John Thompson (left) and Patrick Ewing meet with President Ronald Reagan
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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Born |
Washington, D.C. |
September 2, 1941 |||||||||||||
Nationality | American | |||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | |||||||||||||
Listed weight | 269 lb (122 kg) | |||||||||||||
Career information | ||||||||||||||
High school |
Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.) |
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College | Providence (1961–1964) | |||||||||||||
NBA draft | 1964 / Round: 3 / Pick: 25th overall | |||||||||||||
Selected by the Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
Playing career | 1964–1966 | |||||||||||||
Position | Center | |||||||||||||
Number | 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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Basketball Hall of Fame as coach | ||||||||||||||
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
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Medals
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As player:
As coach:
John Robert Thompson Jr. (born September 2, 1941) is a former American college basketball coach for the Georgetown Hoyas. He is now a professional radio and TV sports commentator. In 1984, he became the first African-American head coach to win a major collegiate championship, capturing the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship when Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing, defeated the University of Houston 84–75.
Thompson was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and is a practicing Roman Catholic. As a child, his mother insisted on sending him to Catholic schools for the educational opportunities and academic challenges. At Archbishop Carroll High School, Thompson emerged as a standout center, playing in three consecutive City Championship games (1958–60). In 1959, Carroll All-Mets Thompson, Monk Malloy, George Leftwich and Tom Hoover won over Cardozo 79–52. The next year, Thompson and Leftwich led the Lions over the Ollie Johnson/Dave Bing led Spingarn, 69–54. During his senior year, Thompson led Carroll to a 24–0 record, preserving their 48-game winning streak along the way. Carroll capped off the undefeated 1960 season with a 57–55 win over St Catherine's Angels of Racine, WI in the Knights of Columbus National Championship Tournament with Thompson pacing the Lions with 15 points. Thompson finished the season as the top scorer in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, averaging 21 points per game.