Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year

The Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year was an annual men's college basketball award given to the most outstanding men′s player in the United States. It was awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation, an organization founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms, the owner of Helms Bakery in Los Angeles.[1]

Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year
Awarded forNational men's college basketball player of the year
CountryUnited States
History
First award1943 (with retroactive awards for 1905–1943)
Final award1983

The award was first presented in 1944, when the Helms Athletic Foundation announced Schroeder′s player-of-the-year selection for the 1943–44 season as well as his retroactive picks for the player of the year for each season from 1904–05 to 1942–43.[1] Schroeder then began selecting a player of the year annually.

After Paul Helms' death in 1957, his family continued supporting the foundation until 1969, when the bakeries went out of business.[2] Schroeder found a new benefactor in United Savings & Loan,[2] and the foundation's name became United Savings–Helms Athletic Foundation.[3][4] United merged with Citizens Savings & Loan in 1973, when the foundation became the Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation.[2] It was again renamed when First Interstate Bank assumed sponsorship and was known as the First Interstate Bank Athletic Foundation in the award's final years after 1981.[5][6] Schroeder made his last player-of-the-year selection for the 1982–83 season, after which the award came to an end.

Key edit

Co-Players of the Year
*Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Player (X)Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the Player of the Year award at that point

NOTE: Winners prior to the 1942–43 season were selected retroactively in 1943[7] and 1957.

