The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship.[1] Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor,[2] funding the foundation via his ownership of Helms Bakery.[3] Bill Schroeder founded the organization with Helms and served as its managing director.[4][5] The men were united in a love of amateur athletic competition.[6]
 | |
| Abbreviation | HAF |
|---|---|
| Successor | LA84 Foundation |
| Formation | 1936 |
| Founders |
|
| Purpose | Athletics, Sportsmanship |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles |
| Award(s) |
|
The organization became well known for presenting awards and trophies for local, national, and international competition, naming the Southern California Player of the Month and Year, national championships in college basketball and college football, Rose Bowl Player of the Game, Coach of the Year, Pacific Coast football player of the year, and other such awards for athletic achievement. Schroeder described himself in 1967 as a "committee of one" in selecting the championship teams.[7] The organization dedicated Helms Hall in 1948, which housed a museum for sporting artifacts as well as the Helms Hall of Fame.
Following the death of Paul Helms in 1957 and the eventual closure of Helms Bakery in 1969, Schroeder sought new benefactors. The organization continued under a series of new sponsors as the United Savings–Helms Athletic Foundation, Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation, and First Interstate Bank Athletic Foundation. Schroeder died in 1987. Under the direction of Peter Ueberroth the Helms Athletic Foundation collection, library, and archives were absorbed into the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, later renamed the LA84 Foundation.
History
Founding
Schroeder brought to the partnership a large personal collection of sports memorabilia.[5] He sought a corporate sponsor to finance a hall of fame to house his collection and to present awards to local athletes.[5][6]
The idea was taken seriously by Paul Helms, who was himself invested in athletics both personally and professionally.[6][1] The bakery with which he made his fortune was a sponsor of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics,[1] and "Helms Olympic Bread" continued to be associated with the competition. The organization was originally known as the Helms Olympic Athletic Foundation.
In 1936, with Helms' backing, Schroeder set to work from a rented office in downtown Los Angeles.[6] As the organization's only employee, he issued frequent announcements of the selections he made for the Helms Athletic Foundation's various and numerous awards.[8]
Helms Hall
The organization dedicated Helms Hall in 1948.[8] The purpose-built building adjacent to Helms Bakery near Culver City housed a museum for the sports artifacts originally collected by Schroeder, as well as the Helms Hall of Fame.[6]
Schroeder selected the organization's national champion teams and made All-America team selections in a number of college sports, including football and basketball.[7] The Helms Foundation also operated a hall of fame for both college basketball and college football. Besides collegiate athletics, the organization operated halls of fame for professional football, Major League Baseball, the Pacific Coast League, basketball, fencing, golf, tennis, swimming, auto racing, track and field,[9] and soaring.[10]
Later years
After Paul Helms' death in 1957, his family continued supporting the organization until 1969, when the bakeries went out of business.[11][4] Schroeder found a new benefactor in United Savings & Loan,[11] and the organization's name became United Savings–Helms Athletic Foundation.[12][13] United merged with Citizens Savings & Loan in 1973, when the organization became the Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation.[11] It was again renamed in 1982 when First Interstate Bank assumed sponsorship, and it became the First Interstate Bank Athletic Foundation.[14][15]
When the Helms Foundation dissolved, its historical holdings were absorbed into the collection of the Amateur Athletic Foundation, renamed the LA84 Foundation in 2007.
National championship selections
Football
The NCAA recognizes the Helms Athletic Foundation as a "major selector" of college football national championships in their official records book.[35]
The champions for 1883 through 1941 were published in August 1942.[36][37]
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Helms Athletic Foundation selected players, coaches and administrators from 1950 through 1960 to its pro football hall of fame.[57][58][59][60] Contrary to other halls of fame, some members were selected during their active playing/coaching careers.
