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The first, definitive biography of La Salle basketball icon, Tom Gola

GolaTom Gola is a Philadelphia Big Five basketball icon who led La Salle College to the National Invitation Tournament championship in 1952 and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship in 1954 and holds the NCAA record for most rebounds in a career. He helped the Philadelphia Warriors win the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship as a rookie in 1956 and was named an All-Star five times before retiring in 1966. But Gola also had many amazing successes as a coach; his La Salle Explorer teams were an important part of the national collegiate basketball landscape. In 1976, Gola was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Transitioning from the NBA to politics, Gola served as Pennsylvania state representative and then Philadelphia city controller. His dedication to public service included a joint campaign with politician Arlen Specter that revolutionized political marketing in Philadelphia.

In this definitive biography, reporter David Grzybowski draws on not only his exclusive 2013 interviews with Gola but also anecdotes by such legends of Philadelphia and basketball history as John Chaney, Fran Dunphy, and Lionel Simmons. Mr. All-Around: The Life of Tom Gola (Publication Date: December 15, 2018) is a heartfelt testament to the life, career, and legacy of one of Philadelphia’s most beloved sports legends.

David Grzybowski is a former television news reporter for WPHL in Philadelphia, where he covered the 2015 visit by Pope Francis, the annual Philadelphia Mummers Parade, the 2016 Democratic National Convention, and the 2016 Villanova Wildcats NCAA championship run. He also reported for WNCN in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he covered both the 2017 University of North Carolina NCAA championship title run and Hurricane Matthew. Visit him online at tomgolabook.com.

About Jerry Milani

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Jerry Milani is a writer and public relations executive living in Bloomfield, N.J. He has worked in P.R. for more than 30 years in college and conference sports media relations, two agencies and for the International Fight League, a team-based mixed martial arts league, and as a freelance professional. His PR clients have included Wizard World and FAN EXPO, which produce pop culture and celebrity conventions across North America, USA Wrestling, the National Lacrosse League, Strat-O-Matic Media, the Pacific Life Open and Pilot Pen Tennis tournaments and dozens of others. Milani is also the director of athletic communications for Caldwell University. He is a proud graduate of North Rockland High School and Fordham University and when not attending a Yankees, Rams or Cougars game can be reached at Jerry (at) JerryMilani (dot) com.

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