Christiano Ronaldo's topless girlfriend, pics from mainstrem Croatian newspaper. I hope , I dont get in trouble for this.

O man some of this pictures are disturbing, but others are just plain funny. Enjoy

So I have been doing a little research and there are players around the world, from all kind of leagues, that have scored 100 or more points. Enjoy and maybe you are one of this players

Basketball Players who have scored 100 points in one game

NBA

100 pts. Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors (W 169-147) New York Knicks, 3/2/1962 At Hershey, Pa. 4,124 [36 of 63 FG, 28 of 32 FT]



TURKISH BASKETBALL LEAGUE

153 pts. Erman Kunter, Fenerbahce Istanbul (W 175-99) Hilalspor Izmir, 1988 (1990-91?)

Istanbul League

110 pts. Hüdai Budaner, Beþiktaþ Ýstanbul (W 110-56) Ýstanbul Karagücü, 3/16/1957



KORAC CUP (European Cup)

144 pts. Zdenko Babic, KK Zadar v. Apoelo of Cyprus, 1986

GREECE PROFESIONAL BASKETBALL (F.N.C.)

143 pts. Aristedes Mumoglou, Iraklis (W 170-94) VAO, ~1972 (71 FGs)

ANTHRACITE BASKETBALL LEAGUE (Pre-Season Exhibition Game) (Semi-Pro)

135 pts. Richard "Pee Wee" Kirkland, Lewisburg Hilltoppers (W 228-47) Lithuanian Club (Shamokin), Jan. 1974 (62 FG, 11-19 FT) 236-47?

100 pts. Richard "Pee Wee" Kirkland, Lewisburg Hilltoppers (W 194-35) Independent Fire Company (Shamokin), 1973-74

(40' X 82' court. Games played at Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. Also 82, 79, 60, 51, 50, 48, 27 pt games; 70.9 ppg avg.)

GERMAN PROFESSIONA BASKETBALL (4th Division)

116 pts. Archie Talley, TV Clausen (Primesen) (W 132-91) Tria, 1978

Estonia Pro Basketball

114 pts. Uino Urb, Tartu Kalev

Yugoslavia Professional League (S.F.R.J.) Scoring Record Holder:

112 pts. Drazen Petrovic, Cibona Zagreb (Croatia) v. SMELT Olimpija (Slovenia), 10/5/1985

Croatia A2 East (2nd Division, East Conference)

113 pts. Matej Kuna, Belisce (W 159-77) Pozega, 2/11/2006 (70 in 2nd half; )

Philippines National Team

110 pts. Luis "Lou" Salvador, Philippines, 1921, 1923 or 1925 (Far Eastern Games)

Nicaragua Pro Basketball

107 pts. Derick Omeir, Puta, 1978 Derick Wilfred Omeir Wilson Selección de Bluefiélds



Philippine Basketball Association (Pro)

105 pts. Tony Harris (U of New Orleans), Swift Premiums (W 151-147) Ginebra, at Loilo City, 1992

103 pts. Michael Hackett, Ginebra San Miguel (W 197-168) Great Taste, 1985

Professional League of Bosnia-Herzegowina (Croatian Division- Liga Herceg-Bosne)

105 pts. Josip Mihaljevic, KK Troglav Livno (W 144-68) KK Vitez, 11/21/1998

[28 of 36 3P, 4 of 4 2P, 13 of 13 FT

Israeli Professional League

101 pts. J.J. Eubanks, Maccabi Ramat-Gan v. Beitar Ramat-Gan, 1994-95 (Division 1) (Team may be Hapoel Eilat)

100 pts. Kevin Bradshaw, M.M. Givaat Shmuel (W 165-109) Maccabi Tverya, 1993-94 (Division 2)



College Exhibition Game

188 pts. John Barber, Los Angeles State (W 206-82) Chapman College Junior Varsity, 1953

150 pts. John Barber, Los Angeles State (W 172-44) Newspaper Sports Writers, 3/19/1953

103 pts. John Barber, Los Angeles State v. Los Angeles City College J.V., 1953

National Collegiate Athletic Association

116 pts. Clarence "Bevo" Francis, Rio Grande College (W 150-85) Ashland College (Ky.), 1/19/1953

113 pts. Clarence "Bevo" Francis, Rio Grande College (W 134-91) Hillsdale College (Oh.), 2/2/1954

[Also known as the "Babe Ruth of Basketball"]

100 pts. Frank Selvy, Furman College (W 149-95) Newberry (S.C.), 2/13/1954

[41 of 66 FG, 18 of 22 FT]

Philippines College Basketball

Cebu Collegiate Athletic Association

126 pts. Julian Macoy, Colegio de San Carlos v. Cebu Trade School, 1957 (Played only 28 minutes.)

101 pts. Julian Macoy, Colegeo de San Carlos v. Cebu Normal School, 1957



High School- United States

135 pts. Danny Heater, Burnsville High (W 173-43) Widen Col., 1/26/1960 (West Virginia)

(53 of 70 FG, 29 of 41 FT, 32 Reb., 7 a.)

127 pts. John Morris, Portsmouth-I.C. Norcom HS (W 173-47) Mary Smith (Accomac), 2/22/1961 (Virginia)

120 pts. Dick Bogenrife, London-Midway HS (Sedalia) (W 137-46) Canaan HS, 2/6/1953 (Ohio)

114 pts. Wayne Oakley, Hanson High (W 128-56) St. Agne's, 12/21/1954 (Kentucky) (47-55 FG, 20-24 FT)

114 pts. Pete Cimino, Bristol HS (W 134-86) Palisades, 1/22/1960 (Pennsylvania) (132-81 ?)

[44 of 79 FG, 26 of 29 FT]

113 pts. Herman "Buzz" Saygar, Culver H.S. (W 154-10) Winamac, 3/8/1913 (Indiana) (56 FG)

108 pts. Morris Dale Mathis, St. Joe v. Witt Springs, 1/22/1955 (Arkansas) 1/25?, 2/23/1955?

108 pts. Ken Robinson, Midway Cassatt High (W 118-39) Ruby South, 1/10/1961 (South Carolina) 130-30? (48 FG/12-13 FT/61 in 2nd half)

105 pts. Kenneth Johnson, Grandfield HS (W 120-65) Terral, 1/9/1979 (Oklahoma) (71 pts. in 1st half)

104 pts. Danny Boyd, Camden High, 1/6/1961 (Tennessee)

103 pts. Dickie Pitts, Wimauma High (W 123-77) St. Petersburg Admiral Farragut, 2/14/1956 (Florida)

103 pts. Brian Payne, New Port Richey Christian (W 111-60) Clearwater St. Paul, 1988 (Florida)

102 pts. Ed Vondra, Brainard High (W 146-__), 1922 (Nebraska)

102 pts. Bennie Fuller, Little Rock School for the Deaf (W 133-58) Leola, 12/9/1971 (Ark.) (38 pt. in 4th qtr.) 12/4?

101 pts. Cedrick Hensley, Heritage Christian-Cleveland (W 178-28) Banff Christian-Houston, 1/16/2001 (Tx.)

100 pts. Wayne Coward, J.C. Lynch High (W 139-31) Britton's Neck, 1/24/1961 1961? (South Carolina) (80 pts. in 2nd half)

100 pts. Greg Procell, Noble-Ebarb (W 139-79) Elizabeth, 1/20/1970 (Louisiana) (135-85)? 1/29?

100 pts. Dajuan Wagner, Camden High (W 157-67) Camden County Vo-Tech-Gloucester Township, 1/16/2001 (N.J.)

