Offered is a 1956 Helms Athletic Foundation Helms Hall of Fame Award honoring LaSalle University college basketball standout Tom Gola. The 13½ x 16-inch (visible) white paper certificate features red, black, blue, and gold type, including a 2-inch gold seal in the lower left. The certificate is “honoring Thomas Gola for Noteworthy Achievement Basketball” in the center in black type, with the notation “Recorded 1956” in the lower left. Gola starred as a college freshman and led La Salle to the 1952 NIT championship. 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. Founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms, the Helms Athletic Foundation was based in Los Angeles, California. The name was a misnomer, as there actually was no foundation in place to sustain the operation. Instead the organization was subsidized completely by the operations of Helms Bakery, opened by Helms in Los Angeles. Schroeder selected the foundation's national champion teams and made All-America team selections in several college sports, including football and basketball. He continued to select national champions for the Helms Foundation until 1982, its final year of selections. Gola’s certificate is displayed in a 15½ x 18-inch black with gold accent wood with glass frame. This item comes with a LOA from the Tom Gola Estate.

Auction Notepad