George Raveling was in a near-fatal accident 18 years ago today. Raveling,then the head coach at USC, was driving his Jeep near campus when he was blindsided by another vehicle. He fractured his pelvis, clavicle, nine ribs, and suffered a collapsed lung. Rushed to the hospital he spent the next two weeks in intensive care due to bleeding in his chest. He wasn't released to go home until early November.
Less than two weeks after his release, he announced that he was retiring to focus on his rehab, and would never again return to coaching.
Since stepping down, he's worked several jobs including a long stint with Nike, he's broadcasted games, and he's authored two books.
Twelve years ago today Paul Pierce was viciously attacked in a nightclub. Witnesses say that Pierce was attempting to break up a fight while at a private event at the Buzz Club in Boston. A group of men stabbed him eight times in the face, neck, and back, and broke a bottle over his head. His friends took him to the hospital where he spent three days before walking out under his own power. The former Kansas star was entering his 3rd season with the Celtics, and remarkably, he played in every game that season.
It took two years for the case to come in front of a jury. There, conflicting stories and retracted statements caused the case to become a huge mystery. Eventually one man was convicted of attempted murder and another for assault and battery, but the truth of what happened that night remains unknown to those not involved.
Today's birthdays include: Carl Braun 1927 (Colgate), Jimmy Darrow 1937 (Bowling Green), E.C. Coleman 1950 (Houston Baptist), Bob McAdoo 1951 (North Carolina), Scottie Pippen 1965 (Central Arkansas), Chauncey Billups 1976 (Colorado), and Rashad McCants 1984 (North Carolina)
Musician of the day: Will Smith, born on this day in 1968.
