Legendary Georgetown Coach John Thompson Dies at the Age of 78

With his trademark white towel draped over his shoulder on game day, Thompson led Georgetown to a heady decade of success that included the 1984 NCAA championship, three Final Four appearances in four years and seven Big East Conference titles. Thompson finished his coaching career with a record of 596-239.

“John Thompson Jr. altered the history of college basketball through both his on-court success and his passionate advocacy for equality for all coaches and student-athletes,” said National Association of Basketball Coaches executive director Craig Robinson. “He was a shining example for all coaches, especially those of us Black coaches who didn’t have many role models.”

Thompson remade Georgetown, once a predominantly white program, acting as an advocate for Black players and an example for Black coaches. His legacy is built on the players he developed and advocated for throughout his 27 seasons with the Hoyas. It began with Patrick Ewing, who appeared in three NCAA championship games during his four years at Georgetown and later starred for the New York Knicks before taking on Thompson’s old role in 2017.

Thompson’s teams at Georgetown transcended college basketball and broke through into the cultural zeitgeist. During the 1980s, the Hoyas navy blue and gray Starter jacket was synonymous with “cool” and today is displayed in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. J.A. Adande, director of sports journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School, described the jacket as “more political statement than fashion statement.

Loved that coach!

That's a major loss. May Coach John Thompson rest in peace? He made me Georgetown's fan.

RIP, sir. 🙏❤️

I used to park near him near McDonough gym when I was a student at GU. Thompson and I arrived at the same time so often that we came to nod to one another. Back then, GU basketball wasn't very popular, so friends and I sat a few rows behind Thompson, Boeheim, and Carnesecca.

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