100 pts. Tigran Grigorian, Pico Rivera Mesrobian (W 114-47) L.A. Pacific Christain, 2/11/2003 (California)



Junior High School - United States

139 pts. Bob Harrison, Lagrange School (W 139-8) Arch Street School, 2/3/1941 (5'9", 13-yr. old, 8th-grader; 69 FGs, 1 FT) (Ohio)

104 pts. Joe Wilmore, Union Junior High (Frankfort), March 1951 May be 1952. (Illinois)

Alabama Y.M.C.A.

102 pts. Burl Dunlap, Virginia McCormick Center (West Huntsville) (W 159-60) Naval Reserve, 2/19/1957 (sat out 1st 10 minutes, 50-52 FGs)

High School (U19)- Great Britain

124 pts. Paul Ogden, St. Alban's (W 224-85) South Chadderton, 1983

High School- Canada

111 pts. Denham Brown, West Hill Collegiate Institute (W 154-58) R.H. King, 2/7/2002 (Toronto)

Xenia (Ohio) Recreation League

119 pts. Vern Lawson, Cassano Pizza Kings (W 119-56) Morris Beam Co., 1970 (57 FG, 5 FT)

(North Shore, Nassau County, New York) Police Boys Club Basketball League

101 pts. Tom Emma, [Manhasset], 1971-72 (6th Grade)

Lovington (New Mexico) Summer (Recreation) Basketball League

100 pts. Bryce Karger, Boys IV (W 207-94) Masse, Summer 1994 (quarter-final)

High School- Australia

110 pts. Anthony Ferguson, Wynum North State High v. Balmoral, 2004 (Brisbane, South East Queensland)



Swedish Regional Boys Tournament, at Stockholm

272 pts. Mats Wermelin, [team] (W 272-0) v. [team], 2/5/1974 13 yr. old







Women's Professional Basketball

136 pts. Anat Draigor, Hapoel Mate Yehuda (W 158-41) Elitzur Givat Shmuel, 4/5/2006 (Israel Division III League Playoff Game, Round Two ?) (46 yr. old mother; 75 pts. in 2nd half)

108 pts. Orna Ostfeld, Maccabi Ramat-Chen (W 221-21) M.A. Megiddo, 11/17/1981 (Israel)

100 pts. LaTaunya Pollard Romanazzi, Sidis Ancona (Italian League), 1985-1995

High School- Women

113 pts. Epiphanny Prince, Murry Bergtraum High (W 137-32) Louis Brandeis HS, 2/1/2006 (54-60 FG, 29-29-22-33) (New York City)

105 pts. Cheryl Miller, Riverside Poly (Cal.) (W 179-15) Notre Vista HS (Riverside), 1/26/1982

101 pts. Lisa Leslie, Morningside H.S. (Inglewood, Cal.) (W 102-24 forf.) Torrance, 2/7/1990

[Game forfeited after 1st half] [37 of 56 FG, 27 of 35 FT]

100 pts. Linda Page, Philadelphia Dobbins Tech v. Mastbaum (Pennsylvania), 1981

For all the folks with cell phones.

(This should be printed and kept in your car, purse, and wallet.

Good information to have with you.)



There are a few things that can be done

in times of grave emergencies.

Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver

or an emergency tool for survival.

Check out the things that you can do with it:



FIRST

Emergency:

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112.

If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency

dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you,

and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked.

Try it out.



SECOND

Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry?

This may come in handy someday.

Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home,

call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone.

Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door

and have the person at your home press the unlock button,

holding it near the mobile phone on their end.



Your car will unlock.

Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you.

Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away,

and if you can reach someone who has the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).



Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!'



THIRD

Hidden Battery Power:

Imagine your cell battery is very low.

To activate, press the keys *3370#.

Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery!

This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell phone next time.



FOURTH

How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: *#06# ..



A 15-digit code will appear on the screen.

This number is unique to your handset.

Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.

If your phone is stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will

then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless.

You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either.

If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.



And Finally....

FIFTH

Free Directory Service for Cells: Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for

411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our

vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information

option, simply dial: (800)FREE411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all.

Program this into your cell phone now.



This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends.

Davorin

Marin Ferecevic , a young cadet from KK Virovitica, scored 178 points in one single game. This unbelievable match between Virovitica and ABN Graminea was played in local U14 Croatian league and final result was 187-70.

Ferencevic scored 178 points, grabbed 22 rebounds and stole 16 balls.

From outside the 3-point arc he was shooting 9/14, for 2 points he shot 67/72 and from the free throw line a fantastic 17/18.

In the first quarter Ferencevic scored 34 pts, in the second 61 pts, in the third 55 pts and in then finally in the fourth "only" 28 pts.

I went for a bit of a search about that and found out that the record of most points in a game belongs to the 13-year-old Swede Mats Wermelin, who in a regional tournament in the Stockholm region back in 1974 scored all his team's points – 272.

Crazies stat is that his team won 272 - 0

Scoring 100 points in a basketball game is a rare accomplishment in the sport of basketball. What follows is a partial list of the few who have achieved the century mark at various levels of competition.

NBA

Wilt Chamberlain is the only NBA player ever to score 100 points in a single game. He scored exactly 100 while playing for the Philadelphia Warriors on March 2, 1962. The Warriors defeated the New York Knicks at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

College

Frank Selvy is the only person to score 100 points in an NCAA Division I game, when he scored exactly 100 for Furman against Newberry College in a 149-95 rout on February 13, 1954. (41-66 FG, 18-22 FT)

Clarence "Bevo" Francis has the NCAA all-division record of 113 points, for Rio Grande College (now the University of Rio Grande) against Hillsdale College, 11 days before Selvy's mark. Francis also holds the NAIA mark of 116 points for Rio against Ashland College on January 19, 1953, but this is not recognized by the NCAA because it did not occur in a game against a four-year institution.

No one else has ever scored 100 points in an NCAA game, let alone against a Division I school. The next-most is 72, by Kevin Bjiko for US International University (now Alliant International University) in a 186-140 loss to Loyola Marymount University on January 5, 1991.

US High School

According to the National High School Sports Record Book, 15 boys have scored 100 points in US high school basketball games. (Other sources list up to 18.) The most notable player ever to do so is former NBA player Dajuan Wagner, who scored exactly 100 for Camden High (NJ) in a 157-67 victory over Gloucester Township Technical School on January 16th, 2001.

Four girls have also scored 100 points in a high school game: Epiphanny Prince of New York (113), Cheryl Miller (105), Lisa Leslie (101 in the first half before the opposing team forfeited) and Linda Page (100).

The all-time record for points scored in a basketball game is held by Danny Heater, who scored 135 for Burnsville High (WV) in a 173-43 win against Widen High on January 26th, 1960.

Other Levels

In the 1923 Far Eastern Games, Luis "Lou" Salvador of the Philippines' achieved the all-time record for the most points scored by a player in a single game in international competition. He scored 116 points to lead the Philippines and beat China to recapture the gold medal.

Dražen Petrović, then playing for Cibona Zagreb, scored 112 points (shooting 40 for 60 from the floor) against SMELT Olimpija during a European League Game on October 10th, 1985

Two players have scored over one hundred points in a single game in Philippine Basketball Association league competition. Michael Hackett of Ginebra scored 103 points against Great Taste on November 21, 1985. Nearly seven years later, on October 10, 1992, Tony Harris of Swift broke that record when he scored 105 points against Ginebra in a game that was played in Iloilo City.[1] Both Hackett and Harris were American "imports".

