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Legacy on the Hardwood

An in-depth historical analysis of the prestigious Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year award, its evolution, and its celebrated recipients.

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The Helms Award

Recognizing Collegiate Excellence

The Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year was a distinguished annual accolade presented to the most outstanding men's collegiate basketball player in the United States. This award, a product of the Helms Athletic Foundation, served as a benchmark for individual excellence in the sport for several decades.

Origins of the Foundation

The Helms Athletic Foundation, the esteemed body behind this award, was established in 1936. It was the brainchild of Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms, the proprietor of Helms Bakery in Los Angeles. Their vision was to honor athletic achievements, and this basketball award became one of its most prominent manifestations.

Inaugural and Retroactive Honors

While the award was first formally presented in 1944 for the 1943โ€“44 season, its historical scope was far broader. The Helms Athletic Foundation, under Schroeder's guidance, retrospectively selected players of the year for every season dating back to 1904โ€“05, extending through the 1942โ€“43 season. This comprehensive approach ensured a rich historical record of collegiate basketball's early stars.

Foundation History

Evolution of Sponsorship

The institutional backing of the award underwent several transitions throughout its existence. Following the passing of Paul Helms in 1957, his family continued to support the foundation until 1969, a period coinciding with the cessation of the Helms bakeries' operations. This necessitated a search for new patronage to sustain the foundation's mission.

New Benefactors Emerge

Bill Schroeder successfully secured new sponsorship, first from United Savings & Loan. This partnership led to the foundation being rebranded as the United Savingsโ€“Helms Athletic Foundation. This transition ensured the continuity of the prestigious player of the year award and other athletic recognitions.

Final Iterations and Conclusion

Further corporate mergers and sponsorships marked the award's later years. In 1973, United Savings merged with Citizens Savings & Loan, resulting in another name change to the Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation. Subsequently, after 1981, First Interstate Bank assumed sponsorship, and the foundation became known as the First Interstate Bank Athletic Foundation. The award concluded with Bill Schroeder's final selection for the 1982โ€“83 season, bringing an end to a significant era in college basketball honors.

Distinguished Winners

The Helms Foundation recognized a remarkable roster of collegiate basketball talent over its tenure, including numerous legends of the sport. The selections prior to the 1942โ€“43 season were notably made retroactively in 1943 and 1957, solidifying a comprehensive historical account of excellence.

