Twitter Report Claims Ex-Georgetown Coach John Thompson Has Died

NEW YORK – MARCH 10: Former head coach John Thompson II of the Georgetown Hoyas shouts from the stands his former teams takes on the Connecticut Huskies during the quaterfinal round of the Big East Men’s Basketball Championship on March 10, 2005 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

According to a report from DC Radio station, The Team 980 & 95.9FM, legendary Georgetown Hoyas basketball coach, John Thompson has died.

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

A cause of death is not metioned and calls and text messages to Georgetown University officials have not been responded to as of yet.

Thompson had surgery in 2015 to correct a benign twisted intestine which caused him to miss calling the NCAA tournament that year. “While we will miss John’s presence to tip off the NCAA Tournament, we are most thankful that his health is improving and he is feeling better every day,” Westwood One executive producer Howard Deneroff said back then.

“There is a seat waiting for him whenever he is ready to return on the road to the Final Four.”

Thompson became the first African-American head coach to win the NCAA National Championship when the Hoyas beat the University of Houston Cougars in the 1984 NCAA National Championship game.

In 27 seasons, Thompson, 78, compiled a coaching record of 596-239, Thompson coached eventual NBA first rounders like Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Bill Martin, Sleepy Floyd and Allen Iverson.

In his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2016, Iverson thanked Thompson for keeping him alive. “I want to thank coach Thompson … for saving my life,” Iverson said.

“For giving me the opportunity. I was recruited by every school in the country for football and basketball. And an incident happened in high school and all that was taken away. No other teams, no other schools were recruiting me anymore. My mom went to Georgetown and begged him to give me a chance. And he did.”

Big John Thompson was supposed to be on American Airlines Flight 77 on 9/11, if you can believe that.

Fiercely loyal and protective of his players, coach Thompson’s distrust of media types and Georgetown’s popularity created the phenomenon known as #HoyaParanoia ??

Big John Thompson is the single most important black man in the history of D.C. sports.

2020 is crazy R.I.P to one of the greatest coaches to ever live. John Thompson!! He made Georgetown Hoyas what they are till this day. Rest in Heaven Legend!! ?????? pic.twitter.com/akV3GSMVXX

I don’t know if that John Thompson post is true so I deleted but either way. A living LEGEND man.

SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com