John Thompson dies at the age of 78.

The sports world lost a legendary coach and person on Monday when former Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson passed at the age of 78. Thompson helped build the Georgetown basketball program and the Big East tournament from the ground up. In his 27 years as the Hoyas head dog, Thompson went to three Final Fours, three national championship game appearances and was a three-time winner for Big East coach of the year.

Thompson was also a trailblazer, becoming the first black head coach to win a national champion. Many of Thompson’s former players and colleagues in the basketball community took to social media on Monday in remembrance of their coach, and friend.

“Under coach Thompson, I learned a lot about the game of basketball, but most importantly, I learned how to be a man in society,” Dikembe Mutombo wrote in an Instagram post. Thompson helped turn Mutombo into a top-five pick in the NBA draft during his time at Georgetown.

Perhaps Thompson’s most high profile former player, Allen Iverson, went to Twitter to thank his former coach for “saving his life.”

“Thanks For Saving My Life Coach. I’m going to miss you, but I’m sure that you are looking down on us with a big smile. I would give anything just for one more phone call from you only to hear you say, “Hey MF,” then we would talk about everything except basketball.”

An altercation in a bowling alley left Iverson with few colleges left interested in having him come play for them. Thompson took a chance on him and changed the course of his entire life.

Michael Jordan, who’s North Carolina Tar Heels took down Thompson’s Hoyas in the 1982 national title game released a statement reading,

“Coach Thompson was a truly great man and a legend in college basketball. He had such a profound impact on his players and was a father figure to so many of them. I admired him and loved him dearly. My deepest condolences to his family and the Georgetown community.”

Thompson is not being remembered for his over 70 career-win percentage, countless accolades or his spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Instead, he is being remembered as being a good mentor, and a great man.