Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year

Last updated
Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year
Awarded forthe national men's college basketball player of the year
CountryUnited States
Presented by Helms Athletic Foundation
History
First award1943 [a]
Final award1983

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]

Contents

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 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

Co-Players of the Year
Player (X)Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the Helms Player of the Year award at that point

Winners

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

Christian Steinmetz.jpg
Christian Steinmetz, Wisconsin, 1905
George Levis.jpg
George Levis, Wisconsin, 1916
Bill Chandler Marquette.jpg
Bill Chandler, Wisconsin, 1918
Endacott paul 01.jpg
Paul Endacott, Kansas, 1923
Charles Black (basketball).jpg
Charlie T. Black, Kansas, 1924
Jack Cobb (1924).jpg
Jack Cobb, North Carolina, 1926
Cat Thompson.jpg
Cat Thompson, Montana State, 1929
Charley Hyatt.jpg
Charley Hyatt, Pittsburgh, 1930
George Mikan 1945.jpeg
George Mikan, DePaul, 1944 and 1945
Tony Lavelli 1959.JPG
Tony Lavelli, Yale, 1949
Bill russell usf.jpg
Bill Russell, San Francisco, 1955 and 1956
Lennie Rosenbluth.jpg
Lennie Rosenbluth, North Carolina, 1957
Cazzie Russell MVP (cropped).png
Cazzie Russell, Michigan, 1966
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar NCAA Championship.jpeg
Lew Alcindor, [b] UCLA, 1967 through 1969
Austin Carr 1969.jpeg
Austin Carr, Notre Dame, 1971
David Thompson NC State.jpg
David Thompson, NC State, 1974 and 1975
Mark Aguirre 2007 (cropped).jpg
Mark Aguirre, DePaul, 1981
James Worthy at UNC Basketball game. February 10, 2007.jpg
James Worthy, North Carolina, 1982
SeasonPlayerSchoolPositionClassReference
1904–05 Christian Steinmetz Wisconsin F Senior [8]
1905–06 George Grebenstein Dartmouth F Junior
1906–07 Gilmore Kinney Yale F Senior
1907–08 Charles Keinath Pennsylvania F Junior
1908–09 John Schommer Chicago C Senior
1909–10 Harlan Page Chicago G Senior
1910–11 Ted Kiendl Columbia F Senior
1911–12 Otto Stangel Wisconsin F Senior
1912–13 Eddie Calder St. Lawrence F Senior
1913–14 Gil Halstead Cornell C Senior
1914–15 Ernest Houghton Union (NY) G Senior
1915–16 George Levis Wisconsin F Senior
1916–17 Ray Woods Illinois G Senior
1917–18 Bill Chandler Wisconsin C Senior
1918–19 Erling Platou Minnesota G Junior
1919–20 Howard Cann NYU F Senior [7]
1920–21 George Williams Missouri C Senior
1921–22 Chuck Carney Illinois C Senior
1922–23 Paul Endacott Kansas G Senior
1923–24 Charlie T. Black Kansas G Senior
1924–25 Earl Mueller Colorado College C Senior
1925–26 Jack Cobb North Carolina F Senior
1926–27 Vic Hanson Syracuse F Senior
1927–28 Victor Holt Oklahoma C Senior
1928–29 Cat Thompson Montana State F Junior
1929–30 Charley Hyatt Pittsburgh G Senior
1930–31 Bart Carlton East Central G Senior
1931–32 John Wooden Purdue G Junior
1932–33 Forest Sale Kentucky F / C Senior
1933–34 Wesley Bennett Westminster (PA) C Senior
1934–35 Leroy Edwards Kentucky C Sophomore
1935–36 John Moir Notre Dame F Sophomore
1936–37 Hank Luisetti Stanford F Sophomore
1937–38 Hank Luisetti (2) Stanford F Junior
1938–39 Chet Jaworski Rhode Island F Senior
1939–40 George Glamack North Carolina C Junior
1940–41 George Glamack (2) North Carolina C Senior
1941–42 Stan Modzelewski Rhode Island G / F Senior
1942–43 George Senesky Saint Joseph's G Senior [9] [8]
1943–44 George Mikan DePaul C Junior
1944–45 George Mikan (2) DePaul C Senior
1945–46 Bob Kurland Oklahoma State C Senior
1946–47 Gerald Tucker Oklahoma C Senior
1947–48 Ed Macauley Saint Louis C Junior
1948–49 Tony Lavelli Yale F Senior
1949–50 Paul Arizin Villanova F Senior [10]
1950–51 Dick Groat Duke G Junior [9] [8]
1951–52 Clyde Lovellette Kansas F / C Senior
1952–53 Bob Houbregs Washington C Senior
1953–54 Tom Gola La Salle G / F Senior [11]
1954–55 Bill Russell San Francisco C Junior [12]
1955–56 Bill Russell (2) San Francisco C Senior [9] [8]
1956–57 Lennie Rosenbluth North Carolina F Senior
1957–58 Elgin Baylor Seattle F / C Junior
1958–59 Oscar Robertson Cincinnati G Junior
1959–60 Oscar Robertson (2) Cincinnati G Senior
1960–61 Jerry Lucas Ohio State F / C Junior
1961–62 Paul Hogue Cincinnati C Senior [13]
1962–63 Art Heyman Duke G Senior [9] [8]
1963–64 Walt Hazzard UCLA G Senior
1964–65 Bill Bradley Princeton G / F Senior
Gail Goodrich UCLA G Senior
1965–66 Cazzie Russell Michigan G / F Senior
1966–67 Lew Alcindor [b] UCLA C Sophomore
1967–68 Lew Alcindor [b] (2) UCLA C Junior
1968–69 Lew Alcindor [b] (3) UCLA C Senior
1969–70 Pete Maravich LSU G Senior
Sidney Wicks UCLA F / C Junior
1970–71 Austin Carr Notre Dame G Senior [9]
Sidney Wicks (2) UCLA F / C Senior
1971–72 Bill Walton UCLA C Sophomore
1972–73 Bill Walton (2) UCLA C Junior
1973–74 Bill Walton (3) UCLA C Senior [14]
David Thompson NC State G / F Junior
1974–75 David Thompson (2) NC State G / F Senior [9]
1975–76 Kent Benson Indiana C Junior
Scott May Indiana F Senior
1976–77 Marques Johnson UCLA G Senior [15]
1977–78 Jack Givens Kentucky G / F Senior [16]
1978–79 Larry Bird Indiana State F Senior [17]
1979–80 Darrell Griffith Louisville G Senior [18]
1980–81 Mark Aguirre DePaul F Sophomore [19]
1981–82 Ralph Sampson Virginia C Junior [5]
James Worthy North Carolina F Junior
1982–83 Akeem Olajuwon [c] Houston C Sophomore [20] [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John R. Wooden Award</span> American college basketball award

