Remembering Hall of Fame Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson
- Jake C
- Sep 2
- 2 min read
Cover photo: Georgetown Hoyas head coach John Thompson in 1993. Photo credit: Mitchell Layton, Getty Images.
On September 2, 1941, legendary Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball coach John Thompson was born in Washington, D.C.
After a two-year playing career in which he won two championships with the Boston Celtics in 1965 and 1966, Thompson began his coaching career at St. Anthony High School in D.C., where he led the program to an overall record of 122-28. From 1972-1999, Thompson was the Hoyas’ head coach.
John Thompson’s Achievements at Georgetown
NCAA Champion - 1984
NCAA Final Four - 1982, 1984, 1985
3-time Big East Coach of the Year - 1980, 1987, 1992
6-time Big East tournament champion - 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989
5-time Big East regular season champion - 1980, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1992
2-time Eastern College Athletic Conference champion - 1975, 1976
UPI Coach of the Year - 1987
National Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year - 1985
Henry Iba Award - 1982
Overall record: 596-239
Thompson’s Georgetown squads in his career made 24 straight postseason appearances (19 NCAA tournament, and five NIT). While head coach at Georgetown, Thompson guided five Consensus All-Americans in Patrick Ewing, Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, Reggie Williams, and Sleepy Floyd. Ewing, Mourning, Iverson, and Dikembe Mutombo (a Hoya from 1988-1991) are Naismith Hall of Famers. Thompson was the first black head coach to win a major college championship.
He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999. After his coaching career, he served as an analyst on the NBA on TNT’s coverage.
On August 30, 2020, Thompson passed away at the age of 78 in his home in Arlington, Va. Following Thompson’s passing, Ewing, who was the Hoyas’ head coach at the time, referred to his former head coach as a father figure, confidant, and role model, as said in a story on nbcwashington.com. Also said Ewing about his visit to Georgetown that persuaded him to become a Hoya:
“Having the opportunity to see a black man who looked like me carry himself with class and dignity, and he could be someone that you could emulate.”
In his 2016 Hall of Fame speech, Iverson said to Thompson, “I want to thank Coach Thompson for saving my life. For giving me the opportunity.”
In an era where the Big East was the most exciting conference in all of College Basketball, Thompson stood as a towering presence and one of the NCAA’s all-time great coaches who molded boys into men.
On his birthday, we remember him.
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