Tom Gola

Thomas Joseph Gola (January 13, 1933 – January 26, 2014) was an American basketball player and politician, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the third of seven children of Ike and Helen Gola. His father was a Philadelphia policeman of Polish descent who had changed the family surname from "Galinsky." Gola attended La Salle College High School in the Philadelphia Catholic League, where he was named second-team All-Catholic League in 1949 and first-team in both 1950 and 1951. He led the Explorers to a Philadelphia Catholic League Championship in 1950 and won the Markward Award as the Catholic League's top player.

Over a span of six years, Gola won championships at three levels of the sport. He led his high school team to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship, his college team to both the National Invitation Tournament championship and the NCAA championship, and was a member of the Philadelphia Warriors team that won the 1956 title. He was widely considered one of the finest NCAA basketball players of his time.

Gola was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976. In addition to his playing career, he was active in politics. He died on January 26, 2014, at the age of 81.