Croatian Zdenko Babic playing for KK Zadar scored 144 points in a 1985 Korać Cup game against Apoel (Cyprus).

Former UConn star Denham Brown scored a Canadian high-school record 111 points for West Hill Collegiate Institute against R.H. King in Toronto, Ontario on February 7, 2002.

Most recently, a 13-year-old Croatian player named Marin Ferenčević scored 178 points in a game for the under-14 team KK Virovitica. He had previously scored 101 points in a single game.

Brazilian female superstar, Hortência Marcari, scored 121 points on a professional game in 1990, the most ever for female professional players.

Retired Latvian basketball player, Aigars Zeidaks, scored 100 points against "Valmiera" on a professional game in Latvian Basketball League - LBL. He did it in 34 minutes while shooting 45 of 56 from the floor and 9 of 14 from the free throw line. It happened at 1995, 4.february, between "SWH/Broceni" and "Valmiera".

New Zealand International Phill Jones scored 105 points in a game at club level in 1998.

So yesterday I started with Drazen Petrovic,and today there is story of another Croatian in NBA, and his life... ladies and gentleman I present you life story of PISTOL PETE MARAVICH.

Peter Press Maravich (June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988) was an American basketball player of Croatian heretige known for his dazzling ballhandling, incredible shooting abilities, and creative passing. He learned at a very young age fundamental basketball and ball handling drills from his father coach Press Maravich. He would follow his father and coach throughout the eastern and gulf seaboards as a young man before exploding onto the National Basketball Association (NBA) in his own right.

Nicknamed "Pistol Pete", Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University and for three NBA teams. Maravich is still the all-time leading NCAA Division I scorer, averaging a staggering 44.2 points per game, without the benefit of a three-point line and despite the fact that when Pete was in his first year of college, the NCAA had separate freshmen and varsity basketball teams and freshmen were not allowed to play on the varsity team.

Early life

Maravich was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, a small steel town in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Maravich amazed his family and friends with his basketball abilities from an early age. His father Press Maravich, a former professional player turned coach, showed Pete the fundamentals starting when Pete was seven years old. Maravich would obsessively spend hours practicing ball control tricks, passes, head fakes, and long range shots. The elder Maravich required his son to make 100 shots from the half-court line in their driveway every night after supper before he would be allowed to go to bed. Maravich claimed he often made 99 straight before deliberately missing the next several shots just so he could continue playing ball outside. Maravich's father claims that at the age of 3 the younger Maravich once succeeded in making 500 consecutive free throws one evening after school, stopping only when it became too dark to see the rim, illuminated only by the elder Maravich's flashlight. Pete got his nickname, "the Pistol," in elementary school. He would shoot the ball from the side like he was holding a shotgun. Since he wasn't strong enough to shoot it from the front someone from a newspaper said "He shoots like he's holding a pistol.

College

When he took the court for his first freshman game at LSU, a large crowd turned out to see what all the fuss was about.

In those days, freshman players did not play with the varsity squad. So, after Maravich put up 50 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists on Southeastern Louisiana College, the crowd got up and went home, ignoring the varsity game. And so it would go the rest of the season, as LSU's freshman squad lost only one game, while the varsity team won only three.

Noted for his mop of brown hair and floppy socks, Maravich scored more points in college than any other player in history. In only three years playing for his father Press Maravich at LSU, Maravich scored 3,667 points — 1,138 points in 1968, 1,148 points in 1969 and 1,381 points in 1970 while averaging 43.8, 44.2 and 44.5 points per game. In the process, "Pistol Pete" set 11 NCAA and 34 Southeastern Conference records, as well as every LSU record in points scored, scoring average, field goals attempted and made, and free throws attempted and made, and assists. In his collegiate career, the 6' 5" (1.96 m) guard averaged an incredible 44.2 points per game in 83 contests and led the NCAA in scoring three times. He also set an NCAA record by scoring more than 50 points 28 times. He was named a three-time All-American and still holds many of these records, more than 35 years later. Notably, his 3,667 points don't factor in the 741 he scored his freshman year, or the fact that they played without a three-point line.

Maravich was a three time first team All-American and was named The Sporting News' player of the year in 1970, and received the USBWA College Player of the Year and Naismith Award as well. He scored a personal record of 69 points versus Alabama during a game that year, and garnered numerous other awards and college records. Pete Maravich was classified as one of the greatest players in college basketball history who never played in the NCAA tournament.

Maravich shone on the court and LSU slowly turned around a lackluster program. The year before he arrived, the varsity posted a 3-20 record. In Pete's senior season, LSU was 20-8 and participated in the NIT, where they were defeated by Marquette 101-79 in the semi-finals. Maravich was also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon while at LSU.

NBA

After graduating from LSU in 1970, Maravich was the third selection in the first round of that year's NBA player draft and made league history when he signed a $1.6 million contract — one of the highest salaries at the time — with the Atlanta Hawks. He wasted little time becoming a prime time player by averaging 23.2 points per game his rookie season and being named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. After spending four seasons in Atlanta, Maravich was traded to the New Orleans Jazz for 8 players, where he peaked as an NBA showman and superstar. He made the All-NBA First Team in 1976 and 1977 and the All-NBA Second Team in 1973 and 1978. He led the NBA in scoring in the 1976-77 with 31.1 points per game. Prior to the 1979-80 season, Maravich moved with the team to Utah. He was waived by the Jazz on January 18, 1980 and was quickly picked up by the Boston Celtics where he played the rest of the season alongside Larry Bird. Maravich retired in the fall of 1980.

In ten NBA seasons, Maravich, a five time NBA All-Star, scored 15,948 points in 658 games for a 24.2 points per game average (16th All Time). His NBA single game high, a 68-point explosion before fouling out, came against the New York Knicks on February 25, 1977.

Later life and death

A leg injury during the 1977-78 NBA season started the downward spiral into alcoholism, and signaled the decline of his career. After the injury forced him to leave basketball in the fall of 1980, Maravich became a recluse for two years. Through it all, Maravich said he was searching "for life." He tried the practices of yoga and Hinduism, read Trappist monk Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain and took an interest in the field of ufology, the study of unidentified flying objects. He also explored vegetarianism and macrobiotics. In 1982, he became a Christian and began traveling the country sharing his new found faith in Jesus Christ.

A few years prior to his death, Maravich said, "I want to be remembered as a Christian, a person that serves Him to the utmost. Not as a basketball player."

On January 5, 1988, Pete Maravich collapsed and died, at age 40, of a heart attack just after playing in a pickup basketball game at the First Church of the Nazarene in Pasadena with a group that included Focus on the Family head James Dobson. (Maravich had flown out from his home in Louisiana to tape a segment for Dobson's radio show later that day.) An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a rare congenital defect; he had been born with a missing left coronary artery, a vessel which supplies blood to the muscle fibers of the heart. His right coronary artery was grossly enlarged and had been compensating for the defect.

"He'll be remembered always", former LSU head basketball coach Dale Brown said on hearing the news of Maravich's death. "When we see some tousled-haired kid with drooping socks standing on some semi-darkened court or in a yard after everyone else has gone home, he will be shooting a basketball, and we will remember Pete."

At the age of 25 and years before his death, Maravich told Pennsylvania reporter, Andy Nuzzo, "I don't want to play 10 years in the NBA and then die of a heart attack at 40."

Maravich is buried at Resthaven Gardens of Memory and Mausoleum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Legacy

Maravich was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in May 1987. He is the youngest player ever to be inducted.

After Maravich's death, Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer signed a proclamation officially renaming the LSU home court the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in 1988.

