John Thompson (basketball coach)
John Thompson, Jr. (born September 2, 1941) is a former basketball coach at Georgetown University.
Thompson was born in Washington, DC. After attending Archbishop John Carroll High School in DC, Thompson went to Providence College. He played two years in the NBA for the Boston Celtics in 1964-1966. At 6'10'' (2.08 m), he backed up Bill Russell as the Celtics' star center en route to two championships. His career as a player was unimpressive, however, and he retired in 1966 to coach at St. Anthony High School near DC. He quickly racked up a 122-28 record, and was hired to become the head coach of the men's basketball team at Georgetown University.
Thompson, an imposing figure on the sidelines who towered over many opposing coaches (and players, for that matter), was often noted for the trademark towel that he carried on his shoulder during the games. He took over a Georgetown team that had gone just 3-23 the year before. Thompson quickly improved the team, which made the NCAA tournament within three years. Over the following 27 years, Thompson's Hoyas went 596-239 (.714), running off a streak of 24 postseason appearances - 24 in the NCAA tournament, 4 in the NIT - including a 14-year streak of NCAA appearances from 1979-1992 that saw three Final Four appearances in 1982, 1984 and 1985, winning a National Championship in 1984 and narrowly missing a repeat the next year to underdog Villanova.
Thompson still holds conference records for most overall Big East wins (231), most regular-season Big East wins (198) and conference championships (seven regular season, six tournaments). He won seven Coach of the Year awards: Big East (1980, 1987, 1992), United States Basketball Writers Association and The Sporting News (1984), National Association of Basketball Coaches (1985) and United Press International (1987). Thompson coached many notable players, including Patrick Ewing, Sleepy Floyd, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson. Under Thompson, 26 players were chosen in the NBA Draft, eight in the first round.
Thompson also led the United States to a bronze medal in the 1988 Summer Olympics and was an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning team in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Thompson suddenly retired on January 8, 1999, citing family difficulties. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on October 1, 1999. Thompson was replaced by Craig Esherick. Esherick was fired in 2004 and replaced by John Thompson III, the old coach's older son. His younger son, Ronny Thompson, was formerly one of his Assistant Coaches at Georgetown, and is currently an Assistant Coach at the University of Arkansas.
