Legendary Georgetown coach John Thompson passes away

John Thompson touched so many lives in the college basketball world. He passed away Monday.

In 2020, we have to mourn the loss of another prominent sports figure as John Thompson passed away Monday at the age of 78.  The legendary Georgetown head coach leaves behind a legacy worthy of praise. He was a man ahead of his time.

John Thompson was the first Black head coach to win a major collegiate championship during the 1983-84 season when the Hoyas beat the Houston Cougars 84-75. He coached Georgetown for 27 years and finished with a 596-239 (71 percent) record that included three Final Fours and 13 Big East Championships (seven regular season, six tournament). In total, he won seven Coach of the Year awards across the Big East, United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), United Press International (UPI), and The Sporting News (TSN).

John Thompson understood that his success gave Black basketball coaches a fighting chance

While the NBA is now fighting for social justice in the midst of police brutality at the expense of Black people, John Thompson did it first. According to The Washington Post, he walked off the court before Georgetown’s game against Boston College to protest the NCAA’s vote to deny athletic scholarships to freshmen who failed to qualify for athletic eligibility under Proposition 48.

Maryland Terrapins head coaches Gary Williams and Mark Turgeon released statements on Thompson’s passing.

Thompson coached 78 players for four years and 76 graduated. This speaks to his ability to not only be one of the best coaches in college basketball history, but he was a father figure to a lot of his players. Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutumbo, and Allen Iverson were players that starred under Thompson’s leadership and went onto become NBA Hall of Famers.

John Thompson made an impact on the players he coached. In his hall of fame speech, Iverson credited Thompson for saving his life. He defended Patrick Ewing fearlessly against racist chants during his tenure. John Thompson will surely be missed by everyone in the basketball community.