability to win a championship triggered despair and even thoughts of suicide. Eventually he found peace in Christianity and a quiet home life with his wife and sons. Then, at age 40, Maravich died. The exact cause - a congenital heart defect - stunned both the sports and medical worlds. It was called a miracle that he survived his teens, let alone become a superstar athlete.
Now, after staying silent for two decades, Maravich’s widow, Jackie, has welcomed authors Wayne Federman and Marshall Terrill into Pistol Pete's private world. She has shared her personal memories and provided unfettered access to the Maravich family archive of clippings, films, letters, calendars, diaries, and photographs.
The result is the definitive biography of Pete Maravich, In addition to countless hours spent with Jackie and her sons, Jaeson and Joshua, the authors also interviewed more than 300 teammates, opponents, journalists, coaches, detractors, fans, and extended family in order to craft the complete story of a transcendent athlete whose revolutionary skills and showmanship thrilled everyone except himself.
Also included is a comprehensive appendix of Maravich statistics, plus Pistol Pete’s 25 Greatest Games."
"From childhood “Pistol” Pete Maravich mesmerized fans and opponents alike with his audacious ball-handling and relentless scoring. Julius Erving calls him “a basketball genius.” The mop-topped, floppy-socked prodigy became a sports legend at LSU, averaging a staggering 44.2 points per game - the highest in NCAA history. Then a brilliant pro career with the Hawks, Jazz, and Celtics led to enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame and selection as one of the top 50 players in NBA history.
But there was a price. Maravich brought a child-like exuberance to the court that often masked a tortured and confused adult. His obsessive personality - he often referred to himself as a “basketball android” - and an inability to win a championship triggered despair and even thoughts of suicide. Eventually he found peace in Christianity and a quiet home life with his wife and sons. Then, at age 40, Maravich died. The exact cause - a congenital heart defect - stunned both the sports and medical worlds. It was called a miracle that he survived his teens, let alone become a superstar athlete.
Now, after staying silent for two decades, Maravich’s widow, Jackie, has welcomed authors Wayne Federman and Marshall Terrill into Pistol Pete's private world. She has shared her personal memories and provided unfettered access to the Maravich family archive of clippings, films, letters, calendars, diaries, and photographs.
The result is the definitive biography of Pete Maravich, In addition to countless hours spent with Jackie and her sons, Jaeson and Joshua, the authors also interviewed more than 300 teammates, opponents, journalists, coaches, detractors, fans, and extended family in order to craft the complete story of a transcendent athlete whose revolutionary skills and showmanship thrilled everyone except himself.
Also included is a comprehensive appendix of Maravich statistics, plus Pistol Pete’s 25 Greatest Games."