The Hoyas returned the following year as favorites to repeat, but Rollie Massimino's underdog Villanova squad bested them 66-64 in the title game.

It was during that era that Thompson's Georgetown Hoyas emerged as the sport's most intimidating and powerful program, led by the likes of Ewing, followed later by Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning.

Before there was a Carrier Dome for Syracuse to play its home games at, Jim Boeheim's team hosted opponents and Manley Fieldhouse.

As a player, Thompson's credentials were just as impressive as those on his coaching resume: a high school Parade All-American, he signed with Providence College where he became a star and an honorable mention All-American as a senior.

Thompson was selected in the third round of the 1964 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, where he backed up the great Bill Russell and won two championships in two years before moving on to coaching.

In 2011, on the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Thompson went on "The Jim Rome Show" to reveal a stunning story: he was originally supposed to be on the 9/11 hijacked plane that crashed into the Pentagon.