Tom Gola
Philadelphia Warriors | |
Playing career | 1955–1966 |
---|---|
Position | Small forward / shooting guard |
Number | 15, 6 |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1955–1956, 1957–1962 | Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors |
1962–1966 | New York Knicks |
As coach: | |
1968–1970 | La Salle |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
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 at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Philadelphia City Controller | |
In office January 5, 1970 – January 7, 1974 | |
Preceded by | Alexander Hemphill |
Succeeded by | William Klenk |
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 170th district | |
In office January 7, 1969 – January 5, 1970 | |
Preceded by | District Created |
Succeeded by | Alvin Katz |
Personal details | |
Political party | Republican |
Thomas Joseph Gola (January 13, 1933 – January 26, 2014) was an American
Early life
Thomas Joseph Gola was born on January 13, 1933, in
College career
Gola was one of the most talented collegiate athletes in Philadelphia sports history. He came to national attention while playing for his hometown La Salle University Explorers men's basketball team.
Gola starred as a college freshman and led La Salle to the
He averaged 20.9 points and 19.0 rebounds during 115 games and remains the NCAA All time rebounding leader with 2,201 career rebounds.
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.[3] Gola was listed on "ESPN's Countdown to the Greatest" College basketball players as #17.
Professional career
Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors (1955–1956, 1957–1962)
After a phenomenal college career, Gola turned pro with the
In 1959, Johnston temporarily retired due to a knee injury and the Warriors added seven-foot superstar
New York Knicks (1962–1966)
Gola played with the New York Knicks from 1962 to 1966. He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 26, 1976.
Coaching career
La Salle (1968–1970)
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 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.
Political career
In 1968, Gola was elected to the Pennsylvania State House as a Republican, representing the Northeast Philadelphia-based 170th District. A change to the State 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 over Democrat 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, as
Personal life
Gola was married to Caroline Norris in June 1955, and they had one son, Thomas Christopher.
Gola died on January 26, 2014, thirteen days after his 81st birthday, in Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania.[1] A former US Army specialist, he was buried at the Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania.[7]
Awards and honors
Tom Gola Arena
Tom Gola Arena, home to the La Salle University Explorers men's and women's basketball teams, was named after him. The arena opened in 1998.
College basketball achievements
- All-District player (four times, 1952–55)
- All-State player (four times, 1952–55)
- All-America selection (four times, 1952–55)
- Consensus All-American (three times, 1953–55)
- NIT Championship, NIT Co-MVP (1952)
- First alternate to US Olympic Basketball Team (1952)
- NCAA Championship, NCAA Tournament MVP (1954)
- College Basketball Player of the Year (1954)
- NCAA all-time rebounding leader (2,201)
- 2,462 points
- 102–19 (.843) win-loss record
- #15 retired by La Salle
- Inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016
Pro basketball achievements
- NBA championship (1956)
- All-NBA second team (1958)
- 5-time NBA all-star (1960–1964)
- Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame
- Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame (1976)
Other
- One of only two players to win an NCAA, NIT, and NBA championship
NBA career statistics
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 an NBA championship |
Regular season
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 |
Playoffs
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 |
Head coaching record
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
|
See also
- List of National Basketball Association career triple-double leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff triple-double leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career rebounding leaders
References
- ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Frank; Juliano, Joe (January 26, 2014). "Philadelphia basketball great Tom Gola dies". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ Eskenazi, Gerald (January 27, 2014), "Tom Gola, a Philadelphia Hero, Dies at 81", The New York Times
- ^ "Tom Gola « National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and Museum". Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ^ "Philadelphia Warriors at New York Knicks Box Score, January 10, 1960". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ King, Wayne (November 8, 1973). "Democratic Victories in Philadelphia Rebuff to Rizzo, Who Backed G.O.P." The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
- ^ "Gola, Thomas J." Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
- ^ Interment.net
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- NBA.com Bio at the Wayback Machine (archived September 15, 2000)
- Basketball Hall of Fame profile
- National Polish-American Sports HOF profile
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Pennsylvania House of Representatives | ||
Preceded by District created
|
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 170th District 1969–1970 |
Succeeded by |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Alexander Hemphill
|
Philadelphia City Controller 1970–1974 |
Succeeded by William Klenk
|