Tom Gola
Gola in 1953
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 13, 1933 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | January 26, 2014 (aged 81) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | La Salle (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| College | La Salle (1951–1955) |
| NBA draft | 1955 / Pick: Territorial |
| Selected by the Philadelphia Warriors | |
| Playing career | 1955–1966 |
| Position | Small forward / Shooting guard |
| Number | 15, 6 |
| Career history | |
| 1955–1962 | Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors |
| 1962–1966 | New York Knicks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Points | 7,871 (11.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,417 (7.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,962 (4.2 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
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College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
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| Tom Gola | |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia City Controller | |
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In office January 5, 1970 – January 7, 1974 |
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| Preceded by | Alexander Hemphill |
| Succeeded by | William Klenk |
| Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 170th district |
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In office January 7, 1969 – January 5, 1970 |
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| Preceded by | District Created |
| Succeeded by | Alvin Katz |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Gola (January 13, 1933 – January 26, 2014) was an American basketball player and politician. He is widely considered one of the greatest NCAA basketball players of all-time.
Gola was the oldest of seven children born to Ike and Helen Gola. Gola's father was a Philadelphia policeman of Polish descent who had shortened the family's surname from "Galinsky". Gola was praised as a great all-around player as a high school student at La Salle College High School, where he led the Explorers to a Philadelphia Catholic League Championship. He entered La Salle a year after another Philadelphia basketball Hall of Famer, Paul Arizin, graduated from Villanova.
Gola was one of the most talented collegiate athletes in Philadelphia sports history. He came to national attention while playing for the hometown La Salle University Explorers men's basketball team.
Gola starred as a college freshman and led La Salle to the 1952 N.I.T. championship. Gola paced the Explorers to the NCAA basketball championship in 1954 and was named Tournament MVP. That same season he was selected as National Player of the Year. As a senior, Gola helped La Salle finish as the runner-up in the 1955 NCAA Tournament. He averaged 20.9 points and 19.0 rebounds during 115 games and holds the NCAA record with 2,201 career rebounds. At 6'6" (198 cm), Gola was clearly a forward who could shoot/score, rebound and defend, but he also had the ballhandling (dribbling, passing) skills of a guard, and with his shooting range and All-Pro defensive skills, could play just as well in the backcourt. He was inducted into the La Salle Hall of Athletes in 1961 and the Big 5 Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1977, Tom Gola was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame. Gola was listed on "ESPN's Countdown to the Greatest" College basketball players as #17.
After a phenomenal college career, Gola turned pro with the Philadelphia Warriors as a territorial draft pick. He teamed with All-Pros Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston to lead the Warriors to an NBA championship in 1956. He gained praise for concentrating on defense, passing and rebounding and allowing the other two to be the chief scorers during these years.
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Wikipedia