The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.

The college basketball world is mourning the loss of legendary coach John Thompson, who died of unknown causes Sunday night at the age of 78. 

Thompson coached at Georgetown from 1972 to 1999, through the height of the Big East conference, and led the Hoyas to a national title and three Final Four appearances. He was the first Black head coach to win the NCAA Championship and became one of the most recognizable figures in college basketball history. 

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said in an interview with Syracuse.com that Thompson may have been “the most impactful coach we’ve ever had.” Boeheim’s Orange were fierce rivals with the Hoyas through the 1980s and 1990s, the height of the Big East. 

“He was one of a kind,” Boeheim said Monday. “There aren’t that many. He brought a presence to the game that nobody does, has. He was a great coach, but he was also a role model for a lot of coaches — white coaches and Black coaches.”

Thompson’s Hoyas upset the Orange in the last game at Manley Field House in 1980, leading Thompson to say “Manley Field House is officially closed.” Syracuse entered the contest ranked No. 2 in the nation and riding a 57-game home winning streak, but lost 52-50 to Thompson and Georgetown. 

Boeheim and Thompson had a fraught relationship over the years but eventually became friends. 

“It’s really hard right now,” Boeheim said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “We had the toughest rivalry you could possibly have for a few years. North Carolina and Duke is what everybody talks about in (college) basketball, and I think it is the greatest rivalry for a long period of time. But for about 10 years, Syracuse and Georgetown was — there was nothing quite like it. John built that really out of nothing.”

The two Naismith Hall of Famers met 46 times in their careers, with Thompson’s tough, defensive-oriented teams winning 25 of the matchups. At 6-foot-10, with his signature white towel slung over his shoulder, Thompson was known to be an imposing figure on the bench. Among Division I head coaches, his number of wins ranks 62nd among with a 596-239 (.714) record. 

Thompson’s legacy off the court is arguably more important than his legacy on it. He recruited predominantly Black teams — some thought Georgetown was actually a historically Black college because of its basketball team. 

He gave a young point guard named Allen Iverson a chance after he was wrongfully accused of being in an altercation with a woman when he was 17. Iverson thanked Thompson on Twitter for saving his life.

Thompson was an inspirational figure for Black coaches in every sport. Syracuse football head coach Dino Babers said he once listened to the “powerful, powerful trailblazer” speak at a banquet.

“(Thompson was) someone that, if you were a young coach at the time like I was, and if you aspired to become a head coach, (he was) someone you needed to listen to,” Babers said. “He had extreme knowledge, and there’s no doubt his knowledge was power.”

SU women’s head coach Quentin Hillsman has also interacted with Thompson. He shared his condolences on Twitter with a broken heart emoji, writing “going to miss you, ‘Pops.’”

“We lost a great basketball coach and a great person with the passing of my friend John Thompson,” Boeheim said in a tweet. “He was a leader in the game and in life. John empowered all coaches, but especially Black coaches and Black players.”

Published on August 31, 2020 at 4:49 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman