The athletic world has lost a legend. John Thompson Jr., Hall of Famer and former Georgetown Hoyas college basketball coach, passed away at his home in Arlington, Virginia. He was 78.
Winning seemed to be in Thompson’s pedigree. He won at every level of the athletic journey as a student athlete, professional basketball player and coach. While attending Providence College as a student athlete, he helped the school reach its first NCAA “March Madness” tournament.
It wouldn’t be long after his collegiate career that he would sign to the Boston Celtics. During his short tenure in the league, he won two championships with Hall of Famer Bill Russell.
In 1966, Thompson started his coaching career at St. Anthony High School in Washington, D.C. Six years later, he would begin his legendary run as the head coach at Georgetown University.
Over his nearly three decade coaching span, the Georgetown Hoyas went to 14 straight NCAA tournaments from 1979 to 1992, three Final Four appearances, a total of 24 tournament appearances between the NCAA and National Invitation Tournament, six Big East Conference tournament championships and one NCAA National Championship. In 1999, Thompson was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
John Thompson became the first black college basketball head coach to win a NCAA National Championship in 1984. However, Thompson did not want to be known as such, in fact, he resented the label.
He would go on to say, “I resent the hell out of that question if it implies I am the first black coach competent enough to take a team to the Final Four,” Thompson said. “Other blacks have been denied the right in this country — coaches who have the ability. I don’t take any pride in being the first black coach in the Final Four. I find the question extremely offensive.”
His players also excelled off the court. Of the 78 players who played four seasons for him, 76 received their degrees from Georgetown University.
Thompson was a prodigious advocate for collegiate players’ rights when he displayed his disdain for NCAA Proposition 42. The proposition rule denied athletic scholarships to freshmen who did not meet requirements, which prompted Thompson to say, “It was biased against underprivileged students.”
Over his illustrious career, Thompson accumulated a win total of 596 with 239 losses, while also coaching multiple NBA Hall of Famers. That list includes Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, and one of the most electrifying guards to ever touch the basketball, Allen Iverson. Iverson even credits Thompson for saving his life in a tweet he sent out that stated, “Thanks For Saving My Life Coach. I’m going to miss you, but I’m sure that you are looking down on us with a big smile. 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…….”
The Thompson family also released a statement that reads, “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. He is revered as a historic shepherd of the sport, dedicated to the welfare of his community above all else. However, for us, his greatest legacy remains as a father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. More than a coach, he was our foundation. More than a legend, he was the voice in our ear every day.”
John Thompson Jr. is survived by his three children, John Thompson III, Ronny Thompson, and Tiffany Thompson.
