Tom Gola
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 Tom Gola, 1953 |
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| Player information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Joseph Gola | |
| birthday | January 13, 1933 | |
| place of birth | Philadelphia , United States | |
| date of death | January 26, 2014 | |
| Place of death | Meadowbrook, PA , United States | |
| size | 198 cm | |
| position | Small forward / guard | |
| college | La Salle University | |
| NBA draft | 1955 , Territorial pick , Philadelphia Warriors | |
| Clubs as active | ||
1955–1962 Philadelphia Warriors 1962–1966 New York Knicks
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Thomas Joseph Gola (born January 13, 1933 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † January 26, 2014 in Meadowbrook , Pennsylvania) was an American basketball player .
Career
Gola played successfully for La Salle University from 1952 to 1955 . In 1952 the team won the National Invitation Tournament . In 1954, the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship followed . As the first player in college basketball history , he managed to both score over 2,000 points and get 2,000 rebounds . From 1953 to 1955 he was elected to the NCAA All-American First Team.
After college, he signed up for the 1955 NBA draft . There the Philadelphia Warriors chose Tom Gola as their territorial pick . He was able to establish himself in his rookie season in the team and got 10.8 points, 5.9 assists and 9.1 rebounds per game. In the playoffs, his values continued to improve and he had his share of the Warriors' title win. This could not be repeated in the following years, but Gola's individual statistics improved again. In 1958 he was elected to the All-NBA Second Team . From 1960 he was elected to the All-Star Team for five years in a row .
On December 5, 1962, he was transferred to the New York Knicks from the now San Francisco- based franchise in exchange for Willie Naulls and Kenny Sears . In New York, his playing times and points earned decreased from year to year. With the Knicks, he never made it into the playoffs. After the 1965/66 season, Tom Gola ended his career. He then embarked on a political career as a member of the Republican Party and was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1966 . In 1970 he became City Controller in Philadelphia. In 1983, he ran unsuccessfully for his party's nomination for mayor of Philadelphia.
In 1976 Tom Gola was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame . A basketball hall opened in 1998 at La Salle University is called Tom Gola Arena .
See also
Web links
- Tom Gola - player profile on NBA.com
- Tom Gola - player profile on basketball-reference.com
- Tom Gola in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame . On: Hoophall website; Springfield, MA, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018 (in English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ 1962 as San Francisco Warriors
- ^ Hall of Famer Tom Gola dies (English) , ESPN. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gola, Tom |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gola, Thomas Joseph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American basketball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 13, 1933 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia , Pennsylvania |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 26, 2014 |
| Place of death | Meadowbrook , Pennsylvania |