Legendary Georgetown Coach John Thompson Jr Passes Away


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John Thompson Jr. was a legend who became the first black head coach to win a National title.

If you’re a fan of the Georgetown Hoyas or just college basketball as a whole then you are probably well aware of John Thompson Jr. Johnson was the head coach of the Hoyas from 1972-1999 and during that time, he was able to pick up a record of 596–239 which just goes to show how successful he was. One of his greatest accomplishments came in 1984 when he became the first black head coach to ever lead a team to the NCAA Championship. Unfortunately, Johnson passed away today at the age of 78.

Thompson touched the lives of numerous young basketball players throughout his career, especially Allen Iverson who got to see first hand just how great of a coach and motivator Thompson was. Today, Iverson took to Twitter where he offered some kind words towards the man he says saved his life.

“Thanks For Saving My Life Coach. I’m going to miss you, but I’m sure that you are looking down on us with a big smile. I would give anything just for one more phone call from you only to hear you say, “Hey MF”, then we would talk about everything except basketball,” Iverson wrote.

Numerous fans and former players also took to social media where they also paid tribute to one of the most legendary men in basketball history. Below, you can see just how much Thompson meant to the sport.


John Thompson Jr. was a legend who became the first black head coach to win a National title.

If you’re a fan of the Georgetown Hoyas or just college basketball as a whole then you are probably well aware of John Thompson Jr. Johnson was the head coach of the Hoyas from 1972-1999 and during that time, he was able to pick up a record of 596–239 which just goes to show how successful he was. One of his greatest accomplishments came in 1984 when he became the first black head coach to ever lead a team to the NCAA Championship. Unfortunately, Johnson passed away today at the age of 78.

Thompson touched the lives of numerous young basketball players throughout his career, especially Allen Iverson who got to see first hand just how great of a coach and motivator Thompson was. Today, Iverson took to Twitter where he offered some kind words towards the man he says saved his life.

“Thanks For Saving My Life Coach. I’m going to miss you, but I’m sure that you are looking down on us with a big smile. I would give anything just for one more phone call from you only to hear you say, “Hey MF”, then we would talk about everything except basketball,” Iverson wrote.

Numerous fans and former players also took to social media where they also paid tribute to one of the most legendary men in basketball history. Below, you can see just how much Thompson meant to the sport.