In 1991, a biographical film dramatizing his 8th grade season entitled, The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend, was released.

In 1996, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History by a panel made up of NBA historians, former players, and coaches. He was the only deceased player on the list.

In 2001, a comprehensive 90-minute documentary film debuted on CBS entitled, Pistol Pete: The Life and Times of Pete Maravich.

In 2005, ESPNU named Maravich the greatest college basketball player of all-time.

In 2007, two biographies of Maravich were released:

MARAVICH by Wayne Federman and Marshall Terrill, and

Pistol by Mark Kriegel

Pete is survived by his two sons Jaeson and Josh who both carry on the Maravich name in collegiate play.

Jaeson at William Carey College and Josh at Louisiana State University.

Collegiate

The Sporting News College Player of the Year (1970)

USBWA College Player of the Year (1969, 1970)

Naismith Award Winner (1970)

The Sporting News All-America First Team (1968, 1969, 1970)

Three-time AP and UPI First-Team All-America (1968, 1969, 1970)

Holds NCAA career record for most points (3,667, 44.2 ppg, three-year career) in 83 games

Holds NCAA career record for highest points per game average (44.2 ppg)

Holds NCAA record for most field goals made (1,387) and attempted (3,166)

Holds NCAA record for most free throws made (893) and attempted (1,152)

Holds NCAA record for most games scoring at least 50 points (28)

Holds NCAA single-season record for most points (1,381) and highest per game average (44.5 ppg) in 1970

Holds NCAA single-season record for most field goals made (522) and attempted (1,168) in 1970

Holds NCAA single-season record for most games scoring at least 50 points (10) in 1970

Holds NCAA single-game record for most free throws made (30 of 31) against Oregon State on Dec. 22, 1969

Led the NCAA Division I in scoring with 43.8 ppg (1968); 44.2 (1969) and 44.5 ppg (1970)

Averaged 43.6 ppg on the LSU freshman team (1967)

Scored a career-high 69 points vs. Alabama (Feb. 7, 1970); 66 vs. Tulane (Feb. 10, 1969); 64 vs. Kentucky (Feb. 21, 1970); 61 vs. Vanderbilt (Dec. 11, 1969);

Holds LSU records for most field goals in a game (26) against Vanderbilt on Jan. 29, 1969 and attempted (57) against Vanderbilt

All-Southeastern Conference (1968, 1969, 1970)

In 1988, Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer signed legislation changing the official name of LSU's home court to the Maravich Assembly Center

#23 Jersey retired by LSU (2007)

One of only 4 players to have his number retired by a team he never played for ( New Orleans Hornets)

In 1970, Maravich led LSU to a 20-8 record and a third place finish in the NIT .

Professional

NBA All-Rookie Team

All-NBA First Team (1976, 1978)

All-NBA Second Team (1973, 1978)

Five-time NBA All-Star (1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979)

Scored 15,948 points (24.2 ppg) in 658 games

Top 16 scoring average NBA history (24.2)

Led the NBA in scoring (31.1 ppg) in 1977, his career best

Scored a career-high 68 points against the New York Knicks on Feb. 25, 1977

Shares NBA single-game record for most free throws made in one quarter (14) on Nov. 28, 1973 against Buffalo

Shares NBA single-game record for most free throws attempted in one quarter (16) on Jan. 2, 1973 against Chicago

#7 jersey retired by the Utah Jazz (1985)

#7 jersey retired by the Superdome (1988)

NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)

#7 jersey retired by the New Orleans Hornets (2003)

Dra�...¾en Petrović (October 22, 1964 â€" June 7, 1993) was a Croatian basketball player. A tireless shooter and prolific scorer, Petrović is arguably the most celebrated basketball player ever to emerge from Europe. He is considered the crucial part of the vanguard to the present-day mass influx of European players into the NBA. Early years

Born in �...� ibenik, a city on the Croatian coast, Dra�...¾en Petrović was the second child of father Jovan "Jole" Petrović and mother Biserka. The couple's first child, Aleksandar, would be the first one to tread the basketball path, providing a lead for young Dra�...¾en to follow.

�...� ibenka

At the age of thirteen Dra�...¾en started playing in the youth selections of the local BC �...� ibenka; at the age of fifteen he had already made the first team, just as �...� ibenka earned a place in the national first division. With young Petrović as the star of the team, �...� ibenka reached the final of the Radivoj Korać Cup twice (1982 and 1983), losing to CSP Limoges both times. In 1983 the 18 year-old Petrović hit two free throws for �...� ibenka's victory over BC Bosna Sarajevo in the final playoff game of the Yugoslavian club championship, but the title was taken away from �...� ibenka the next day by the national basketball federation and awarded to Bosna shortly after, with irregularities in refereeing cited as the reason.

CIBONA

After spending a year serving the compulsory time in the military, Petrović followed his brother's footsteps and moved to BC Cibona Zagreb to form, at that time, the best backcourt duo in Europe. The very first year in Cibona he won both the Yugoslav championship and the national cup. To top it all off, the 87-78 victory over Real Madrid, to which Petrović contributed with 36 points, brought him and Cibona their first European Cup title. The second came the following year, as Petrović scored 22 points and Cibona defeated BC �...½algiris Kaunas, which starred the legendary Arvydas Sabonis. The same year brought another national cup title for Cibona, seeing Petrović score 46 against the old rival Bosna. In 1987 Petrović earned his third European trophy: a European Cup Winners Cup title against BC Scavolini Pesaro, whose net he filled with 28 points.

Petrović's scoring average during the four years with Cibona stood at 37.7 points in the Yugoslavian first division and 33.8 in European competitions, with personal one-time bests of 112 and 62 points, respectively.His scoring sheet was often known to show 40, 50, even 60 in a single game; in an 1986 European League game against Limoges, Petrović scored ten 3-pointers, including seven in a row during a first half stretch, for a final tally of 51 points and 10 assists; the same season he scored 45 points and dished out 25 assists against the reigning Italian champions Simac. Self-admittedly, Petrović needed new challenges, which Cibona and the Yugoslavian league could not offer. Across the Atlantic, the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA had already used their third round pick on young Petrović in 1986. However, he decided to postpone his departure to the United States and in 1988 signed with Real Madrid instead, for at that time a hefty sum of around US$ 4 million

Real Madrid

The 1988-1989 season saw Petrović wear the colors of the Spanish royal club, Real Madrid. Although the national championship barely escaped them, as they lost to Barcelona in the fifth and decisive game of the final series, Petrović helped Real to the national cup title over their Catalonian rivals. Petrović also lead the club to victory in the European Cup Winners Cup final against Snaidero Caserta by tying his previous best scoring performance in European competitions (62 points). His first season in the ACB was also his last, but he still holds ACB single performance bests in a final series game in points made (42) and three-pointers made (8).

Motivated by the challenge and pressured by the Portland Trail Blazers, who had drafted him 60th overall back in 1986, Petrović finally stood firm in the decision to try and establish himself in the NBA. He left Spain rather abruptly at the end of the season; the Blazers assisted in buying out his contract with Real (for as much as US$ 1.5 million) and Petrović joined the Blazers for the 1989-1990 season.

Portland

In his many statements prior to arriving in Portland, Petrović voiced lack of playing time as the only possible obstacle to his success in the NBA; in his first season with the Blazers, those concerns were realized. With Portland's starting backcourt of Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter already established, the reigning European Player of the Year was reduced to playing 12 minutes per game - minutes collected largely in "garbage time" - allowing him a mere 7.4 points per game. The beginning of the 1990-1991 season brought Petrović's frustration to a climax, as his playing time dropped to 7 minutes a game. At his insistence, 38 games into the season (in 20 of which Petrović didn't see any playing time), a three-way trade with the Denver Nuggets sent him to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for a first-round pick in the following draft.

