The Rich Lupcho file
■ Age: 69 ■ Hometown: Aliquippa, Pa. ■ Las Vegas resident: 38 years ■ Occupation: Bartender ■ College: Louisiana State ■ College scoring average: 1.4 ■ Did you know: Lupcho once held the LSU record for assists in one game with 13. “Cow Palace” — before the Pete Maravich Assembly Center opened in 1972.
In Mark Kriegel’s best-selling book, “The Life of Pete Maravich,” Rich Lupcho is described as “an otherwise unwanted guard from Coffeyvillle (Kansas) Junior College by way of Aliquippa. Press was partial to the undersized Lupcho — ‘five eight in elevator shoes’ — who just happened to be Joe Pukach’s nephew.”
While Rich Lupcho averaged 1.4 points over his 47-game college career; Pete Maravich averaged 44.2. PLAYING WITH THE PISTOL
When Pete died of a heart attack in 1988 when he was only 40, Rich Lupcho said the national basketball writers called to ask about The Pistol in the way I was asking about him now.
“He was the best I ever played with or against …
“He did things with a basketball nobody else even thought about doing …
“He was a very, very good (teammate). Likable and humble …
“Pete probably shot the ball 45 times a game …”
A box score is found on the internet, dated Jan 27, 1968. Kentucky 121, Louisiana State 95. It shows Pete Maravich attempting 51 field goals, making 19; attempting 17 free throws, making 14, for a total of 52 points. It shows Rich Lupcho attempting two field goals and making two for four points.
It was difficult to upstage Pete Maravich at LSU, but Rich Lupcho managed to do it once.
He sank a free throw in overtime to lift the Tigers over Neal Walk and Florida. “Pete must have scored 45 points, and I scored one, and they carried me off the court,” Lupcho said.
That was 1968. It had been nearly 50 years. And while I didn’t doubt that Lupcho had made that free throw to beat the Gators, I was thinking maybe the part about being carried off the court was the Hollywood version.
Some of his other memories of playing with Pete Maravich were spread out in black-and-white framed photographs in a corner booth. “Wow — low-top Converse. You guys played basketball in those?” a young photojournalist asked. It was now going on 9 a.m. Instead of the Chi-Lites, the Jefferson Airplane was playing on the jukebox. Rich Lupcho had gathered up his framed memories and placed them in his car when I saw him walking toward mine.
He was toting a shadow box that two of the regulars on the graveyard shift had given to him. Displayed inside were more faded photos and newspaper clippings.
One showed Rich Lupcho being carried off the court after he sank that free throw to beat Florida. Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal. com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.