![]() Thompson in 1984 | |||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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Born | Washington, D.C., U.S. | September 2, 1941||||||||||||||
Died | August 30, 2020 Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. | (aged 78)||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 269 lb (122 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school | Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.) | ||||||||||||||
College | Providence (1961–1964) | ||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1964: 3rd round, 25th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
Selected by the Boston Celtics | |||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1964–1966 | ||||||||||||||
Position | Center | ||||||||||||||
Number | 18, 5 | ||||||||||||||
Coaching career | 1966–1999 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
As player: | |||||||||||||||
1964–1966 | Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
As coach: | |||||||||||||||
1966–1972 | St. Anthony HS | ||||||||||||||
1972–1999 | Georgetown | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
As player:
As coach:
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Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Career coaching record | |||||||||||||||
College | 596–239 (.714) | ||||||||||||||
Basketball Hall of Fame as coach | |||||||||||||||
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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John Robert Thompson Jr. (September 2, 1941 – August 30, 2020) was an American college basketball coach for the Georgetown Hoyas men's team. He became the first African-American head coach to win a major collegiate championship in basketball when he led the Hoyas to the NCAA Division I national championship in 1984. Thompson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Thompson played college basketball for the Providence Friars and earned honorable mention All-American honors in 1964. He played for two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics, who won an NBA championship in both seasons. Thompson became a high school coach in Washington, D.C., before coaching Georgetown for 27 seasons. He worked as a radio and television sports commentator after his retirement from coaching. Thompson earned a master's degree in Counseling and Guidance at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). He also served as an employee at the center for 4-H and Youth Development at UDC.[1]