New Jersey

On January 23, 1991, Petrović became a member of the New Jersey Nets. Petrović was now a part of a team that featured two of the best young prospects in the league, Kenny Anderson and Derrick Coleman, but a team that hadn't reached the playoffs since 1986. Determined to not let the Portland episode repeat, he immediately responded to the increased playing time (20.5 minutes per game), holding a scoring average of 12.6 points per game in 43 games with the Nets. His first complete season with the Nets was truly stellar: not missing a single game, Petro, as the Americans had dubbed him, averaged 20.6 points in 36.9 minutes on the floor, nearly leading all NBA guards in field goal percentage (51%); he established himself as the team leader and was named team MVP. More significantly, his success translated into team success, as the Nets recorded 14 more wins than the season before and made the playoffs. For his encore, in 1992-1993 season Petrović increased his scoring average (22.3, 11th best that season) and repeated the excellent three-point field goal percentage from the previous season (45%), again nearly leading all guards in field goal percentage (52%). American media honored him with a selection to the All-NBA 3rd Team. However, a failure to receive an invitation to the 1993 All-Star game came as a great disappointment to Petrović; among the top 13 scorers in the NBA that season, he was the only one not invited.

National teams

Petrović's national team debut came at the age of 15, at the U-18 Balkan Championship in Turkey, where the Yugoslavian junior team won the bronze. The young man regularly played for the Yugoslavian national team in the Balkan Championships, also winning gold with the junior team and silver with the senior team. In 1982 he also brought back the silver from the European Championship for Junior Men in Greece.

The 1984 Summer Olympics were Petrović's first competition of a grand scale with the senior national team, and the bronze medal won in Los Angeles that summer became his first Olympic trophy. Third place was also earned at the World Championship in 1986, remembered for the last minute thriller in the semi-final game against the Soviet Union. From the European Championship in 1987 Petrović again returned with bronze, as Yugoslavia lost to the hosts and gold medalists Greece. The University Games, held in Zagreb in 1987, saw the Yugoslavian squad with Petrović win the gold. In the 1988 Summer Olympics Yugoslavia with Petrović earned 2nd place, as they lost once more to the Soviet powerhouse.An excellent club season with Real Madrid was topped by Petrović's 1989 accomplishment with the national team: at the Eurobasket in Zagreb the young Yugoslavian team went all the way, defeating Greece more than comfortably in the championship game. Petrović was the tournament's second leading scorer and most valuable player. The very next year, the summer in between the two most frustrating seasons of his professional career, as he struggled for playing time with the Trail Blazers, Petrović was again making history with the national team, as Yugoslavia became world champions, beating the Soviet Union for the gold in Buenos Aires.

1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona marked the first summer olympiad featuring the independent Croatia, and Petrović was the leader of the Croatian national basketball team at the Olympic basketball tournament. Losing only to the American Dream Team in round-robin play, a strong and inspired Croatian team emerged victorious from the semi-final against the revamped Soviet team thanks to clutch free throws executed by Petrović, and faced off against the Americans for the gold. Urged on by Petrović's competitiveness and confidence, the Croatians fared well in the first ten minutes of the game, taking a 25-23 lead on a Franjo Arapović dunk and the subsequent free-throw. As the game progressed, however, the now-legendary team composed of NBA stars proved too tough for Croatia: the Americans won 117-85, sending Petrović, the game's leading scorer with 24 points, and his teammates home with silver medals.

In the period during which Petrović played for the Croatian national team (from 1992 to 1993), he appeared in 40 games and scored 1002 points. His highest point tally came against Estonia on May 31st, 1993 (48 points).

Death and posthumous glory

In the summer of 1993, after his best NBA season and the Nets' first-round elimination by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Petrović traveled to Poland, where the Croatian national team was playing a qualification tournament for the 1993 Eurobasket. He was contemplating departure from the Nets, disappointed with tension between himself and, to his belief, envious teammates, as well as the fact that the Nets had not yet extended his contract. He told American reporters that the lack of recognition in the league had him also considering leaving the NBA completely and playing club basketball in Greece; there were at least two Greek clubs ready to offer Petrović three-year contracts worth US$ 7.5 million. It was rumored that Petrović verbally agreed on terms with Panathinaikos BC; these rumors gave rise to the story of PAO's owner, Pavlos Giannakopoulos, allegedly offering the Nets' star a signed contract with blank honorarium terms, which became a part of Petrović's legend. For personal reasons, Petrović decided not to return to Croatia from Poland together with his teammates, but in a private vehicle.

Dra�...¾en Petrović died as a passenger in a car involved in a traffic accident on the rain-drenched Autobahn 9 at Denkendorf, near Ingolstadt, in the German state of Bavaria, at approximately 17:20 on June 7th, 1993, four and a half months before his 29th birthday.

According to the report of the Ingolstadt police, that afternoon a truck broke through the Autobahn median; the driver was trying to avoid a collision with a private vehicle in his own lane and lost control of the truck, which crashed through the highway barrier and finally came to a stop, only to block all three lanes of traffic in the Munich direction. It was seconds later that the VW Golf carrying a sleeping Petrović in the passenger seat crashed into the truck, killing only him, and leaving the driver - Klara Szalantzy, a German model and basketball player with whom Petrović was romantically involved - and Hilal Haene, a female Turkish basketball player, with grave injuries. It was established that visibility on the road was very poor and that Petrović was not wearing a seatbelt.

Dra�...¾en Petrović's tomb at Mirogoj had instantly become a sanctuary for his compatriots. The Cibona stadium was renamed the Dra�...¾en Petrović Basketball Hall on October 4, 1993, and the city of Zagreb dedicated a square in his name. The Nets retired his number 3 jersey on November 11, 1993. Since 1994, the MVP award at the McDonald's Championship has borne the name Drazen Petrovic Trophy. On April 29, 1995, a statue commemorating Petrović's significance to the world of sports was erected in front of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, thus making him only the second athlete to receive this honor. On July 9th 2001, having defeated Patrick Rafter to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon, Croatian tennis player Goran Ivani�...¡ević dedicated the win to his late friend Petrović; Ivani�...¡ević wore Petrović's Nets jersey amidst the 100,000 strong crowd celebrating his victory in Split. Petrović was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2006, the 13th anniversary of Petrović's death was marked with the opening of the Dra�...¾en Petrović Memorial Center in Zagreb, a grand temple dedicated to Petrović's person and achievements, with ten themed galleries of multimedia content outlining his entire career. In 2007, he was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame.

Reactions

" It's hard for you to imagine here in America, because you have so many great players, but we are a country of four million; without him, basketball takes three steps back. "

â€"Aleksandar "Aco" Petrović



" You know, there is a saying that we have about JFK, John F. Kennedy - "You know, Johnny, we never got to know you." And I kind of feel that way about Drazen. I felt that the whole year that I was with him went by too fast and I really never got to know him the way I would have liked to. "

â€"Chuck Daly



" Drazen and I were very good friends. I was one of those people who welcomed him to Portland when he came from Europe. We talked about his family a lot in his restaurant, and he enjoyed his friends and he enjoyed the game of basketball. I really respect him because he worked very, very hard. Each and every day in practice he would be the first guy to come and the last guy to leave the gym. So anybody with that kind of dedication...you have to have a lot of respect for him. "

â€"Clyde Drexler



" Drazen Petrovic was an extraordinary young man, and a true pioneer in the global sports of basketball. I know that a lasting part of his athletic legacy will be that he paved the way for other international players to compete successfully in the NBA. His contributions to the sport of basketball were enormous. We are all proud of the fact we knew him. "

â€"David Stern



" It was a thrill to play against Drazen. Every time we competed, he competed with an aggressive attitude. He wasn't nervous; he came at me as hard as I came at him. So, we've had some great battles in the past and unfortunately, they were short battles.

PERSONAL BESTS

YUBA most points scored by an individual in a league game (112)

ACB most points scored by an individual in a final series game (42)

ACB most 3PT field goals made by an individual in a final series game (8)

NBA 1991-92 second highest 3PT field goal percentage (.444)

NBA 1991-92 fourth highest field goal percentage among guards (.508)

NBA 1992-93 second highest 3PT field goal percentage (.449)

NBA 1992-93 second highest field goal percentage among guards (.518)

NBA most 3PT field goals made with none missed in a three-game playoff series (2; tied with two other)

NBA third best career 3PT field goal percentage (.437)

A museum named The Dra�...¾en Petrović Memorial Center was founded in his honor, and constitutes a co-operative effort led by the Dra�...¾en Petrović Foundation in conjunction with the Croatian government, the City of Zagreb and the Croatian Museum of Sports. The memorial center idea originated from Petrović's parents, Biserka and Jole Petrovic, and was supported with the contributions of renowned Croatian architects Andrija Rusan and Niksa Bilic. All of the articles presented in the center have been collected and categorized by the Croatian Museum of Sports. The organization and operations of the center have been provided by the Dra�...¾en Petrović Foundation, which is led by Petrović's family. For the actualization of the center several generous contributions have been made from members of the Croatian government, Zagreb city officials, well known athletes and friends of Petrović as well as companies and many fans and anonymous citizens throughout the world. Center contains his No. 3 New Jersey Nets jersey and the watch that stopped when he died in a car crash 13 years ago. The center features 1,000 memorabilia items and a video of his basketball highlights.

The official opening of the museum was held on June 7, 2006, while the official opening of the center to the public began at the end of December 2006. The center is open daily from 10:00 am till 2 pm and afternoons from 5:00 pm till 8:00 pm. The plaza on which the center is operated upon has been renamed to Plaza Dra�...¾en Petrović in his honor

DEATHS IN F 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

In F1 history, from 1954 to 1994, 27 drivers have died during race or in free practice or qualifying session. In addition, spectators or track workers have died due to incidents in the 1953 Argentine Grand Prix, 1961 Italian Grand Prix, 1962 Monaco Grand Prix, 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, 1977 South African Grand Prix, 1977 Japanese Grand Prix, 1981 Belgian Grand Prix, 2000 Italian Grand Prix and 2001 Australian Grand Prix.

1954, July 31: Marimon, Onofre, 1954 German Grand Prix, during qualifying session

1958, July 6: Musso, Luigi, 1958 French Grand Prix

1958, August 3: Collins, Peter, 1958 German Grand Prix

1958, October 25: Lewis-Evans, Stuart, 1958 Morocco Grand Prix, in hospital six days after race accident

1960, June 19: Bristow, Chris, 1960 Belgian Grand Prix

1960, June 19: Stacey, Alan, 1960 Belgian Grand Prix

1961, September 10: Berghe von Trips, Wolfgang, 1961 Italian Grand Prix

1964, August 2: de Beaufort, Carel Godin, 1964 German Grand Prix, during qualifying session

1966, August 7: Taylor, John, 1966 German Grand Prix

1967, May 7: Bandini, Lorenzo, 1967 Monaco Grand Prix

1968, July 7: Schlesser, Jo, 1968 French Grand Prix

1969, August 1: Mitter, Gerhard, 1969 German Grand Prix, during qualifying session

1970, June 21: Courage, Piers, 1970 Dutch Grand Prix

1970, September 6: Rindt, Jochen, 1970 Italian Grand Prix, during qualifying session

1973, July 29: Williamson, Roger, 1973 Dutch Grand Prix

1973, October 7: Cevert, François, 1973 United States Grand Prix, during qualifying session

1974, March 22: Revson, Peter, 1974 South African Grand Prix, during free practice, one week before race

1974, October 6: Koinigg, Helmuth, 1974 United States Grand Prix

1975, August 17: Donohue, Mark, 1975 Austrian Grand Prix, during warm up session

1977, March 5: Pryce, Tom, 1977 South African Grand Prix

1978, September 11: Peterson, Ronnie, 1978 Italian Grand Prix, in hospital one day after accident

1980, August 1: Depailler, Patrick, 1980 German Grand Prix, during Alfa Romeo free practice, ten days before race

1982, May 8: Villeneuve, Gilles, 1982 Belgian Grand Prix, during qualifying session

1982, June 13: Paletti, Riccardo, 1982 Canadian Grand Prix

1986, May 15: de Angelis, Elio, during Brabham testing in France, The Paul Ricard Circuit

1994, April 30: Ratzenberger, Roland, 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, during qualifying session

1994, May 1: Senna, Ayrton, 1994 San Marino Grand Prix

DEADLIEST RACE CIRCUITS

CIRCUIT DEATHS YEARS

1 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 8 1953 1959

2 Nürburgring 5 1954 1969

3 Modena Autodrome 3 1953 1961

Autodromo Nazionale Monza 1961 1978

6 Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 2 1960 1960

Silverstone Circuit 1960 1967

Circuit Zandvoort 1970 1973

Watkins Glen International 1973 1974

Brands Hatch 1971 1977

Kyalami 1974 1977

Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari 1994 1994

11 Reims-Gueux 1 1958

Ain-Diab Circuit 1958

Charade Circuit 1959

Westmead Circuit 1962

Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez 1962

Circuit de Monaco 1967

Rouen-Les-Essarts 1968

Österreichring 1975

Hockenheimring 1980

Zolder 1982

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve 1982

Circuit Paul Ricard 1986

[edit] Notes

^ a b c d e f g The Indianapolis 500 was part of the World Championship from 1950 until 1960. In this context, an Indianapolis 500 "event" includes both the race itself and all the testing, practice and qualifying sessions in the so-called "month of May" leading up to the race.

^ International Trophy was not a part of the 1960 world championship.

^ Although both drivers died at the same Grand Prix, Alan Stacey and Chris Bristow were not involved in the same accident. Bristow died on the 19th lap after being thrown out of his car, a result of losing control of his car at Malmedy, while Stacey died on the 24th lap after a bird flew into his face and he lost control of his car.

^ Fifteen spectators were also killed in Von Trips' fatal accident.

^ At the age of 20 years, 8 months and 18 days, Ricardo Rodríguez is the youngest person to have suffered a fatal accident in Formula One.

^ Hocking was killed in a Formula One Testing Session He was killed one week prior to his first Formula One Grand Prix.

^ John Taylor died of serious burns a few weeks after the accident on September 8, 1966 in Koblenz, Germany.

^ Lorenzo Bandini died of serious burns three days after his accident .

^ Mitter was driving a Formula Two car. F2 cars were allowed to take part in the F1 race as part of a separate contest.

^ After his death, Jochen Rindt was declared champion after his rivals failed to overhaul his points tally four Grands Prix later.

^ The Brands Hatch Victory Race was not a part of the 1971 world championship.

