Tom Gola Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa. Last College: La Salle Position: Forward/Head Coach Experience: 1951-55; 1968-70

Tom Gola is the NCAA's all-time leading rebounder, pulling down 2,201 (18.7/game) in his four-year career. The 6-6 forward is the third all-time scorer at La Salle, pouring in 2,461 points in his career, while leading the Explorers to the 1952 NIT Championship and 1954 NCAA Championship.

Gola was a four-time All-American and was named National Player of the Year in 1955. La Salle compiled a 102-19 record during Gola's playing career, two of those seasons under his captainship. A jack of all trades, Gola tried his hand at coaching, compiling a 37-13 record as head coach at La Salle from 1968-70.

A 1961 La Salle Hall of Athletes inductee, his #15 jersey is retired and hangs from the rafters in the building named after him, Tom Gola Arena. Gola was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in 1975 and is also a member of the Big 5 Basketball Hall of Fame, the Helms College Basketball Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, and the Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame.

He was ranked 17th on ESPN's "Countdown to the Greatest" college basketball players. A Philadelphia native, Gola led La Salle High School to a Philadelphia Catholic League Championship during his prep career and still resides locally, along with his wife Caroline.