Dan Reeves wasn't inducted to the hall, but he received a "special award" for his "contribution to professional football in Los Angeles" during the 1950 inaugural class ceremony.[61]
| Year | Inductee | Pro Team(s) | Contribution | Pro Football Hall of Fame? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Cliff Battles | Boston Braves / Boston Redskins / Washington Redskins (1932–1937) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Sammy Baugh | Washington Redskins (1937–1952) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Joe F. Carr | NFL Commissioner (1921–1939) | Contributor | Yes |
| 1950 | Dutch Clark | Portsmouth Spartans / Detroit Lions (1931–1932; 1934–1938) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Paddy Driscoll | Hammond All-Stars (1917) Hammond Pros (1919) Racine / Chicago Cardinals (1920–1925) Chicago Bears (1926–1929) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Turk Edwards | Boston Braves / Redskins / Washington Redskins (1932–1940) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Ray Flaherty | Los Angeles Wildcats (1926) New York Yankees (1927–1928) New York Giants (1929, 1931–1935) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Dan Fortmann | Chicago Bears (1936–1943) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Red Grange | Chicago Bears (1925, 1929–1934) New York Yankees (1926–1927) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | George Halas | Boston Braves / Redskins / Washington Redskins (1932–1940) | Player Coach | Yes |
| 1950 | Mel Hein | New York Giants (1931–1945) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Bill Hewitt | Chicago Bears (1932−1936) Philadelphia Eagles (1937−1939) Steagles (1943) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Clarke Hinkle | Green Bay Packers (1932–1941) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Cal Hubbard | New York Giants (1927–1928, 1936) Green Bay Packers (1929–1933, 1935) Pittsburgh Pirates (1936) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Don Hutson | Green Bay Packers (1935–1945) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Curly Lambeau | Green Bay Packers (1920–1949) | Coach | Yes |
| 1950 | Tuffy Leemans | New York Giants (1936–1943) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Sid Luckman | Chicago Bears (1939–1950) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Bronko Nagurski | Chicago Bears (1930–1937, 1943) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Ernie Nevers | Duluth Eskimos (1926–1927) Chicago Cardinals (1929–1931) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Steve Owen | New York Giants (1931–1949) | Coach | Yes |
| 1950 | Ken Strong | Staten Island Stapletons (1929–1932) New York Giants (1933–1935, 1939, 1944–1947) New York Yankees (1936–1937) Jersey City Giants (1938, 1940) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Joe Stydahar | Chicago Bears (1936–1942; 1945–1946) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | Jim Thorpe | Canton Bulldogs (1915–1917, 1919–1920,1926) Cleveland Indians (1921) Oorang Indians (1922–1923) Rock Island Independents (1924) New York Giants (1925) Rock Island Independents (1925) Tampa Cardinals (1926) Chicago Cardinals (1928) | Player | Yes |
| 1950 | George Trafton | Decatur Staleys / Chicago Staleys / Chicago Bears (1920–1921, 1923–1932) | Player | Yes |
| 1951 | John McNally | Milwaukee Badgers (1925–1926) Duluth Eskimos (1926–1927) Pottsville Maroons (1928) Green Bay Packers (1929–1933, 1935–1936) Pittsburgh Pirates (1934, 1937–1938) Buffalo Tigers (1941) | Player | Yes |
| 1951 | Arnie Herber | Green Bay Packers (1930–1940) New York Giants (1944–1945) | Player | Yes |
| 1951 | Bulldog Turner | Chicago Bears (1940–1951) | Player | Yes |
| 1951 | Pete Henry | Canton Bulldogs (1920–1923, 1925–1926) New York Giants (1927) Pottsville Maroons (1927–1928) | Player | Yes |