^ As well as Tom Pryce, Jansen Van Vuuren, a teenage volunteer safety marshal, died in the accident after Pryce collided with him at high speed.

^ McGuire was killed in a Shellsport Formula One Race at Brands Hatch, which was not part of the Formula One Championship.

^ Shellsport Champioship Round 11 was not a part of the 1977 world championship.

^ Peterson died in hospital the following day.

^ Villeneuve died in hospital later that day.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME...

The Beginning

Michael Schumacher started out his racing career in the same way as all the great drivers, in karting. At four years old his father built him a kart and soon after enrolled him in the local kart club Kerpen Horrom. Michael's problem was that in Germany the regulations stated the minimum permissible age to obtain a kart license was 14. To get around this he obtained a Luxembourg license (obtainable from the age of 12). However in 1983 he obtained his German license and the year after he won the German Junior Kart Championship. From 1985 Schumacher drove for Eurokart dealer Adolf Neubert and once again took the title.

In 1989 Michael signed with Willi Weber, whose team WTS he would drive for during 1989 and 1990 in the Formula 3 Championship. Weber paid the costs for both seasons (approximately 1 million DM). In the 1989 season Karl Wendlinger was champion, with Michael finishing 3rd behind Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

During 1990 and 1991 Schumacher moved into sports car racing, instead of the more usual step up to Formula 3000. Many managers believed this would block his progression to Formula 1, but Weber believed that exposure to professional press conferences and dealing with the cars of 700bhp would be beneficial.

Formula 1

The Belgian Grand Prix of 1991 at Spa was Michael's debut in the world's top racing series. His lucky break came as a result of Bertrand Gachot being imprisoned for spraying CS gas into a London taxi driver's face. Qualifying 7th, he unfortunately retired on the first lap from this race with clutch failure of his Jordan-Ford. Although Eddie Jordan wished to sign Michael to the team, Schumacher was advised by Weber to act cautiously, as Jordan was to use factory Yamaha power the following year. They suspected this engine might prove to be second class and they were proved correct.

Subsequent to this Michael moved to the Benetton team, replacing Roberto Moreno. He competed in five more grand prix that season with Nelson Piquet as team mate. In 1992 Schumacher was partnered with Martin Brundle and his first victory was 1 year after his debut at Spa. During 1993 Ricardo Patrese partnered Michael, that being Patrese's last year in F1. Michael's second win came at the 1993 Portuguese GP.

In the 1994 season with an under powered Ford Zetec V8 he took his first Driver's Championship, after the death of Ayrton Senna at Imola. It came after a season of several run-ins with the FIA and he was disqualified from the British and Belgian Grands Prix. Michael was also put under a two race ban during the Italian and Portuguese GP that year. The race bans were a result of not adhering to a black flag (driver disqualified) at Silverstone that year. Instead of coming in, he continued on to win the race - the team had hoped that a later appeal would overturn the disqualification and hence keep the victory he obtained. The disqualification was a result of Michael overtaking Damon Hill on the parade lap, a seemingly psychological manoeuvre. In a controversial last round at the Australian GP Michael entered leading Damon Hill by one point. On the 36th lap Schumacher made an unbecoming mistake and banged the wall, damaging his rear suspension. He made it back on the track and as Damon Hill came to pass him on the next corner, Michael turned in on the Williams car. Hill's front suspension was badly damaged and both cars were out of the race. Hence Michael gained the crown.

The 1995 season was just as successful. Schumacher now had Renault power, to match the Williams and he dominated the season. It was marred however by several collisions between himself and Hill. In a particularly stupid overtaking manoeuvre Hill took them both out of the British GP near the start of the race. Having taken 9 GP wins, Michael finished the season to take his second Championship.

The 1996 season saw Michael move to Ferrari with a reported salary of $30 million He stated the need for a new challenge as his reasoning, it being to return Ferrari to the pinnacle of motorsport. Eddie Irvine moved from Jordan to become his team mate in the same year. The Ferrari F310 car had poor handling and it was a testament to Michael's ability that he managed to gain three wins. One of his wins, at the Spanish GP of that year was a wet race and is regarded as one of the best drives ever. His method of attaining time from the car resulted in somewhat flamboyant and uncharacteristic driving, with oversteering et al. With a lack of competitors Hill finally managed to take the world championship.

With Damon Hill being dumped from Williams in 1997, Michael's main rival became former CART champion Jacques Villeneuve. The Ferrari was more reliable and a somewhat less than spectacular early season for Villeneuve allowed Michael to provide a challenge. He took 5 GP wins and at the last race of the season Michael was ahead in the championship by just one point. Mid way through leading the race in Jerez, Schumacher's lap times began to drop off and concern was raised about the condition of his car. As Villeneuve came to pass on a corner, Michael turned in on him. His wheel banged the Canadian's sidepod but the Williams seemed undamaged. Michael wound up in a gravel trap and was out of the race, with Villeneuve finishing third to take the title. In a decision by the FIA Schumacher was disqualified from the whole of the season as punishment for his manoeuvre in that race.

In 1998 the McLaren's dominating the season convincingly and Michael was the only driver to come near them to provide a challenge. With the Ferrari improving significantly throughput the season and being particularly faster in the second half, Michael gained 6 wins and 5 other podiums. With the later outlawed mini sidepod wings the Ferrari's took an historic 1-2 at the Italian GP at Imola that year.

Michael's accident at the British GP in 1999 killed his chances of taking the title. Prior to that it looked very probable that he would take it. Looking back on the season and the relative performances of McLaren and Ferrari it seems likely he would have done so. The fact that Irvine was so close to Hakkinen in the championship at the end, surely indicates that Schumacher would have had it wrapped up long before, had he been able to compete. However he returned to drive the second two races of the season and astounded the paddock with his speed, leaving the pack behind. Excuses from drivers such as Coulthard and Irvine included that he'd had a nice rest at home and they were tired out after a full season of races.

Karting History

Year Position Championship

1984 1st German Junior Kart Championship

1985 1st

2nd German Junior Kart Championship

Junior World Kart Championship

1986 3rd

2nd

3rd German Senior Kart Championship

European Kart Championship (North Zone)

European Kart Championship Final

1987 1st

2nd

1st German Senior Kart Championship

European Kart Championship (North Zone)

European Kart Championship Final

Single Seater History

Year Position Championship

1988 1st

2nd

6th German Formula König Championship

European Formula Ford 1600 Championship

German Formula Ford 1600 Championship

1989 2nd (=) German Formula 3 Championship

1990 1st

DQ German Formula 3 Championship

European Formula 3 Cup

1991 2nd All-Japan Formula 3000 Championship

Sports Car History

Year Position Championship

1990 DNF

5th (=) German Touring Car Championship

Sports-Prototype World Championship

1991 DNF

9th (=) German Touring Car Championship

Sports-Prototype World Championship

Formula One History

Year Position Points Championship

1991 12th (=) 0 F1 World Championship

1992 3rd 53 F1 World Championship

1993 4th 52 F1 World Championship

1994 1st 92 F1 World Championship

1995 1st 102 F1 World Championship

1996 3rd 59 F1 World Championship

1997 2nd (DQ) - F1 World Championship

1998 2nd 86 F1 World Championship

1999 5th 44 F1 World Championship

2000 1st 108 F1 World Championship

2001 1st 123 F1 World Championship

2002 1st 144 F1 World Championship

2003 1st 93 F1 World Championship

Liverpool FC stormed into the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the third time in four years after a stunning finish to the game brought three goals in eight minutes and a disappointing end to Arsenal FC's campaign.

