Francisco Churruca

Francisco Maria Churruca Iriondo Azpiazu Alcorta (born 1 April 1936), also known as Patxi, is a Spanish former jai alai player. A native of Mutriku, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country,^[1][2] he is regarded as the game's greatest player^[3][4] and has been called "the Babe Ruth of jai alai."^[5] He retired in 1983, saying "I knew it was time to quit when my eyes were quicker than my legs."^[3]

He was referenced in the television series Mad Men (set in the world of 1960s American advertising), in a storyline involving a client's elaborate plan to promote jai alai as the "new national pastime" with Patxi as its figurehead.^[6]