Today in Boston Celtics history: Pete Maravich passes; Boston guard George Munroe born

Today in Boston Celtics history, Peter "Pete" Press Maravich died suddenly while playing a game of pickup basketball as a result of an undiagnosed heart condition in 1988. Born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania in 1947 to Helen Gravor Maravich and Peter "Press" Maravich (a basketball coaching star in his own right), Pistol Pete (as he is sometimes called as a nickname) inherited his father's skill and then some as a player, for whom he played under at Louisiana State University. His elite offensive capabilities and jaw-dropping handle soon caught the attention of several pro teams as a two-time National College Player of the Year and was picked up with the third overall pick of the draft by the Atlanta Hawks in 1970.

He played for that team, and the New Orleans and later Utah Jazz before signing with the Celtics as a free agent in 1980. He only played one season with the Celtics but had played his way into both the College and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with a long list of accomplishments at all levels.

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In the twilight of his career when he joined Boston's roster, Maravich averaged 11.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game with the team in the 26 games he played for the Celtics -- Rest In Peace, Pistol Pete.

Birthdays

On this day in 1922, George Munroe was born in Juliet, Illinois. Munroe played his college ball with Dartmouth, where he was a consensus Second Team All-American, twice making the NCAA tourney The Illinois native then joined the US Navy, serving in WWII. After he signed with the (now defunct) St. Louis Bombers for their inaugural season in the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- a precursor league of the NBA) before there was even a draft to be selected in, for whom he played a single season.

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Munroe would be dealt to the Celtics just before the start of the league's second season in exchange for forward John Abramovic Jr. and cash. The Dartmouth alum played just 21 games for Boston before retiring, over which he averaged 3.4 points per game. After his playing career, Munroe would earn a Bachelor of Laws degree from Harvard as a Rhodes scholar, and later the CEO of Phelps Dodge Company.

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Pete Maravich passes; Boston guard George Munroe born