 Gola in 1953 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1933-01-13)January 13, 1933 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 26, 2014(2014-01-26) (aged 81) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | La Salle College (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) |
| College | La Salle (1951–1955) |
| NBA draft | 1955:territorial pick |
| Drafted by | Philadelphia Warriors |
| Playing career | 1955–1966 |
| Position | Small forward /shooting guard |
| Number | 15, 6 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1955–1956, 1957–1962 | Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors |
| 1962–1966 | New York Knicks |
Coaching | |
| 1968–1970 | La Salle |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 7,871 (11.3 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,417 (7.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,962 (4.2 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Thomas Joseph Gola (January 13, 1933 – January 26, 2014) was an Americanbasketball player and politician. He is widely considered one of the greatestNCAA basketball players of all time. Gola was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976. He led his high school team to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship, his college team to the National Invitation Tournament championship and the NCAA championship, and was on the Philadelphia Warriors 1956 championship team, all in the space of six years.
Thomas Joseph Gola was born on January 13, 1933, inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, the third of seven children born to Ike and Helen Gola. Gola's father was a Philadelphia policeman ofPolish descent who had changed the family's surname from "Galinsky".[1] Gola was praised as a great all-around player as a high school student atLa Salle College High School, part of thePhiladelphia Catholic League, where he was second-team All-Catholic League in 1949, and first-team in 1950 and 1951. He led the Explorers to a Philadelphia Catholic League Championship in 1950.[2] He also won the Markward Award as the Catholic League's top player (future basketball hall of fame coachJohn Chaney won the Philadelphia Public League Award the same year).[1]
He enteredLa Salle University in 1951,[2] a year after another Philadelphia basketball Hall-of-famer, and future teammate on the Philadelphia Warriors from 1955 to 1962,Paul Arizin, graduated from Villanova.[3] Arizin, ironically, had been cut from the La Salle high school team.[4]
Gola was one of the most talented collegiate athletes in Philadelphia sports history. He came to national attention while playing for his hometownLa Salle UniversityExplorersmen's basketball team.
Gola was recruited for college by the likes ofKentucky coachAdolph Rupp,North Carolina State coachEverett Case, and theU.S. Military Academy at West Point, but he chose La Salle.[1]
Gola starred as a college freshman and led La Salle to the1952 NIT championship.[5] He was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the NIT tournament.[6] Gola paced the Explorers to the NCAA basketball championship in1954 and was named tournament MVP. It was the first nationally televised NCAA championship game. That same season he was selected as National Player of the Year, was a consensus All-American, and was selected to the All-Tournament Team. In 1954, he also set a new collegiate records for rebounds (652), rebounds per game (23.0) and free throws in a season (202).[2][5]
As a senior, Gola helped La Salle finish as the runner-up in the1955 NCAA tournament to theUniversity of San Francisco. It was the only one of his ten NCAA tournament games he would lose. He again made the All-Tournament Team, which also included future Hall of Fame legendBill Russell (star of the championship Dons team). Gola was named theAP andUPI College Basketball Player of the Year, and was selected to the All-American Team.[7][2]
