March 26, 2012
WASHINGTON - Former Georgetown University Head Men's Basketball Coach John Thompson Jr. will be among a group of former athletes and coaches to be recognized with a Pioneer Award by the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation, in partnership with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). The Pioneer Award will be presented at the 47th Annual NACDA Convention at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas on June 27.
The Pioneer Award recipients are recognized at the same time as the John McLendon Minority Athletics Administrators Hall of Fame ceremonies.
At Georgetown, Thompson established a program that had 24-consecutive postseason appearances, an overall record of 596-239 under his leadership and a 97 percent graduation rate; a program which continues its success today. His teams won a National Championship (1984), appeared in three Final Fours (1982, 1984, and 1985) and played in 20 NCAA Tournaments, 14 appearances being consecutive.
Thompson was the first African-American basketball coach in the BIG EAST Conference (1979-80) and the first African-American BIG EAST Coach of the Year (1980, 1987, and 1992). Thompson was also the first African-American Division I Basketball Coach of the Year, which he was named a total of seven times throughout his career. He was also the 1988 Olympic Men's Basketball Head Coach for the United States, where his team captured a bronze medal in Seoul.
A major figure in and out of the coaching profession, Thompson is a past president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, serving as the first African-American president of the organization and has served on their board of directors. He is a trustee of the Basketball Hall of Fame and has been a consultant and spokesman for Nike, where he is a member of its board of directors.
Thompson will receive the Pioneer Award along with James Cash (TCU), Rudy Davalos (first Hispanic AD in Southwest Conference, WAC and MWC), Dr. Evie Dennis (first African-American female to be VP of the AAU), Herman Frazier, Dennie Hoggard and Wallace Triplett (first African-Americans to play in the Cotton Bowl), Linwood Sexton (first African-American to be named to the Missouri Valley All-Conference team three times) and Alfred White (first African-American to be commissioner of the Southern Conference)
About the John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Program: The John McLendon Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards are presented to senior-level minority students who intend to pursue a graduate degree in athletics administration. If you have any questions regarding this program, please visit www.mclendonminorityfoundation.com.
