Hall of Fame basketball coach John Thompson, Jr. (pictured) has passed away at the age of 78, according to his family and also according to multiple media outlets.
Thompson was the longtime coach at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., coaching the Hoyas from 1972-1999. He led the Hoyas to the 1984 National Championship with an 84-75 victory over Houston. It’s one of three Final Four appearances he made in his career.
Thompson coached Hoya greats like Eric « Sleepy » Floyd, Reggie Williams, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Allen Iverson, and finally, the greatest Hoya of them all, Patrick Ewing.
He also coached the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team to a bronze medal in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.
After he resigned his position in 1999, Thompson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame later that year. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He also went on to have a distinguished career in radio and TV as well.
Thompson played college basketball at Providence College in the early 1960’s. And he was also Bill Russell’s backup at center for two seasons in the 1960’s for the Boston Celtics, winning NBA titles as a player in 1965 & 1966.
He was supposed to be on the airplane that crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. But his place on the flight was canceled at the last minute.
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
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