Marquette's legendary player George Thompson passes away due to complications from diabetes
He was not on the list.
George Thompson, a legendary player on the Marquette men's basketball team, passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 74 due to complications with diabetes.
According to Marquette University, Thompson was the all-time scoring leader in the university's basketball history with 1,773 points for 40 years. He stayed in the Milwaukee area after his basketball career and teamed with Steve "The Homer" True for years as an analyst on radio broadcasts.
Thompson averaged 20.2 points per game during his career and helped Marquette to a record of 68-20 during his three years, the university said.
Sad news. George was always so kind and I loved my chats with him. Diabetes is vicious, my Dad has battled it for 40 plus years. May one of MU’s best #RIP https://t.co/YsmryJHcGs
— Lance Allan (@lanceallan) June 9, 2022
“George’s name is synonymous with Marquette Basketball,” Vice President & Director of Athletics Bill Scholl said. “He was part of the foundation our program was built on and his career speaks for itself. He had a lasting impact on our University and we mourn the loss with our entire Marquette family.”
By the end of his college career, Thompson held the school's career mark in field goals with 656 and free throws with 457. Marquette says he led the team in scoring his final two years and was selected as an All-American in 1968-1969.
“George is really the one who got everything started at Marquette,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “There aren’t words that can express how important he was to this program. The reverence with which former players and fans alike speak of George is second to none. We’ve lost a true legend.”
A 6'2" guard, he attended Erasmus Hall High School from which he graduated in 1965. He then attended Marquette University, where he played for coach Al McGuire. He held the Marquette scoring record for 40 years, and held the single season scoring record of over 20 ppg for 50 years before his record was broken by Markus Howard.
He was selected by the Boston Celtics in the fifth round of the 1969 NBA draft but began his career with the Pittsburgh Pipers of the upstart American Basketball Association. Thompson played five seasons (1969–1974) in the ABA, including two with the Memphis Tams, appearing as an All-Star three times. He then played one season with the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA, in 1974–75. He scored 8,114 combined ABA/NBA career points.
Thompson holds the ABA record for free throws attempted in a single game with 30.
Thompson was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. He was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Thompson is also in the Marquette Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Brooklyn New York Hall of Fame in October 2016.
Career history
1969–1972 Pittsburgh Pipers / Condors
1972–1974 Memphis Tams
1974–1975 Milwaukee Bucks
1975–1978 Flamengo
1979 Club Municipal
Career highlights and awards
3× ABA All-Star (1972–1974)
No. 24 retired by Marquette Golden Eagles
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