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Legendary Georgetown Hoyas Basketball Coach John Thompson, Jr. has passed away at the age of 78. Big John was fearless, larger than life, and his impact on college basketball stretched far beyond Georgetown. He led the team to the 1984 National Championship, drove societal conversation wherever he believed it needed to go, and shaped generations of players.
There will be tributes and stories and analyses of his impact on the cultural landscape far beyond the sport itself. No story about the Georgetown program is complete without him. He has been and will always be watching over it.
His family released the following statement:
A statement released on behalf of the Thompson Family pic.twitter.com/UKfVd4LPRP
— Georgetown Hoops (@GeorgetownHoops) August 31, 2020
The news came before dawn this morning, in a tweet from Team 980 in DC.
Breaking News: Legendary Georgetown Coach John Thompson has passed away. The Hall of Famer became the first African-American head coach to win the NCAA National Championship, leading the Hoyas to the 1984 title. Coach Thompson will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/wrNyzN2vFU
— The Team 980 & 95.9FM (@team980) August 31, 2020
Rest easy, Coach. And thank you.