In his two years of NCAA tournament play, Gola scored 229 points.[7] In his four years at La Salle, over 118 games, he averaged 20.9 points and 18.7 rebounds per game, with a .407 shooting percentage and .745 free throw percentage.[2][6] As of 2024, he remains theNCAA all-time rebounding leader with 2,201 career rebounds.[8] His was the first college player to score over 2,000 points and have over 2,000 rebounds.[9] His La Salle teams were 102-19.[7]
At 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m), Gola was aforward 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.[5] His nickname was "Mr. All-Around".[9]
He was inducted into the La Salle Hall of Athletes in 1961[10] and theBig 5 Hall of Fame in 1986.[11] In 1977, Tom Gola was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame.[12] He was in the inaugural class of Atlantic Ten Legends.[7]
After a phenomenal college career, Gola turned pro with thePhiladelphia Warriors as aterritorial draft pick.[2] He teamed with All-ProsPaul Arizin andNeil Johnston to lead the Warriors to anNBA championship in1956.[13][14] He gained praise for concentrating on defense, passing and rebounding and allowing the other two to be the chief scorers during these years. It was his job to defend against the other team's best guard, and to be a playmaker on offense for his teammates.[15]
Gola served in the Army from 1956 to 1958, and he did not play in the 1956-1957 NBA season.[13][16] He led the Warriors in assists in the 1957-1958 and 1958-1959 seasons, and was second-team All-NBA in 1957-1958.[2]
In 1959, Johnston retired after playing only 29 games in the 1958-59 season, due to a knee injury;[17][18] and the Warriors added seven-foot superstarWilt Chamberlain for the 1959-60 season.[19] Again sacrificing himself for his team, Gola helped the Warriors consistently reach theNBA playoffs, but they could not beat the star-studdedBoston Celtics in the NBA Eastern Division finals in 1960 and 1962, during his Warriors seasons in the early 1960s, even with Chamberlain.[19][20] During the 1959–60 season, Gola became the first Warrior to have three straight games with atriple-double (the only other beingDraymond Green, 2016).[21] On January 10, 1960, Gola recorded 18 points, 19 rebounds and 11 assists in a 116–103 win over the New York Knicks.[22]
Gola played with theNew York Knicks from 1962 to 1966. He led them in assists in 1963-1964.[2]
Gola was enshrined in theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 26, 1976.[9] He was a five-time NBA All-Star.[5]
In 1954, Gola was named college basketball's National Player of the Year. He was MVP of the 1952 NIT tournament and the 1954 NCAA tournament and was a consensus All-American.[6][2][5] In 1955, Gola was named the AP and UPI College Basketball Player of the Year, and was again selected to the All-American Team.[7][2]
Pro basketball achievements
College basketball achievements
Other
In 1968, Gola returned to his alma mater as head coach, leading the Explorers to a 37–13 record during his two-year stay. He was called in to pull the program out of trouble after a scandal under prior leadership. He was named Coach of the Year by Philadelphia and New York journalists. He led the Explorers to a 23–1 record during the 1968–69 season, but La Salle had been barred from the NCAA tournament before the season because an alumnus had offered some players "no-show" jobs. Many consider the 1968-1969 La Salle team, which was ranked second in the nation, the greatest team in Philadelphia city college basketball history, though barred from tournament play.[7][23][2][24]
In 1968, Gola was elected to thePennsylvania State House as aRepublican, representing theNortheast Philadelphia-based170th District. A change to theState Constitution made earlier that year had reorganized House seats into legislative districts, replacing the old system of allotting seats on an at-large, county-wide basis. This made Gola the first person to represent the newly created district. Ultimately, Gola would not finish-out his first term in the House, opting instead to seek the office of Philadelphia City Controller in 1969. He scored an 80,000-vote victory overDemocrat Charles Peruto in the general election, and took office the following January.
