 Gola in 1953 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 13, 1933 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 26, 2014 (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 |
| Selected by the 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 | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Thomas Joseph Gola (January 13, 1933 – January 26, 2014) was an American basketball player and politician. He is widely considered one of the greatest NCAA basketball players of all time. Gola was inducted into the Naismith 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.