Title
Honoring the life and achievements of Thomas J. "Tom" Gola., a life-long Philadelphian, former City Controller and a Philadelphia basketball hero and legend.
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WHEREAS, Tom Gola was born on January 13, 1933, the first of seven children born to Ike and Helen Gola. Ike Gola was a police officer, stationed in the 9th District at 20th and Buttonwood Streets, and the Golas lived in the Olney neighborhood of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Tom first began playing basketball in 5th grade, and by 8th grade he had led his elementary school team, Incarnation of Our Lord to state and national championships. Gola went on to play for La Salle College High School, where by sophomore year he had grown to his full height of 6'5". Gola set a new Catholic League scoring record with 2,222 points as a senior and won the Markward Award as the league's best player; and
WHEREAS, After a recruiting war, Gola decided to attend La Salle University, and as a freshman he led the team to a 25-7 record and an NIT title, a highly regarded tournament at the time. As a sophomore, Gola led his team to a 25-2 record, but was injured late in the season and missed post-season play. His junior season, Gola led La Salle to their first and only NCAA Tournament Championship, defeating Bradley University in the championship game. In his Senior season, La Salle University were runners-up to the University of San Francisco, who were led by future hall-of-famer Bill Russell. Gola averaged 20.9 points and 19 rebounds for his college career, and still currently holds the record for most career rebounds with 2,201, quite the feat for someone standing just 6'5"; and
WHEREAS, After a great college career, Gola was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors as a territorial pick, and helped lead the Warriors to the NBA Championship as a rookie in 1956. Transitioning from a forward to Point Guard, Gola was known as the team's defensive specialist, and his job routinely was to guard the opponent's best...
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