No. 15, 6 | |
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Small forward / Guard | |
Personal information | |
Date of birth | January 13, 1933 |
Place of birth | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Nationality | American |
High school | La Salle |
Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
Career information | |
College | La Salle |
NBA Draft | 1955 / Pick: Territorial |
Selected by the Philadelphia Warriors | |
Pro career | 1955–1966 |
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 NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Basketball Hall of Fame as player |
Tom Gola | |
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Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 170th district |
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In office January 7, 1969 – January 6, 1970 |
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Preceded by | District Created |
Succeeded by | Alvin Katz |
Philadelphia City Controller | |
In office January 6, 1970[1] – January, 1974 |
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Preceded by | Alexander Hemphill |
Succeeded by | William G. Klenk[2] |
Personal details | |
Born | Philadelphia, PA |
Political party | Republican |
Alma mater | La Salle University |
Thomas (Tom) Joseph Gola (born January 13, 1933, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a retired American basketball player.
Contents[hide] |
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 in 1954 as an All-American forward. 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. 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 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.
In 1959, Johnston temporarily retired due to a knee injury and the Warriors added seven-foot superstar Wilt Chamberlain. Again sacrificing himself for his team, Gola helped the Warriors back to the NBA Finals, but they could not beat the star-studded Boston Celtics during his seasons in the early 1960s with Chamberlain.
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.
In 1968, he 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. The school's Tom Gola Arena was named after him.
Gola was married to Caroline in June 1955, and they had one son. Tom Sr. served in the military from 1956 to 1958.
After his retirement from basketball, Gola served in the Pennsylvania State Legislature, followed by a stint as Philadelphia City Controller. He ran for Mayor of Philadelphia in 1983,[3] but came in third in the contested Republican primary election in the spring.
Political offices | ||
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Pennsylvania House of Representatives | ||
Preceded by District Created |
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 170th District 1969–1970 |
Succeeded by Alvin Katz |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Alexander Hemphill |
Philadelphia City Controller 1970–1974 |
Succeeded by William G. Klenk |
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