Legendary Georgetown Coach John Thompson Jr. Dies at 78

John Thompson Jr. led Georgetown to three Final Four appearances and the 1984 national championship.

Legendary Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson Jr. has died at the age of 78, according to ABC 7 News–WJLA in Washington, D.C., and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Thompson coached at Georgetown from 1972 to 1999 and led the Hoyas to the 1984 NCAA championship with Patrick Ewing. He compiled an all-time record of 596–239 and reached three Final Fours in his 27 seasons as a coach.

In his time at Georgetown, he coached future Hall of Famers including Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson. 

John Thompson passed away last night.

He was the first Black coach to win a NCAA title.

He won two as a player w the Celtics.

He had a 97% graduation rate for his players at Georgetown.

Here is Allen Iverson thanking John for saving his life.🌎🏀💔 https://t.co/QY88pOWeHC

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) August 31, 2020

Thompson played at Providence College and was drafted in the 1964 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. He was a member of the 1965 and 1966 championship teams.

The Friar family mourns the loss of John Thompson ‘64. He was a legendary player and an even greater person. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Thompson family.

Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/BsORrzwX5F

— Providence MBB (@PCFriarsmbb) August 31, 2020

Thompson retired from coaching during the 1998–1999 season. His son, John Thompson III, went on to win 278 games as a head coach from 2004 to 2017.

Thompson Jr. was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2006.

"He was so good for coaching," legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith said of Thompson in 1999. "No one—and I mean no one—could have made Georgetown a national power better than John Thompson did when he became the head coach. Every team he ever coached played hard and together and did what he wanted them to do."

Thompson was working on an autobiography with ESPN's Jesse Washington. The book is scheduled to be released in 2021.