Legendary Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr. dies at 78

Legendary Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr has died.

He was 78.

Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr legacy

Johnson was simply known as “Big John” throughout college basketball.

Championships

In 1984, he led Georgetown to the 1984 national championship. He then became a force to be reckoned with.

Johnson built the Georgetown men’s basketball program into an unstoppable force, taking the Hoyas to three Final Fours in the 1980s while also winning seven Big East titles and leading the 1988 United States national team to a bronze medal in the Olympics.

Recruitment

His coaching legacy includes the recruitment and development of four players in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson.

College basketball Hall of Fame

Thompson, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999, was a pioneer credited with opening the door for a generation of minority coaches.

His national title run in 1984 was the first by a Black head coach and altered the perception of Black coaches.