The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the All-America Teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Hein</span> American football player and coach (1909–1992)

Melvin Jack Hein, nicknamed "Old Indestructible", was an American professional football player. In the era of one-platoon football, he played as a center and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963 as part of the first class of inductees. He was also named to the National Football League (NFL) 75th, and 100th Anniversary All-Time Teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helms Athletic Foundation</span> Sports awards organization

The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership of Helms Bakery. Bill Schroeder founded the organization with Helms and served as its managing director. The men were united in a love of amateur athletic competition.

A mythical national championship is national championship recognition that is not explicitly competitive. This phrase has often been invoked in reference to American college football, because the NCAA does not sponsor a playoff-style tournament or recognize official national champions for the Football Bowl Subdivision. The relevant recognition before 1998 came from various entities, including coach polls and media ballots, which each voted to recognize their own national champions, and is similar to the newspaper decision used in early boxing matches. The contrary term would be an undisputed national championship.

The 1937 California Golden Bears football team, nicknamed the "Thunder Team", was an American football team that represented the University of California in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1937 college football season. In their third year under head coach Stub Allison, the Bears compiled a 10–0–1 record, shut out seven of eleven opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 214 to 33.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920 California Golden Bears football team</span> American college football season

The 1920 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1920 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Andy Smith, the team compiled a 9–0 record, shut out seven of nine opponents, won the PCC championship, defeated Ohio State in the 1921 Rose Bowl, and outscored its opponents by a total of 510 to 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1926 Stanford football team</span> American college football season

The 1926 Stanford Indians football team was an American football team that represented Stanford University in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1926 college football season. In head coach Pop Warner's third season at Stanford, the team compiled a 10–0 record during the regular season, outscored its opponents by a total of 261 to 66, and won the PCC championship. Stanford then faced undefeated Alabama in the 1927 Rose Bowl, which ended in a 7–7 tie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Central Tigers</span> Collegiate sports club in the United States

The East Central Tigers are the athletic teams that represent East Central University, located in Ada, Oklahoma, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Tigers compete as members of the Great American Conference for all 11 varsity sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960 Washington Huskies football team</span> American college football season

The 1960 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington during the 1960 college football season. Home games were played on campus in Seattle at Husky Stadium. Under fourth-year head coach Jim Owens, Washington was 9–1 in the regular season, 4–0 in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), defeated top-ranked Minnesota in the Rose Bowl, and outscored its opponents 272 to 107. The Helms Athletic Foundation, which considered bowl games in its ranking, awarded the Huskies the national championship.

The 1931 USC Trojans football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1931 college football season. In their seventh season under head coach Howard Jones, the Trojans lost the opening game to Saint Mary's and then won the remaining ten games of the season. They finished the season with a 10–1 record, shut out six of eleven opponents, outscored all opponents by a total of 363 to 52, and won the PCC and national championships.