Understanding the Laureate List

  • โ€  Indicates Co-Players of the Year for a given season.
  • Player (X) Denotes the number of times a player received the Helms Player of the Year award up to that point.
Season Player School Position Class
1904โ€“05Christian SteinmetzWisconsinFSenior
1905โ€“06George GrebensteinDartmouthFJunior
1906โ€“07Gilmore KinneyYaleFSenior
1907โ€“08Charles KeinathPennsylvaniaFJunior
1908โ€“09John SchommerChicagoCSenior
1909โ€“10Harlan PageChicagoGSenior
1910โ€“11Ted KiendlColumbiaFSenior
1911โ€“12Otto StangelWisconsinFSenior
1912โ€“13Eddie CalderSt. LawrenceFSenior
1913โ€“14Gil HalsteadCornellCSenior
1914โ€“15Ernest HoughtonUnion (NY)GSenior
1915โ€“16George LevisWisconsinFSenior
1916โ€“17Ray WoodsIllinoisGSenior
1917โ€“18Bill ChandlerWisconsinCSenior
1918โ€“19Erling PlatouMinnesotaGJunior
1919โ€“20Howard CannNYUFSenior
1920โ€“21George WilliamsMissouriCSenior
1921โ€“22Chuck CarneyIllinoisCSenior
1922โ€“23Paul EndacottKansasGSenior
1923โ€“24Charlie T. BlackKansasGSenior
1924โ€“25Earl MuellerColorado CollegeCSenior
1925โ€“26Jack CobbNorth CarolinaFSenior
1926โ€“27Vic HansonSyracuseFSenior
1927โ€“28Victor HoltOklahomaCSenior
1928โ€“29Cat ThompsonMontana StateFJunior
1929โ€“30Charley HyattPittsburghGSenior
1930โ€“31Bart CarltonEast CentralGSenior
1931โ€“32John WoodenPurdueGJunior
1932โ€“33Forest SaleKentuckyF / CSenior
1933โ€“34Wesley BennettWestminster (PA)CSenior
1934โ€“35Leroy EdwardsKentuckyCSophomore
1935โ€“36John MoirNotre DameFSophomore
1936โ€“37Hank LuisettiStanfordFSophomore
1937โ€“38Hank Luisetti (2)StanfordFJunior
1938โ€“39Chet JaworskiRhode IslandFSenior
1939โ€“40George GlamackNorth CarolinaCJunior
1940โ€“41George Glamack (2)North CarolinaCSenior
1941โ€“42Stan ModzelewskiRhode IslandG / FSenior
1942โ€“43George SeneskySaint Joseph'sGSenior
1943โ€“44George MikanDePaulCJunior
1944โ€“45George Mikan (2)DePaulCSenior
1945โ€“46Bob KurlandOklahoma StateCSenior
1946โ€“47Gerald TuckerOklahomaCSenior
1947โ€“48Ed MacauleySaint LouisCJunior
1948โ€“49Tony LavelliYaleFSenior
1949โ€“50Paul ArizinVillanovaFSenior
1950โ€“51Dick GroatDukeGJunior
1951โ€“52Clyde LovelletteKansasF / CSenior
1952โ€“53Bob HoubregsWashingtonCSenior
1953โ€“54Tom GolaLa SalleG / FSenior
1954โ€“55Bill RussellSan FranciscoCJunior
1955โ€“56Bill Russell (2)San FranciscoCSenior
1956โ€“57Lennie RosenbluthNorth CarolinaFSenior
1957โ€“58Elgin BaylorSeattleF / CJunior
1958โ€“59Oscar RobertsonCincinnatiGJunior
1959โ€“60Oscar Robertson (2)CincinnatiGSenior
1960โ€“61Jerry LucasOhio StateF / CJunior
1961โ€“62Paul HogueCincinnatiCSenior
1962โ€“63Art HeymanDukeGSenior
1963โ€“64Walt HazzardUCLAGSenior
1964โ€“65 โ€ Bill BradleyPrincetonG / FSenior
Gail GoodrichUCLAGSenior
1965โ€“66Cazzie RussellMichiganG / FSenior
1966โ€“67Lew AlcindorUCLACSophomore
1967โ€“68Lew Alcindor (2)UCLACJunior
1968โ€“69Lew Alcindor (3)UCLACSenior
1969โ€“70 โ€ Pete MaravichLSUGSenior
Sidney WicksUCLAF / CJunior
1970โ€“71 โ€ Austin CarrNotre DameGSenior
Sidney Wicks (2)UCLAF / CSenior
1971โ€“72Bill WaltonUCLACSophomore
1972โ€“73Bill Walton (2)UCLACJunior
1973โ€“74 โ€ Bill Walton (3)UCLACSenior
David ThompsonNC StateG / FJunior
1974โ€“75David Thompson (2)NC StateG / FSenior
1975โ€“76 โ€ Kent BensonIndianaCJunior
Scott MayIndianaFSenior
1976โ€“77Marques JohnsonUCLAGSenior
1977โ€“78Jack GivensKentuckyG / FSenior
1978โ€“79Larry BirdIndiana StateFSenior
1979โ€“80Darrell GriffithLouisvilleGSenior
1980โ€“81Mark AguirreDePaulFSophomore
1981โ€“82 โ€ Ralph SampsonVirginiaCJunior
James WorthyNorth CarolinaFJunior
1982โ€“83Akeem OlajuwonHoustonCSophomore

Note on Player Names: Lew Alcindor later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Akeem Olajuwon later changed his first name's spelling to Hakeem to use the original Arabic spelling.

Enduring Impact

A Pantheon of Greats

The Helms Foundation Player of the Year award, spanning nearly eight decades, recognized a remarkable array of talent that would go on to define collegiate and professional basketball. The list of recipients reads like a who's who of basketball history, featuring multi-time winners such as George Mikan, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), and Bill Walton. These individuals not only dominated their collegiate seasons but often transitioned to legendary careers, underscoring the predictive power and prestige of the Helms selection.

Historical Significance

The unique practice of retroactively awarding players from the early 20th century cemented the Helms Foundation's role as a crucial chronicler of basketball history. This initiative provided a continuous narrative of individual excellence, bridging generations of players and offering a foundational perspective on the sport's evolution. It established a historical baseline for collegiate player recognition long before many modern awards existed.

Shaping Future Recognitions

While the Helms Foundation award concluded in 1983, its legacy undoubtedly influenced the landscape of collegiate basketball honors. Its comprehensive approach to player evaluation and its commitment to recognizing the sport's top talents set a high standard. The award's history serves as a testament to the enduring pursuit of excellence in college basketball and provides a rich historical context for understanding the evolution of player recognition in the sport.

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References

References

A full list of references for this article are available at the Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year Wikipedia page

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