John Thompson obit

John Thompson, legendary Georgetown basketball coach, dies at 78

He is not on the list.

John Thompson, the Hall of Fame college basketball head coach who led a dominant Georgetown Hoyas team in the 1980s, died Monday. He was 78.

There was no immediate cause of death announced. WJLA-TV reported that Thompson had died, citing family and friends.

His family later released a statement.

“We are heartbroken to share the news of the passing of our father, John Thompson, Jr. 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.”

Despite being drafted in the third round by the Boston Celtics in 1964, his NBA career only lasted about two seasons. Thompson was mostly known for putting together dominant Hoyas teams, which included players like Patrick Ewing, Sleepy Eric Floyd, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutumbo and Allen Iverson.

Thompson led Georgetown to a national championship in 1984 with a nine-point victory over Houston.

Thompson, who had served as an assistant coach for the gold medal winning team in the 1976 Summer Olympics, coached the last collegiate US team at the 1988 Summer Olympics. 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 United States did not reach the gold medal game. The team proceeded to win its final game against Australia to secure the bronze medal. He played college ball for the Providence Friars.

Tributes to Thompson poured in over social media.

While his exploits on the basketball court are well known, it was some incidents that didn’t have to do with basketball that made him a legendary coach.

Thompson reportedly confronted a drug kingpin who was connected to several players on the team in the 1980s. In 1989, he walked off the court in protest before a basketball game over the NCAA-backed bill which would have barred scholarship athletes from playing their freshman years if they didn’t qualify academically.

In the late 1980s, Thompson got word that several of his players, including Alonzo Mourning, were associating with noted Washington, D.C. drug lord and avid Hoya fan Rayful Edmond III, whose crew was connected to at least forty homicides. At the height of his empire, Edmond became very friendly with several Hoyas players. When Thompson confirmed what was happening, he sent word through his sources to have Edmond meet him at his office at McDonough Gymnasium.

When Edmond arrived, Thompson was initially cordial, and informed Edmond that he needed to cease all contacts with his players post haste, specifically John Turner and Mourning, both of whom had befriended Edmond. 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. Thompson, known for his volatility, quickly boiled over, and unleashed a profanity-laced tirade in which he told Edmond that he did not care about his crew's violent reputation or propensity to commit murder. Edmond had crossed a line with Thompson's players, and Thompson was not going to allow Edmond to destroy the players' lives.

Thompson resigned from coaching in 1999. He would later be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

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. He signed a lifetime contract with Clear Channel Radio and WTEM in 2006. Working with Rick Walker, Thompson remained on the show until 2012.

Thompson was scheduled to be on American Airlines Flight 77 on September 11, 2001, which was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon in the September 11 attacks, but his seat was cancelled. Ten years later, on The Jim Rome Show, Thompson reunited with the ticket agent who removed him from Flight 77.

Thompson was replaced by his longtime assistant coach Craig Esherick. Esherick would last until 2004 and be replaced by Thompson's son, John Thompson III.

Thompson III was the coach until 2017. Ronny Thompson, his younger son, was the head coach at Ball State from 2006 to 2007.

Career highlights and awards

As player:

2× NBA champion (1965, 1966)

Honorable mention All-American - AP (1964)

Second-team Parade All-American (1960)

As coach:

 

NCAA Division I tournament champion (1984)

3x NCAA Regional—Final Four (1982, 1984, 1985)

6× Big East tournament champion (1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989)

5× Big East Conference regular season champion (1980, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1992)

2× Big East 7 division champion (1996, 1997)

2× ECAC tournament Southern Region champion (1975, 1976)

ECAC Tournament South-Upstate Region champion (1979)

Henry Iba Award (1982)

NABC Coach of the Year (1985)

UPI Coach of the Year (1987)

3× Big East Coach of the Year (1980, 1987, 1992)