Former Georgetown Coach John Thompson Dead At Age 78

Georgetown's iconic coach John Thompson has died at the age of 78.

A cause of death has yet to be revealed.

Big John, as he was affectionately known by, had an impressive resume. He led Georgetown's basketball team to a national championship in 1984, three Final Fours, seven Big East titles and took his coaching international when he led Team USA to a bronze medal in the 1988 Olympics.

As reported by ESPN, "[h]is national title run in 1984 was the first by a Black head coach and altered the perception of Black coaches."

The year prior to Thompson's hiring in 1971, Georgetown's basketball team had just 3 wins that season. By 1975 they were in the NCAA Tournament.

Over 11 years at Georgetown, Thompson's overall record was 249-115 (.684 win percentage) and 119-73 record in conference play.