Frenetic pace

Liverpool looked on course for victory as goals from Sami Hyypiä and Fernando Torres, wiping out Abou Diaby's 13th-minute opener, left them leading going into the final minutes. Emmanuel Adebayor turned the tie on its head with six minutes remaining after a sensational run from Theo Walcott, but Arsenal's away-goal advantage was fleeting as Steven Gerrard converted a penalty moments later before Ryan Babel completed the scoring in added time.

Diaby strike

It left the home support in raptures, yet they had been quietened early on as the visitors began positively following the 1-1 first-leg draw in London. Adebayor appeared particularly threatening and Arsenal's attacking approach was richly rewarded when Diaby broke down the inside right channel, collected Aleksandr Hleb's pass and fired low towards Pepe Reina's near post. The goalkeeper seemed to have it covered but the ball cannoned off his knee and into the net.

Delayed reaction

Stunned by their dream start, Arsenal's fans at the opposite end did not immediately realise their side had moved ahead on aggregate, but that soon changed and they had more to shout about in the opening half-hour. The home team, marginal favourites at kick-off, looked anything but. Nervy and unable to retain possession, Reina came close to spilling a dangerous Gaël Clichy cross, his travails exemplifying Liverpool's struggle to settle.

Hyypiä header

Yet by the 30th minute the Reds were level. In their first serious assault on Arsenal's goal, Hyypiä escaped the attentions of Philippe Senderos to meet Gerrard's centre with a firm header, beating Cesc Fabregas standing on the goalline as it went in off the post. Anfield erupted and Liverpool grew in confidence. Arsenal had a further setback just before the break when Mathieu Flamini was carried off with an ankle injury, though the contest was all-square at the interval.

Crouch close

Liverpool set about changing that after the restart, Peter Crouch troubling Manuel Almunia with a low drive to get the crowd fired up. The towering England striker then almost inadvertently steered in Fábio Aurélio's wayward shot with his heel, following good work down the right flank by Torres as Rafael Benítez's men stepped it up. Arsenal were no longer the dominant force, and the match swung firmly in Liverpool's favour in the 69th minute when Crouch nodded on a long clearance by Reina and Torres expertly turned into space and fired the ball high past Almunia into the top corner – a stunning goal worthy of the occasion.

Late drama

It was merely the start of the drama. Arsenal briefly put themselves in pole position when Walcott sprinted past four Liverpool players before teeing up Adebayor. A minute later the initiative was wrested from Arsène Wenger's team when Kolo Touré was adjudged to have brought down Babel and Gerrard converted from the spot. Substitute Babel then calmed frayed nerves two minutes into added time, racing clear on the counterattack and sliding the ball past Almunia to cap an incredible evening.

Croatian football is in shock after 24-year-old NK Zadar forward Hrvoje Ćustić died from a head injury sustained during his side's league game against HNK Cibalia on 29 March.

'It's awful'

Ćustić was declared dead today, having never regained consciousness following the blow to his head. The player fell awkwardly after a challenge during the Cibalia match and, as his momentum carried him off the field of play, his head struck a concrete wall beyond the touchline. He was taken to hospital but, despite intensive treatment, his condition began to deteriorate yesterday. "It's awful," said Zadar captain Jakov Surać. "We are all crushed. I have lost a friend and team-mate." All of this weekend's Prva Liga fixtures have been postponed as the nation's football community comes to terms with the tragedy

teams that are compeating are:

1.Austria

2.Switzerland 3.Poland

4.Czech Republic

5.Turkey

6.Portugal

7.Netherlands

8.Italy

9.France

10.Romania

11.Croatia

12.Germany

13.Greece

14.Sweden

15.Russia

16.Spain

WILL CROATIA WIN EURO 2008 ?

There is pride in his voice as Slaven Bilić discusses EURO '96™. His generation was the first to represent Croatia in half a century and it was the first tournament his country had contested after the Balkan conflict. Ask him about the highs and lows of a career that spanned 14 years and included an appearance in a FIFA World Cup semi-final, and it is to that summer in England that he returns.

�...� uker goal

"As a player I was happy just to be a part of [the tournament] once," he told uefa.com. "I played in England â€" that's the place to play. The saddest moment in my career was when we lost to Germany in the quarter-finals. I thought we were better than them. My best memory though was when [Davor] �...� uker equalised to make the score 1-1 at Old Trafford. At that moment I felt like Manchester United were playing. There were a lot of German fans and a few Croatians but all the neutrals, when �...� uker scored…," he pauses, recalling the moment. "That was the best memory of my career." Matthias Sammer would strike the winner for Germany eight minutes later, but by then Croatia had already set an example for future generations.

'World class'

Now coach of the national side, Bilić believes there are clear similarities between his current side and that team. "We have similar character, a similar spirit, and we are even similar in our skill. You could say that team had more world class players because in midfield you had [Aljo�...¡a] Asanović, [Zvonomir] Boban, [Robert] Prosinečki and up front you had [Alen] Bok�...¡ić and �...� uker. But we hadn't had a chance to play before because of the war in Croatia. Most of us were 27 or 28 when we played in EURO '96 and the World Cup in 1998. This team is younger, unknown by the rest of Europe, but I'm positive it will have a similar number of world class players. It is a different time, but we have a good team now as well."

England defeated

Croatia proved that in qualifying, when they finished top of Group E and knocked out England by winning at Wembley. For Bilić it was another important step in the progress of a youthful side. Bilić was named Croatia coach after the 2006 FIFA World Cup having impressed with the Under-21s, many of whom will be joining the 39-year-old in Austria and Switzerland this summer. "When I put three of them, [Luka] Modrić, [Vedran] Ćorluka, Eduardo [da Silva] straight into the first XI in my first game, a friendly against Italy in Livorno, people said I was crazy, that I was too brave. But I could do it because I knew them, because they were progressing with me, not only in football, but in life. I simply knew they were going to be good, that they were ready to play at the highest level. It helped me a lot [being Under-21 manager] because I simply knew those guys."

Confidence

The ties are strong in the Croatia squad. Four of his assistants, Prosinečki, Nikola Jurčević, Marijan Mrmić and Asanović played alongside Bilić at EURO '96™. They are all close friends and together have passed on the spirit forged at that tournament. "We're a really strong nation, we have a good character," Bilić says. "But you do have to work on it." Nothing helps build confidence as much as winning and Bilić's side are getting stronger with every game. Victory at Wembley went a long way to proving that Croatia should not be taken lightly. "We're never going to be treated like England, France, Italy, Spain or Germany, but we are good. But in some ways I would like this lack of respect to continue because maybe teams think they can beat Croatia quite easily. But I think players know we're good and they respect us a lot."

Greece example

Group B opponents Austria, Germany and Poland will pay due respect in June. Eduardo's horrific injury has cast a shadow over Croatia's preparations, but will not dent confidence. "All I can do is guarantee we're going to do our best, that we're going to progress, that we're going to play some good football. I can't guarantee the results but that should bring us to the point where we'll be able to play against any team with equal chances of beating them. I was happy for Greece in 2004 because Greece gave hope to the smaller nations like us that we can do it."

Guitar man

To achieve that goal, keeping relaxed as well as focused will be key. For Bilić that means playing the guitar. "Some guys play golf, some guys play street football, others play chess, others spend hours on the internet. I play guitar and I need it to do my job properly. Sometimes it's my charger and sometimes it relaxes me but I definitely need it and can't do my job without music." Hearing the Croatian national anthem come kick off against Austria in Vienna on 8 June will be the sweetest music of all.