The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

-based organization dedicated to the promotion of

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

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. The organization became well known for presenting awards and trophies for local, national, and international competition, naming the

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

Player of the Month and Year, national championships in college basketball and college football, Rose Bowl Player of the Game, Coach of the Year, and other such awards for athletic achievement. 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 The LA84 Foundation (known until June 2007 as the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles) is a private, nonprofit institution created by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee to manage Southern California's endowment from the 1984 Olym ...

History

Founding

Schroeder brought to the partnership a large personal collection of sports memorabilia. He sought a corporate sponsor to finance a

hall of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

to house his collection and to present awards to local athletes. The idea was taken seriously by Paul Helms, who was himself invested in athletics both personally and professionally. The bakery with which he made his fortune was a sponsor of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, 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 Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...

. 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.

Helms Hall

The organization dedicated Helms Hall in 1948. The purpose-built building adjacent to Helms Bakery near

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

housed a museum for the sports artifacts originally collected by Schroeder, as well as the Helms Hall of Fame. Schroeder selected the organization's national champion teams and made

All-America team The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

selections in a number of

college sports College athletics encompasses non- professional, collegiate and university-level competitive sports and games. World University Games The first World University Games were held in 1923. There were originally called the ''Union Nationale de ...

, including

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

. The Helms Foundation also operated a

for both college basketball and college football. Besides collegiate athletics, the organization operated halls of fame for professional

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

, the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...

, basketball,

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

, swimming,

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

, and soaring.

Later years

After Paul Helms' death in 1957, his family continued supporting the organization until 1969, when the bakeries went out of business. Schroeder found a new benefactor in United Savings & Loan, and the organization's name became United Savings–Helms Athletic Foundation. United merged with Citizens Savings & Loan in 1973, when the organization became the Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation. It was again renamed in 1982 when First Interstate Bank assumed sponsorship, and it became the First Interstate Bank Athletic Foundation. When the Helms Foundation dissolved, its historical holdings were absorbed into the collection of the Amateur Athletic Foundation, renamed the

in 2007.

National championship selections

Basketball

The champions from 1900–01 through 1918–19 were selected retroactively in 1957. Those from 1919–20 through 1941–42 were selected retroactively in 1943. The Helms Foundation began releasing Schroeder's national championship selections for college basketball in 1943, when in February 1943 it published his retroactive picks for the national champion for each year from the 1919–20 through 1941–42 seasons. Later in 1943, Schroeder picked a national basketball champion for the 1942–43 season, and he continued to select national basketball champions for the Helms Foundation annually through the 1981–82 season, its final year of selections. In 1957, the Helms Foundation also released Schroeder's retroactive picks for the college basketball champions for the 1900–1901 through 1918–19 seasons. The retroactive Helms national championships from 1900–01 through 1941–42 were the well-researched opinions of one person about teams that played during an era when, due to factors outside their control (e.g., minimal schedules, lack of intersectional play, differing rule interpretations, minimal statistics), it is difficult to know or assess the relative strength of the teams. The

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York Cit ...

began play in

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the authoritarian regime. ** State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France ...

and the NCAA tournament in

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

; until at the least the mid-1950s, the NIT was widely considered the more prestigious of the two.Anonymous, "How the NCAA Overtook Its Rival, the NIT," ''Sport History Weekly'', March 24, 2019 Accessed May 4, 2021
/ref> When Schroeder made his first set of retroactive championship picks in February 1943, he chose the NIT winner as the national champion for 1938 and 1939; for 1940, he chose

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses ** South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

(which won neither tournament that year); and for 1941 and 1942 he chose the NCAA Tournament winners as the national champion. After he began making annual picks in 1943, he selected the NCAA Tournament winner in every year except 1944 (when he picked undefeated

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, which won neither tournament) and 1954 (when he picked undefeated

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, which won neither tournament). Thus, through the final Helms selection in 1982, NCAA Tournament winners

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

(1939),

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

(1940),

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

(1944), and La Salle (1954) were the only NCAA champions that were not also Helms champions. Some schools claim a Helms selection as a national championship.

Football

The NCAA recognizes the Helms Athletic Foundation as a "major selector" of

college football national championships A national championship in the highest level of college football in the United States, currently the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), is a designation awarded annually by various organizations to their selection of the best coll ...

in their official records book. The champions for

1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Janua ...

through 1940 were selected retroactively.

World Trophy

The World Trophy, originally known as the Helms Award, was an annual sporting award established by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1939 to honor the foremost amateur athlete of each continent of the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. Even though the organization was established in 1936, the awards date back to 1896, the year of the first

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

. Winners: *

World Trophy for Australasia The World Trophy, originally known as the Helms Award, was an annual sporting award established by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1939 to honour the foremost amateur athlete of each continent of the world, including Africa, Asia, Australasia, Eu ...

*World Trophy for Africa *World Trophy for Asia *World Trophy for Europe *World Trophy for North America *World Trophy for South America

References

{{reflist , refs= {{cite press release , title=Helms Athletic Foundation Collegiate Basketball Record Part II (preface) , publisher=Helms Athletic Foundation , location=Los Angeles , date=February 1943 , access-date=December 14, 2015 , url=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Graphics/Miscellaneous/19430201HelmsPrefacePartII.jpg , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707020034/http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Graphics/Miscellaneous/19430201HelmsPrefacePartII.jpg , archive-date=July 7, 2012 , url-status=live {{cite news , date=February 25, 1943 , title=Wildcats of 1933 , url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113144556/helms-basketball-picks-1943/ , work=Lexington Herald–Leader , publication-place=Lexington, Kentucky , access-date=November 15, 2022 {{cite news , agency=Associated Press , date=January 6, 1957 , title=Famed sportsman, Paul Helms, dies , url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90422131/obituary-for-paul-h-helms-aged-67/ , work=The Birmingham News , publication-place=, place=Birmingham, Alabama , access-date=November 15, 2022 {{cite news , last=Thomas , first=Pete , date=December 24, 1987 , title=Bill Schroeder, 83, Dies; Began Helms Museum , url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113148333/obituary-for-bill-schroeder/ , work=The Los Angeles Times , publication-place=Los Angeles , access-date=November 15, 2022 {{cite news , last=McBride , first=C. E. , date=January 13, 1951 , title=Two Men's Love of Athletics Led to the Helms Foundation , url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113149214/two-mens-love-of-athletics-led-to-the/ , work=The Kansas City Star , place=Los Angeles , publication-place=Kansas City , access-date=November 17, 2022 , quote=Bill Schroeder had an idea for promoting sports competitions and presenting awards and Paul Helms had wealth to make the program possible. {{cite news , last=McConnell , first=Jim , date=August 19, 2008 , title=Helms bread rose from Olympic ties , url=https://www.presstelegram.com/2008/08/19/helms-bread-rose-from-olympic-ties/ , work=Long Beach Press Telegram , publication-place=Long Beach, California , access-date=November 17, 2022 {{cite news , date=June 8, 1962 , title=Slants on Sports: Helms Foundation Basketball , url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/113302864/helms-foundation-basketball-review/ , work=Wisconsin State Journal , publication-place=Madison, Wisconsin , access-date=November 19, 2022 , quote=The selections cover from 1900 to the present, but they have been made annually only since 1943. The 1920–1942 selections were made early in 1943, and the 1900–1920 data was not compiled until 1957, and then only after exhaustive study. {{cite book , url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2020/FBS.pdf , title=2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records , section=National Champion Major Selections (1896 to Present) , pages=112–114 , publisher=The National Collegiate Athletic Association , date=July 2020 , location=Indianapolis , access-date=January 12, 2021 , archive-date=November 1, 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101032438/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2020/FBS.pdf , url-status=live {{citation , last = Jenkins, first = Dan , title = This Year The Fight Will Be in the Open , journal = Sports Illustrated , date = September 11, 1967 , pages = 28–34 , volume = 27 , issue = 11 , publisher = Time Inc. , location=Chicago, IL , url=https://www.si.com/vault/1967/09/11/614180/this-year-the-fight-will-be-in-the-open , access-date=March 16, 2016 {{cite magazine , last=Jares , first=Joe , date=September 7, 1970 , title=A Baker's Dream Needs Dough , url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1970/09/07/a-bakers-dream-needs-dough , magazine=

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...

, pages=18–21 , access-date=November 22, 2022 , quote=Sparked by a sports fanatic and sponsored by a Los Angeles baker, the Helms Hall achieved world renown, but it soon may be only history too, for it can find no new backers and eviction day is coming. College football awards organizations College football championships History of college basketball in the United States Sports foundations based in the United States