David Thompson

[Steat]

David Thompson's wife of 37 years just passed away. RIP Cathy Thompson.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/article95842532.html

David was the best player ever to play in the ACC and one of the nicest players ever.

 

[Steat]

This was one of the best David Thompson plays ever witnessed....a block of Bill Walton's shot in NCAA Final Four..

 

[BillyL]

David Thompson's wife of 37 years just passed away. RIP Cathy Thompson.

David was the best player ever to play in the ACC and one of the nicest players ever.

Best player indeed.

Cathy Thompson RIP

 

[DSouthr]

David Thompson's wife of 37 years just passed away. RIP Cathy Thompson.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/article95842532.html

David was the best player ever to play in the ACC and one of the nicest players ever.

DT was the hardest player ever for me to root AGAINST! Amazing player, just loved to watch him play when it was not against us. He and Bill Walton may have been my favorite 2 non-UNC players ever.

 

[Billheel]

Rode the shuttle with him back to University Mall two seasons ago. Super nice, no ego. Let me try on his All-Star ring. Most of the dummies on the bus didn't even know who he was. He wanted to keep it that way.

RIP Mrs. Thompson.

 

[DSouthr]

Rode the shuttle with him back to University Mall two seasons ago. Super nice, no ego. Let me try on his All-Star ring. Most of the dummies on the bus didn't even know who he was. He wanted to keep it that way.

RIP Mrs. Thompson.

That is a really special (great) story billy, it would be a bucket list item for me to have had that opportunity.

 

[gunslingerdick]

Best player indeed.

A certain 7'4" fella from UVa might argue that.

 

[BillyL]

A certain 7'4" fella from UVa might argue that.

So might Jordan, Bias and Duncan . . of them all, DT has my vote.

 

[mikeirbyusa]

DT was the greatest to play in the ACC. RIP Mrs Thompson thoughts/prayers to the family.

 

[topps coach]

Played against him in HS it was not fun.Imo the best ever in the ACC

 

[gunslingerdick]

So might Jordan, Bias and Duncan . . of them all, DT has my vote.

Sure. And several more. But only one of them is a 3 time college POY.

 

[heelbent]

(mumbling)

 

[mikeirbyusa]

Sure. And several more. But only one of them is a 3 time college POY.

More times than not, success is measured in Championships, how many Ralph get?

 

[mikeirbyusa]

(mumbling)

Hard to not like DT ain't it? Much as I detest moou always hard to not like DT. Bout the ONLY wuffie I can say that about.

 

[heelbent]

Yea I liked Thompson. Dude was unreal. But the thought of moo fans having something to cheer about makes me sick.

 

[BillyL]

Sure. And several more. But only one of them is a 3 time college POY.

True.

Thompson was only a 2x POY, but, was a 3x 1st team AA, 3x ACCPOY.

I'd be willing to bet that if you polled longtime ACCB fans regarding the greatest ACC player ever that Thompson would be the winner . .

 

[gunslingerdick]

More times than not, success is measured in Championships, how many Ralph get?

I'm a big proponent of that thinking as well. I agree. Championships are a measure of greatness. Not the only measure, but a measure. But it was unfortunate that Ralph was coached by a boob in Terry Holland. I believe almost anyone else would have taken one of his UVa teams to the promised land.

Also, Thompson had another superstar on his team. Ralph wasn't as fortunate. He didn't play with scrubs. But he didn't have a player of Burleson's caliber either.

 

[heelmanwilm]

Yepp as much as i despised state i loved dt and how he stuck it to walton. I'll never forget the whole fam crowded around our small black and white tv cheering him on. I still hve the sports illustrated with the cover shot of him out jumping walton for a loose ball. How tragic that he couldnt dunk! Can u imagine the highlights we would be seeing?

And i agree, the goat in acc.

 

[Archer2]

Don't want to derail the thread but Sampson was the most dominant player I've ever seen in the ACC. Not only great offensively, but he was a one man zone in the lane and every coaches game plan was predicated around Sampson.

TBS, Thompson was one of the very best. I rented him a car at the airport one time and he was very polite and down to earth, talked to me for about 10 minutes. Happily gave me his autograph which my girlfriend unknowingly tossed, much to my dismay. Very sorry to hear his wife has passed.

 

[topps coach]

My thing is how you perform in the big moments DT shined Ralph not so much

 

[gunslingerdick]

My thing is how you perform in the big moments DT shined Ralph not so much

I don't know about that. In the game against Pat Ewing (that was billed as the biggest reg season game in years), Sampson went for 23 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks.

Against Kevin McHale in the NIT Championship game, a freshman Sampson went for 15 and 15 and grabbed the win sealing rebound on his way to being named MVP (first freshman to do so). In the semis, he went for 26 and 15 and 4 blocked shots.

Ralph also went for 40 and 16 in a big nationally televised game against an OSU team that had Clark Kellogg and Herb Williams.

And of course he tortured the ACC (Carolina included) in the regular seasons in which he played.

I admit that Ralph was kind of snakebit in the ACC tournament and against Carolina in general. But it took 39 points from Al Wood to deny Ralph a title opportunity in 81 and in 82 in the ACC final, Dean slowed the game down in the second half preventing Ralph from getting many touches.

I didn't get to watch DT play. I was born in '75. But I did grow up watching Ralph so I'll chalk it up to a generational thing.

 

[soap - new and improved]

RIP for David and the Thompson family. Prayers for all who love/loved her.

Two guys who imo would have absolutely been multiple times national champions had they come to UNC..... Sampson and Duncan.

 

[dgheel57]

On just raw talent along,DT was amazing,Slinger you need to look up some old games of Thompson. At 7'4 Samsom was expected to dominate,DT at 6'4 and jumping above rim just amazed fans all over,he was a complete joy to watch. So sorry to hear about his wife,RIP Mrs Thompson.

 

[DSouthr]

On just raw talent along,DT was amazing,Slinger you need to look up some old games of Thompson. At 7'4 Samsom was expected to dominate,DT at 6'4 and jumping above rim just amazed fans all over,he was a complete joy to watch. So sorry to hear about his wife,RIP Mrs Thompson.

For me, when you talk DT, Jordan, Sampson, Lenny Bias and Phil Ford, you are talking about the Mt Rushmore of ACC basketball. Now dukies may want to add laetner to that but as far as I am concerned The face of laetner on a rock should occur BEFORE BLASTING, not after! LOL

 

[Steat]

We keep waiting for another David Thompson to come along and it has not happen and probably never will. An amazing talent, to say the least. Among other things, his corner shot was automatic.

 

[Steat]

Played against him in HS it was not fun.Imo the best ever in the ACC

What type of stats did he have against your team?

 

[topps coach]

What type of stats did he have against your team?

I guarded him twice.He had 47 the first game after careful film study I held him to 44 the next game.Shoot If I played him a few times I could had him down to the high thirties lol