Remembering John Thompson: Georgetown Hall Of Fame Basketball Coach Left A Lasting Legacy

John Thompson, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who turned the Georgetown Hoyas into one of the nation's top programs and was the first Black coach to win an NCAA championship, has died. He was 78.

“We are heartbroken to share the news of the passing of our father, John Thompson Jr.,” Thompson’s family said Monday in a Georgetown press release. “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 everyday. We will miss him but are grounded in the assurance that we carry his faith and determination in us. We will cherish forever his strength, courage, wisdom and boldness, as well as his unfailing love.

“We know that he will be deeply missed by many and our family appreciates your condolences and prayers. But don't worry about him, because as he always liked to say, ‘Big Ace is cool.’”

A native of Washington, D.C., Thompson played for Archbishop Carroll High School and later for Providence College, where he was part of the 1963 NIT Championship team. In 1964, the 6'10 forward was drafted by the Boston Celtics.

He would only play two NBA seasons before retiring but in those two years he won titles under head coach Red Auerbach and the Celtics' star-studded roster. Thompson had credited Auerbach for his successful coaching career.

"I've never been around a man who managed men in my life any better than Red Auerbach," Thompson said after Auerbach's death in 2006.

Thompson's coaching career began at St. Anthony High School from 1966 to 1972. He then took the job at Georgetown, a Jesuit college that had seven head coaches in 27 years amid limited success. Thompson, who consistently had a white towel draped over his shoulder on game day, would remain the Hoyas' head coach until he surprisingly stepped down in January 1999.

Under Thompson, the program would amass a record of 596 wins and 239 losses. Georgetown was a fixture in the NCAA’s March tournament and reached the Final Four three times. Georgetown won the NCAA Championship in 1984, making Thompson the first Black head coach to lead a team to the national championship.

He was also served as the head coach of the bronze-medal winning 1988 U.S. Olympic basketball team, the last team composed of collegiate athletes.

Thompson was regarded as perhaps the best college basketball recruiter of centers.

Georgetown would produce 26 NBA players during Thompson’s tenure, including eight first-round choices. Four of those players - Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson - would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Thompson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

“Georgetown University, the sport of basketball and the world has lost someone who I consider to be a father figure, confidant and role model,” Ewing, the current head coach for Georgetown, said in a press release. “(John Thompson) has done so much to impact my life and the people who he has coached and mentored along the way. However, his reach went well beyond just those who he knew personally, he changed the world and helped shape the way we see it. He was a great coach but an even better person, and his legacy is everlasting. My condolence and my prayers go out to his family.”

Iverson, a prolific guard who had personal setbacks in his youth, thanked Thompson for “saving his life” in an emotional Twitter post.

The former Philadelphia 76ers star spent two seasons with the Hoyas before jumping to the NBA. Thompson was known as a mentor and father figure to Iverson and many other players.

"He was so good for coaching. No one -- and I mean no one -- could have made Georgetown a national power better than John Thompson did when he became the head coach. Every team he ever coached played hard and together and did what he wanted them to do," North Carolina coaching legend Dean Smith said after Thompson resigned from Georgetown.