Players of the Year edit

In 1944, Christian Steinmetz retroactively was named the award winner for 1905.
John Wooden (Purdue), who’s more well known for his coaching career, was retroactively named the winner for the 1931–32 season in 1944.
George Mikan of DePaul won in 1944 and 1945.
Bill Russell is the only winner from San Francisco.
Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) was the only three-time winner.
Bill Walton of UCLA was awarded in 1972 and 1973.
David Thompson was a two-time winner with NC State in 1974 and 1975.
Larry Bird was the recipient of the award in 1979.
SeasonPlayerSchoolPositionClassRef
1904–05Christian Steinmetz*WisconsinFSenior[8][9]
1905–06George GrebensteinDartmouthFJunior
1906–07Gilmore KinneyYaleFSenior
1907–08Charles KeinathPennsylvaniaFJunior
1908–09John Schommer*ChicagoCSenior
1909–10Harlan "Pat" PageChicagoGSenior
1910–11Ted KiendlColumbiaFSenior
1911–12Otto StangelWisconsinFSenior
1912–13Eddie CalderSt. LawrenceFSenior
1913–14Gil HalsteadCornellCSenior
1914–15Ernest HoughtonUnion (NY)GSenior
1915–16George LevisWisconsinFSenior
1916–17Ray WoodsIllinoisGSenior
1917–18Bill ChandlerWisconsinCSenior
1918–19Erling PlatouMinnesotaGJunior
1919–20Howard Cann*NYUFSenior[7]
1920–21George WilliamsMissouriCSenior
1921–22Chuck CarneyIllinoisCSenior
1922–23Paul Endacott*KansasGSenior
1923–24Charlie T. BlackKansasGSenior
1924–25Earl MuellerColorado CollegeCSenior
1925–26Jack CobbNorth CarolinaFSenior
1926–27Vic Hanson*SyracuseFSenior
1927–28Victor HoltOklahomaCSenior
1928–29John "Cat" Thompson*Montana StateFJunior
1929–30Chuck Hyatt*PittsburghGSenior
1930–31Bart CarltonAda Teachers CollegeGSenior
1931–32John Wooden*PurdueGJunior
1932–33Forest SaleKentuckyF / CSenior
1933–34Wesley BennettWestminster (PA)CSenior
1934–35Leroy EdwardsKentuckyCSophomore
1935–36John MoirNotre DameFSophomore
1936–37Hank Luisetti*StanfordFSophomore
1937–38Hank Luisetti* (2)StanfordFJunior
1938–39Chet JaworskiRhode IslandFSenior
1939–40George GlamackNorth CarolinaCJunior
1940–41George Glamack (2)North CarolinaCSenior
1941–42Stan ModzelewskiRhode IslandG / FSenior
1942–43George SeneskySaint Joseph'sGSenior[8][9]
1943–44George Mikan*DePaulCJunior
1944–45George Mikan* (2)DePaulCSenior
1945–46Bob Kurland*Oklahoma A&MCSenior
1946–47Gerald TuckerOklahomaCSenior
1947–48Ed Macauley*Saint LouisCJunior
1948–49Tony LavelliYaleFSenior
1949–50Paul Arizin*VillanovaFSenior[10]
1950–51Dick GroatDukeGJunior[8][9]
1951–52Clyde Lovellette*KansasF / CSenior
1952–53Bob Houbregs*WashingtonCSenior
1953–54Tom Gola*La SalleG / FSenior
1954–55Bill Russell*San FranciscoCJunior
1955–56Bill Russell* (2)San FranciscoCSenior
1956–57Lennie RosenbluthNorth CarolinaFSenior
1957–58Elgin Baylor*SeattleF / CJunior
1958–59Oscar Robertson*CincinnatiGJunior
1959–60Oscar Robertson* (2)CincinnatiGSenior
1960–61Jerry Lucas*Ohio StateF / CJunior
1961–62Paul HogueCincinnatiCSenior
1962–63Art HeymanDukeGSenior
1963–64Walt HazzardUCLAGSenior
1964–65Bill Bradley*PrincetonG / FSenior
Gail Goodrich*UCLAGSenior
1965–66Cazzie RussellMichiganG / FSenior
1966–67Lew Alcindor*UCLACSophomore
1967–68Lew Alcindor* (2)UCLACJunior
1968–69Lew Alcindor* (3)UCLACSenior
1969–70Pete Maravich*LSUGSenior
Sidney WicksUCLAF / CJunior
1970–71Austin CarrNotre DameGSenior
Sidney Wicks (2)UCLAF / CSenior
1971–72Bill Walton*UCLACSophomore
1972–73Bill Walton* (2)UCLACJunior
1973–74Bill Walton* (3)UCLACSenior[11]
David Thompson*NC StateG / FJunior
1974–75David Thompson* (2)NC StateG / FSenior[8][9]
1975–76Kent BensonIndianaCJunior
Scott MayIndianaFSenior
1976–77Marques JohnsonUCLAGSenior[12]
1977–78Jack GivensKentuckyG / FSenior[13]
1978–79Larry Bird*Indiana StateFSenior[14]
1979–80Darrell GriffithLouisvilleGSenior[15]
1980–81Mark AguirreDePaulFSophomore[16]
1981–82Ralph Sampson*VirginiaCJunior[5]
James Worthy*North CarolinaFJunior
1982–83Akeem Olajuwon*HoustonCSophomore[17][18]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Scott, Jon (Nov 9, 2010). "The truth behind the Helms Committee". Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Drooz, Alan (January 15, 1981). "New Home Being Sought for Southland's Sports Hall of Fame". Los Angeles Times. p. 12. Retrieved December 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Hall, John (August 31, 1976). "So Help Me". Los Angeles Times. Part III, p. 2. Retrieved December 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Raymond Lewis, Verbum Dei Guard, Named Top CIF 'AAA' Basketball Player For '71 Season" (Press release). United Savings–Helms Athletic Foundation. March 24, 1971. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "RALPH SAMPSON, JAMES WORTHY TOP 1982 COLLEGE BASKETBALL ALL-AMERICA TEAM SELECTIONS" (Press release). First Interstate Bank Athletic Foundation. April 3, 1982. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020. Virginia's 7' 4" center, RALPH SAMPSON, and North Carolina's 6• 9" forward, JAMES WORTHY, have been chosen College Basketball's Co-Players of the Year for the 1982 season, by First Interstate Bank Athletic Foundation.
  6. ^ "Templeton Makes Public Apology, Rejoins Cardinals for Road Trip". Los Angeles Times. September 15, 1981. Part III, p. 4. Retrieved December 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "Helms Athletic Foundation — Collegiate Basketball Record — Part II" (Press release). Los Angeles: Helms Athletic Foundation. February 1943. p. 10. Retrieved December 22, 2023. These Basketball Player of the Year selections have been made by Helms Athletic Foundation, following careful study of the performances of outstanding players for each season since 1920. Basketball Player of the Year selections will be made by Helms Athletic Foundation at the conclusion of each season in the future.
  8. ^ a b c d "Helms Foundation Player of the Year Winners". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2010. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d Bjarkman, Peter (1996). Hoopla: A Century of College Basketball. Masters Press. ISBN 1-57028-039-8.
  10. ^ Ashford, Ed (April 4, 1950). "Helms Rates Arizin Top Player, CCNY No. 1 Quintet". The Lexington Herald. p. 6. Retrieved December 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Selection of CCNY as the nation's top team was not difficult after the Beavers made an unprecedented sweep of the NIT and NCAA tournaments.
  11. ^ Written at Los Angeles. "Thompson, Walton Honored by CSAF". The Times and Democrat. Orangeburg, South Carolina. Associated Press. April 3, 2023. p. 14A. Retrieved December 28, 2023. David Thompson of North Carolina State and Bill Walton of UCLA were named college basketball Players of the Year Wednesday by the Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation. It was the third consecutive year Walton was cited.
  12. ^ "Honors Wilkins as All-American". The Daily Pantagraph. April 6, 1977. p. B-3. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Givens selected as top cager". The Lexington Leader. April 5, 1978. p. B-2. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Written at Los Angeles. "Bird Is Named Player of Year". Omaha World-Herald. Omaha, Nebraska. United Press International. April 1, 1979. p. 6-C. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Larry Bird was named college basketball's Player of the Year by the Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation. Sophomore Earvin Johnson of NCAA champion Michigan State finished second in the voting.
  15. ^ "Griffth adds two more awards". The Kansas City Times. April 1, 1980. p. D-4. Retrieved December 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Griffith has also been named college basketball player of the year by Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles an award that goes back to 1905.
  16. ^ Anderson, Claude (April 7, 1981). "Getting set for run at the roses". The Sun. pp. D-1, D-5. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. DePaul's Mark Aguirre was player-of-the-year and UC Irvine's Kevin Magee (the only other Southlander selected) made it at a forward.
  17. ^ "Sitton Chosen to A-A Squad". Corvallis Gazette Times. April 12, 1983. p. 14. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Bender, Jack (June 29, 1983). "It's summer—and basketball is back". Waterloo Courier. p. B-1. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. And only the Athletic Foundation funded by First Interstate Bank (formerly the Helms awards) picked Akeem Abdul Olajuwon of NCAA runnerup Houston as its player of the year.

External links edit