John Thompson, who was captain of the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team for 27 seasons, has died, according to a Washington DC radio station.
Thompson’s death was first reported by The Team 980 & 95.9FM.
Breaking News: Legendary Georgetown Coach John Thompson has passed away. The Hall of Famer became the first African-American head coach to win the NCAA National Championship, leading the Hoyas to the 1984 title. Coach Thompson will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/wrNyzN2vFU
— The Team 980 & 95.9FM (@team980) August 31, 2020
Thompson, 78, amassed a training record of 596-239, and 97% of his players stayed with a college degree over the four years. He was the first black coach to win the NCAA National Championship when the Hoyas defeated the University of Houston Cougars in a 1984 NCAA title match.
Thompson retired from the coach in 1999, is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and has won the Big East three times. During his tenure at Georgetown, he coached several NBA first-round picks, including Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Morning, Bill Martin, Sleepy Floyd, and Ellen Iverson.
Thompson was born and raised in Washington, D.C. at Archbishop Carroll High School, and has been noted for playing three consecutive City Championship games. During his senior year, Thompson led Carroll to a 24-0 record and maintained his 48-game winning streak along the way.
After graduation, Thompson went to Providence College, where he played for the 1963 NIT Championship Team and was part of the Providence NCAA First Team in 1964. He was all-American in his freshman year in 1964.
Thompson was drafted in the third round in 1964 and played two years in the NBA for the Boston Celtics.
Source: AJC