The 1942 Wisconsin Badgers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1942 Big Ten Conference football season. The team compiled an 8–1–1 record, finished in second place in the Big Ten Conference, led the conference in scoring defense, and was ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll. Harry Stuhldreher was in his seventh year as Wisconsin's head coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul H. Helms</span>

Paul Hoy Helms was an American executive in the baking industry and sports philanthropist. He founded the Helms Bakery in 1931 and the Helms Athletic Foundation with Bill Schroeder in 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Hollyfield</span> American basketball player

Larry Hollyfield is a former college basketball player for the UCLA Bruins. He won three consecutive national championships with the Bruins from 1971 to 1973, and helped the school to a record 88-game consecutive win streak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1923–24 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 1923–24 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team was the fourteenth varsity college basketball team to represent the University of North Carolina (UNC) as a part of the Southern Conference (SoCon) for the NCAA season. The team went undefeated, and the season was the first played in the Tin Can. The head coach was Norman Shepard, coaching in his first and only season with the Tar Heels. Their fast play and defense won them the 1924 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Booker</span> American basketball player (born 1948)

Kenneth Arnold Booker is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins from 1969 to 1971, winning a national championship in each of his two seasons of play. He played two seasons professionally in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Schofield</span> American basketball player and coach

George Terence Schofield is an American former basketball player and coach. He played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, winning three national championships (1969–1971) under Coach John Wooden. Schofield played professionally in Germany, where he later became a basketball coach. He also became an English lecturer for a German university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Torrence</span> American basketball player

Walter Alexander Torrence was an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He earned all-conference honors in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) as a junior, and was named an All-American as a senior in 1959. After college, Torrence joined the United States Army. He was one of five Army members on the US national basketball team which won the gold medal at the Pan American Games in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season</span> Mens collegiate basketball season

The 1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1973, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 25, 1974, at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. The North Carolina State Wolfpack won its first NCAA national championship with a 76–64 victory over the Marquette Warriors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Moore (basketball)</span> American basketball player (1933–1987)

John William Moore was an American college basketball player for the UCLA Bruins. Twice he earned honorable mention as an All-American. He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.

John Bernard Green is an American former college basketball player for the UCLA Bruins. He received honorable mention as an All-American in his senior year in 1962, when he led the Bruins in scoring, and they advanced to their first Final Four. Green was thrice voted all-conference in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), including a first-team selection. He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the third round of the 1962 NBA draft.

References

  1. 1 2 Scott, Jon (Nov 9, 2010). "The truth behind the Helms Committee" . Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Drooz, Alan (January 15, 1981). "New Home Being Sought for Southland's Sports Hall of Fame". Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California. p. 12. Retrieved December 4, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  3. Hall, John (August 31, 1976). "So Help Me". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 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. 1 2 "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. Los Angeles, California. September 15, 1981. Part III, p. 4. Retrieved December 4, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 4 5 Bjarkman, Peter (1996). Hoopla: A Century of College Basketball. Masters Press. pp. 353–355. ISBN   1-57028-039-8.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "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.
  10. Ashford, Ed (April 4, 1950). "Helms Rates Arizin Top Player, CCNY No. 1 Quintet". Lexington Herald-Leader . Lexington, Kentucky. 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. "Gola Heads Helms Squad". The Mirror . March 30, 1954. Part III, p. 2. Retrieved October 9, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Patterson Named on Helms All-America Court Squad". Tulsa Tribune . Tulsa, Oklahoma. April 7, 1955. p. 34. Retrieved October 9, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Helms Honors All All-American". Evening Vanguard . Venice, California. April 3, 1962. p. 7. Retrieved October 16, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Thompson, Walton Honored by CSAF". The Times and Democrat . Orangeburg, South Carolina. Associated Press. April 3, 2023. p. 14A. Retrieved December 28, 2023 via Newspapers.com. 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.
  15. "Honors Wilkins as All-American". The Pantagraph . Bloomington–Normal, Illinois. April 6, 1977. p. B3. Retrieved December 5, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Givens selected as top cager". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. April 5, 1978. p. B2. Retrieved December 5, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Bird Is Named Player of Year". Omaha World-Herald . Omaha, Nebraska. United Press International. April 1, 1979. p. 6C. 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.
  18. "Griffth adds two more awards". Kansas City Times . Kansas City, Missouri. April 1, 1980. p. D4. 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.
  19. Anderson, Claude (April 7, 1981). "Getting set for run at the roses". The San Bernardino Sun . San Bernardino, California. p. D1. 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.
  20. "Sitton Chosen to A-A Squad". Corvallis Gazette-Times . Corvallis, Oregon. April 12, 1983. p. 14. Retrieved December 5, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  21. Bender, Jack (June 29, 1983). "It's summer—and basketball is back". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier . Waterloo, Iowa. p. B1. 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 runner-up Houston as its player of the year.
  22. Keidan, Bruce (February 13, 1973). "Police Protection Fails to Lessen Faith in Religion". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 13. Retrieved October 31, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  23. "Akeem gets the 'H' back in his name". Deseret News . Salt Lake City, Utah. March 11, 1991. Retrieved October 31, 2024.