Because he stood tall, so too have countless others. (2:59)Thompson, who led Georgetown to the 1984 national championship, built the program into a juggernaut, 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. ''You know that I'm going through a problem with my marriage right now,'' Thompson said at the time. Combined with Thompson’s flashes of emotion and his players’ rough-and-tumble style of play, it wasn’t long before the words “Hoya Paranoia” came to epitomize the new era of basketball on the Hilltop campus.Georgetown lost the 1982 NCAA championship game when Fred Brown mistakenly passed the ball to North Carolina’s James Worthy in the game’s final seconds. "We know that he will be deeply missed by many and our family appreciates your condolences and prayers. Edmond later received a life sentence on 43 counts of drug-related offenses.Thompson’s son, Princeton graduate John III, later coached Georgetown from 2004 to 2017 and was succeeded in the position by Ewing. He is revered as a historic shepherd of the sport, dedicated to the welfare of his community above all else.
Legendary former Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson died overnight at age 78, according to multiple reports. Edmond, a known figure in the city who attended many Georgetown games and frequented a popular nightclub where he met some of the Hoyas, was arrested later that year for his role in a drug trafficking operation and eventually sentenced to life in prison. A sign in the rafters of McDonough Arena that season read, "Thompson the n----- flop must go." I find the question extremely offensive.”Born Sept. 2, 1941, John R. Thompson Jr. grew up in Washington, D.C. His father was always working — on a farm in Maryland and later as a laborer in the city — and could neither read nor write.“I never in my life saw my father’s hands clean,” Thompson told The Associated Press in 2007. He brought a presence to the game that nobody does, has. "Our father was an inspiration to many and devoted his life to developing young people not simply on, but most importantly, off the basketball court. His teams were predominantly Black, which added to the criticism he faced from those who thought he had an issue with white players, an accusation Thompson repeatedly denied.Winning became the dominant theme in his career. By 1975, he had led the Hoyas to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 32 years.It wasn't without controversy.
Villanova’s victory in 1985 still is considered one of the greatest upsets of all time.“He was a giant. But the talented guard won Big East Rookie of the Year honors and led the program to an Elite Eight during his second and final season at the school.Iverson thanked Thompson for "saving my life" in an Instagram post Monday, adding that he hopes that he always made his college coach proud.Mutombo, who played for Thompson at Georgetown from 1988 to 1991, also honored his college coach in an Thompson suddenly resigned midway through the 1998-99 season amid problems in his marriage. I did it to bring attention to the issue in hopes of getting [NCAA members] to take another look at what they've done, and if they feel it unjust, change the rule. He was 122-28 during his six-year prep coaching career before Georgetown hired him in 1972. Faculty and students rallied around him after a bedsheet with racist words was hung inside the school’s gym before a game during the 1974-75 season.Thompson sheltered his players with closed practices, tightly controlled media access and a prohibition on interviews with freshmen in their first semester -- a restriction that still stands for Georgetown’s basketball team. Ewing, then an associate head coach with the Thompson's survivors include his sons, John Thompson III and Ronny Thompson, and daughter Tiffany Thompson.Michael Wilbon shares the profound impact John Thompson had on his life (2:59)