| 1952[62] | Greasy Neale[63] | Philadelphia Eagles (1941–1950) | Coach | Yes |
| 1952 | Al Nesser | Columbus Panhandles (1910–1919, 1921) Canton Professionals (1914) Akron Pros (1920–1925) Cleveland Bulldogs (1925) Akron Indians (1926) Cleveland Panthers (1926) New York Giants (1926–1928) Cleveland Indians (1931) | Player | No |
| 1952 | Alex Wojciechowicz | Detroit Lions (1938–1946) Philadelphia Eagles (1946–1950) | Player | Yes |
| 1952 | Frankie Albert | Los Angeles Bulldogs (1945) San Francisco 49ers (1946–1952) | Player | No |
| 1952 | Bob Waterfield | Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams (1945–1952) | Player | Yes |
| 1952 | Sammy Baugh | Washington Redskins (1937–1952) | Player | Yes |
| 1957 | Tony Canadeo | Green Bay Packers (1941–1944; 1946–1952) | Player | Yes |
| 1957 | Lou Groza | Cleveland Browns (1946–1959, 1961–1967) | Player | Yes |
| 1957 | Elroy Hirsch | Chicago Rockets (1946–1948) Los Angeles Rams (1949–1957) | Player | Yes |
| 1957 | Ed Sprinkle | Chicago Bears (1944–1955) | Player | Yes |
| 1957 | Doak Walker | Detroit Lions (1950–1955) | Player | Yes |
| 1959 | Charlie Conerly | New York Giants (1948–1961) | Player | No |
| 1959 | George Musso | Chicago Bears (1933–1944) | Player | Yes |
| 1959 | Ray Bray | Chicago Bears (1939–1942, 1946–1951) Green Bay Packers (1952) | Player | No |
| 1959 | George Preston Marshall | Washington Redskins owner (1932-1959) | Contributor | Yes |
| 1960 | Jim Benton | Cleveland / Los Angeles Rams (1938–1940, 1942; 1944–1947) Chicago Bears (1943) | Player | No |
| 1960 | Bill Dudley | Pittsburgh Steelers (1942, 1945–1946) Detroit Lions (1947–1949) Washington Redskins (1950–1951, 1953) | Player | Yes |
| 1960 | Link Lyman | Canton / Cleveland Bulldogs (1922–1925) Frankford Yellow Jackets (1925) Chicago Bears (1926–1928, 1930–1931, 1933–1934) | Player | Yes |
| 1960 | George McAfee | Chicago Bears (1940–1941, 1945–1950) | Player | Yes |
| 1960 | Emlen Tunnell | New York Giants (1948–1958) Green Bay Packers (1959–1961) | Player | Yes |
| 1960 | Y. A. Tittle | Baltimore Colts (1948–1950) San Francisco 49ers (1951–1960) New York Giants (1961–1964) | Player | Yes |
| 1960 | Chuck Bednarik | Philadelphia Eagles (1949–1962) | Player | Yes |
| 1960 | Norm Van Brocklin | Los Angeles Rams (1949–1957) Philadelphia Eagles (1958–1960) | Player | Yes |
| 1960 | Buck Shaw | San Francisco 49ers (1946–1954) Philadelphia Eagles (1958–1960) | Coach | No |
| ???? | Otto Graham | Cleveland Browns (1946–1955) | Player | Yes |
World Trophy
The Helms World Trophy,[64] originally known as the Helms Award[65] and also referred to as the Helms Trophy,[66] was an annual sporting award established by the Helms Athletic Foundation from 1939 to honor the foremost amateur athlete of each continent of the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.[67]
Although the Foundation was established in 1936, the awards date back to the 1896, the year of the first Summer Olympics.[68][69]
After the initial committee selection, amateur athletes were nominated by their own countries for consideration by the foundation. Winners were presented with a silver plaque and had their names added to the World Trophy that was located at the Helms Foundation, and subsequently the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles (now known as the LA84 Foundation). Winners can only win the award once.[70]
Winners
- World Trophy for Australasia
- World Trophy for Africa
- 1965: Seraphino Antao, Kenyan sprinter[66]
- World Trophy for Asia
- 1930: Simeon Toribio, Filipino high jumper[71]
- 1953: K. D. Singh, Indian hockey player[72][73]
- 1959: Milkha Singh, Indian sprinter[74]
- World Trophy for Europe
- 1969: Jean-Claude Killy, French skier[75]
- World Trophy for North America
- World Trophy for South America