Tom Gola
(1933-2014)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1976
Card Shown:
1995 Action Packed Hall of Fame
Position: SF/SG
Height: 6’6″
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Tom Gola was a basketball star and sports icon in the Philadelphia area. He starred at La Salle High School, led La Salle University to two titles, and later won an NBA championship with the Philadelphia Warriors. Gola was one of the top college players of his time, leaving La Salle as the first player with college career marks of over 2,000 points and 2,000 rebounds. Tom finished his career as one of only two men to win an NIT, NCAA, and NBA title.
Awards and Honors
- In 1952, Tom led La Salle University to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) title. For his efforts, he was selected the NIT Most Valuable Player.
- Two years later, in 1954, Gola led La Salle to the NCAA championship. The following year, the Explorers again reached the NCAA championship game, this time losing to a San Francisco team led by Bill Russell and K.C. Jones. In both 1954 and 1955, Tom was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament team.
- Gola finished his college basketball career with the all-time record for rebounds with 2,201. He also scored 2,462 points during his time at La Salle and led the Explorers to an overall record of 102-19 during his time at the school.
- Gola received AP All-America honors three times from 1952-53 through 1954-55.
- Tom was a five-time NBA All-Star in consecutive years from 1960-1964.
- Gola, in his rookie year, teamed with Neil Johnston and Paul Arizin to lead the Philadelphia Warriors to the NBA championship in 1956. The Warriors defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons, who were led by George Yardley, Bob Houbregs, and Andy Phillip, in five games (4-1).
Points of Interest
- After his rookie season in the NBA, Tom served in the US Army for a year before returning to the Philadelphia Warriors for the 1957-58 season.
- In the NBA, Gola focused his energies on defense, rebounds, and assists because his team already had proven scorers. He explained that his job was to guard the opponents best guard (players like Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, and Bill Sharman) and to facilitate the offense.
- Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden once called Tom the “best all-around basketball player” that he had ever seen.
- Gola finished his ten-year NBA career with the Philadelphia Warriors and New York Knicks with averages of 11.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
- After his NBA career, Tom returned to coach at La Salle University and the arena where he coached is now named after him. Gola’s La Salle teams finished with a 37-13 record from 1968-70, including a stellar 23-1 record and No. 2 ranking in 1968-69. Unfortunately, due to previous NCAA violations that occurred before Gola became coach, that team was ruled ineligible for postseason play that year.
Statistics
Tom Gola Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com