Gola was defeated, however, in his bid for a second term in 1973 by Democrat William Klenk. His defeat was part of a broader setback for Republicans in the city that year, asArlen Specter lost his bid for a third term asDistrict Attorney of Philadelphia.[25] Gola made his final attempt at elected office in 1983, when he sought the office ofMayor of Philadelphia. He came in last in the three-man Republican primary, behindCongressmanCharlie Dougherty and the winner, John Egan, who went on to lose the fall general election toWilson Goode.[26]
Gola was married to Caroline Norris in June 1955, and they had one son, Thomas Christopher.[5]
At age 70, Gola fell into a coma after a serious fall, in 2003.[27] Gola died on January 26, 2014, thirteen days after his 81st birthday, inMeadowbrook, Pennsylvania.[1] A former U.S. Army specialist, he was buried at theWashington Crossing National Cemetery inUpper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania.[28]
Wilt Chamberlain said, "'When I was growing up [in Philadelphia], you whispered the name Tom Gola, because he was like a saint....'" The legendaryJohn Wooden said Gola was the "'greatest all-round basketball player....'"[13] Notoriously difficult college coachBob Knight once asked someone to introduce him to Gola, saying, "'Can you do me a favor, can you introduce me to Tom Gola? He's the only guy that played back then that could play for me now. He was my hero.'"[7] In 2002, he was honored in Madison Square Garden as one of the NCAA tournament’s five greatest players, along withBill Bradley,Oscar Robertson,Chris Mullin, andKareem Abdul-Jabbar.[5] The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame states of Gola that he is among a select few to have won NIT, NCAA, and NBA championships.[9]
Tom Gola Arena, home to theLa Salle UniversityExplorersmen's andwomen's basketball teams, was named after him.[5] The arena opened in 1998 and hosted its final game in 2024. Tom Gola Arena was reconstructed into theJohn Glaser Arena, the current home of the Explorers.[29]
Tom Gola Plaza, located outside of TruMark Financial Center, features a statue honoring Tom Gola surrounded by a brick walkway with names of donors to the men's basketball team, lights, benches, a small garden, and a historical marker. The Plaza was opened on September 26, 2024, to continue the legacy of Gola after his name was no longer connected to the home of the Explorers.[30]
The driveway in front of TruMark Financial Center was renamed Tom Gola Way in 2024 to honor his legacy.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955–56† | Philadelphia | 68 | 34.5 | .412 | .733 | 9.1 | 5.9 | 10.8 |
| 1957–58 | Philadelphia | 59 | 36.0 | .415 | .746 | 10.8 | 5.5 | 13.8 |
| 1958–59 | Philadelphia | 64 | 36.5 | .401 | .787 | 11.1 | 4.2 | 14.1 |
| 1959–60 | Philadelphia | 75 | 38.3 | .433 | .794 | 10.4 | 5.5 | 15.0 |
| 1960–61 | Philadelphia | 74 | 36.6 | .447 | .747 | 9.4 | 3.9 | 14.2 |
| 1961–62 | Philadelphia | 60 | 41.0 | .421 | .765 | 9.8 | 4.9 | 13.7 |
| 1962–63 | San Francisco | 21 | 39.1 | .457 | .758 | 7.0 | 3.5 | 13.0 |
| 1962–63 | New York | 52 | 35.5 | .460 | .784 | 7.1 | 4.3 | 12.0 |
| 1963–64 | New York | 74 | 29.1 | .429 | .726 | 6.3 | 3.5 | 9.1 |
| 1964–65 | New York | 77 | 22.4 | .448 | .739 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 7.0 |
| 1965–66 | New York | 74 | 15.2 | .450 | .781 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 4.4 |
| Career | 698 | 32.3 | .431 | .760 | 8.0 | 4.2 | 11.3 | |
| All-Star | 4 | 17.5 | .414 | .556 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 7.3 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956† | Philadelphia | 10 | 36.0 | .355 | .783 | 10.1 | 5.8 | 12.3 |
| 1958 | Philadelphia | 8 | 40.9 | .330 | .745 | 10.5 | 4.0 | 13.8 |
| 1960 | Philadelphia | 9 | 37.8 | .412 | .806 | 10.6 | 5.6 | 12.6 |
| 1961 | Philadelphia | 3 | 42.3 | .206 | .750 | 12.3 | 5.0 | 9.7 |
| 1962 | Philadelphia | 9 | 35.1 | .271 | .760 | 8.2 | 2.7 | 6.3 |
| Career | 39 | 17.5 | .336 | .771 | 10.0 | 4.6 | 11.1 | |
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Salle Explorers(Middle Atlantic Conferences)(1968–1970) | |||||||||
| 1968–69 | La Salle | 23–1 | 5–0 | 1st | ‡ | ||||
| 1969–70 | La Salle | 14–12 | 3–2 | 2nd | |||||
| La Salle: | 37–13 (.740) | 8–2 (.800) | ‡ Ineligible for any postseason tournaments | ||||||
| Total: | 37–13 (.740) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by District created | Member of thePennsylvania House of Representatives for the170th District 1969–1970 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Alexander Hemphill | Philadelphia City Controller 1970–1974 | Succeeded by William Klenk |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |