By his third season in 1974–75, Georgetown qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1943. When Thompson confirmed what was happening, he sent word through his sources to have Edmond meet him at his office at McDonough Gymnasium. He has been and will always be watching over it. Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball head coaches, Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball 1983–84 NCAA champions, Big East Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, United States Basketball Writers Association, National Association of Basketball Coaches, NCAA University Division / Division I independent, List of NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four appearances by coach, "ESPN.com - Page2 - Darth Vader of G'Town", "John Thompson, coach who built Georgetown basketball into national power, dies at 78", "John Thompson, Hall of Fame Basketball Coach, Dies at 78", "AP Names All-America College Basketball Team", "Half-century later, memories of PC still fresh for Hall of Famer John Thompson", "What the Hell Happened to...John Thompson? Legendary Coach John Thompson, Jr. Has Passed Away. [2] At Archbishop Carroll High School, Thompson emerged as a standout center, playing in three consecutive City Championship games (1958–60).
[19] When Edmond tried to assure him that his players were not involved in anything illegal, the 6'10" Thompson stood up and pointed his index finger between Edmond's eyes. Seventy-five of Thompson's 77 players who stayed all four years received college degrees and 26 of his players were drafted in the NBA, including Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutumbo, Alonzo Mourning and Allen Iverson. [34], National champion [24][26][27] John Thompson III coached Georgetown until 2017. More than a legend, he was the voice in our ear every day. During his senior year, Thompson led Carroll to a 24–0 record, preserving their 48-game winning streak along the way. Although favored to win the international tournament, the United States was narrowly defeated by the all-professional and experienced Soviet Union in the semifinals 82–76, marking the first time the Americans did not reach the gold medal game. John Robert Thompson Jr. (September 2, 1941 – August 30, 2020) was an American college basketball coach for the Georgetown Hoyas men's team.
Big John was fearless, larger than life, and his … Thompson was protesting the NCAA's Proposition 48, which would prohibit scholarship athletes from playing their freshman years if they failed to qualify academically. John Thompson born as John Robert Thompson Jr. was an American college basketball coach. [11] Thompson coached many notable players, including Ewing, Sleepy Floyd, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, and Allen Iverson. He became the first African-American head coach to win a major collegiate championship in basketball when he led the Hoyas to the NCAA Division I national championship in 1984. Leo J. O'Donovan, university president, referred to as a "coach emeritus" position, assisting on academic, athletic, and community projects. More than a coach, he was our foundation. He was the head coach for the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team. He worked as a radio and television sports commentator after his retirement from coaching. [31], Thompson was supposed to be on American Airlines Flight 77 on September 11, 2001, the flight deliberately crashed into the Pentagon on Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington D.C., killing all 64 people on board. "Our father was an inspiration to many and devoted his life to developing young people not simply on, but most importantly, off the basketball court," said a statement from the Thompson family. [5][12] Georgetown missed repeating as champs in 1985, losing in the finals to underdog Villanova. He became the first African-American head coach to win a major collegiate championship in basketball when he led the Hoyas to the NCAA Division I national championship in 1984. pic.twitter.com/wrNyzN2vFU, Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, More than 47 million ballots cast in U.S. election, eclipsing 2016 early turnout, 'I had to start my future': Workers who lost jobs because of COVID-19 find new careers in these fields. Legendary Georgetown Hoyas Basketball Coach John Thompson, Jr. has passed away at the age of 78. ~ GANGSTER", "In Times Like These, D.C. Sports Fans Should Remember the Greats", "Coaches say NCAA approval of Proposal 42 hurts inner-city athletes", "John Thompson III: A Study in Contrasts", "Georgetown coach John Thompson loved his players, his city and the Blessed Mother", "People & Personalities: Fox, DW Ink Multi-Year Extension", "John Thompson ends run as D.C. radio talk show host", "Coach John Thompson tells his 9/11 09/12/11 – Jim Rome Audio", "John Thompson Jr., the first Black coach to win the NCAA championship, dies age 78", NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, UPI College Basketball Coach of the Year Award, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Thompson_(basketball)&oldid=981386870, College basketball announcers in the United States, College men's basketball head coaches in the United States, Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball coaches, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, National Basketball Association broadcasters, National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball), Providence Friars men's basketball players, United States men's national basketball team coaches, University of the District of Columbia alumni, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, ECAC Tournament South-Upstate Region Championship (1979), 2× Big East 7 division champion (1996–1997), Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 2 October 2020, at 00:39. [2], John Thompson Jr.'s younger son, Ronny Thompson, formerly an assistant coach at Georgetown, was the head coach at Ball State. No story about the Georgetown program is complete without him. [2][9], Thompson was a guidance counselor and head coach at St. Anthony High School in Washington, D.C. from 1966 to 1972, compiling a 122–28 record. Gallery: Fighting Irish Wire - Top 10 Most Viewed Posts of July (SMG). I would give anything just for one more phone call from you only to hear you say, "Hey MF", then we would talk about everything except basketball....... pic.twitter.com/03yj4gZv5q. [3] He was voted to the all-tournament team and was later named a second-team Parade All-American. We will cherish forever his strength, courage, wisdom and boldness, as well as his unfailing love. [2] Two years earlier, Thompson had become the first black to advance their team to the Final Four. Division regular season and conference tournament champion Coach Thompson will be greatly missed. [5], After retiring from coaching, Thompson became the presidential consultant for urban affairs at Georgetown University, a basketball commentator for TNT and host of a sports talk show, The John Thompson Show, on WTEM in Washington, D.C.[28][29] He signed a lifetime contract with Clear Channel Radio and WTEM in 2006. For his son, Georgetown′s coach from 2004 to 2017, see, Although an independent, Georgetown participated from 1975 to 1979 in one of the regional end-of-season. [2][5] He won seven Coach of the Year awards: Big East (1980, 1987, 1992), United States Basketball Writers Association (1982), The Sporting News (1984), National Association of Basketball Coaches (1985), and United Press International (1987). Division regular season champion He previously served as the head coach of the men's basketball team at Georgetown University.He grew up in Washington, D.C. and was named first team All-Metro by The Washington Post while playing for Gonzaga College High School in 1984. Thompson was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and was a practicing Roman Catholic. The legendary coach led the Hoyas to three Final Fours (in 1982, 1984 and 1985), 24 straight postseason appearances (19 NCAA, five National Invitation Tournaments), and seven Big East tournament championships.